A roadmap for improved water services in the Copernicus programme
Copernicus is the world’s largest provider of free-to-access Earth observation data, and delivers invaluable services in various domains. However, as water-related tools are fragmented across six Copernicus services, they have not always been given the focus they deserve. “There is no life on Earth without water, and we are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change through water extremes,” explains project coordinator Tiit Kutser from the University of Tartu in Estonia. “We need high-quality data to make informed decisions for public health, climate adaptation and environmental management.” The Water-ForCE project was launched to address this. The project assessed services across Copernicus, and developed proposals for how these could be improved, in order to provide better information for policy development, managing water resources and responding to the impacts of climate change. Together, these offer a roadmap for the evolution of water-related Copernicus services.
Identifying bottlenecks
The water domain of the Copernicus services was comprehensively analysed with input from 20 project partners and engagement with over 800 water experts, including policymakers, researchers and industry leaders. From their extensive research, Water-ForCE identified eight key bottlenecks that limit the effective use of Copernicus services by stakeholders. Some of these, such as suboptimal performance of current satellites for inland waters, have been resolved by Water-ForCE. Using technical specifications provided by the project, the Sentinel-2 Next Generation satellites will have the spectral bands necessary for inland and coastal water remote sensing. According to Kutser, it is essential to improve the water part of the Copernicus services in order to keep it relevant for users. “The private sector and other countries are making rapid progress both in building and launching satellites, as well as in developing ground segments (data storage, processing, product development). The Copernicus services have to make fast progress if they want to stay relevant for water domain users.”
Water quality vs quantity
One of the biggest barriers to Copernicus’ progress is the lack of in situ data, and lack of control over the data collection. The Copernicus water quantity portfolio consists of more than 800 products developed and validated by data from global weather stations and hydrological networks. Yet only two water quality products are currently available for a limited number of lakes worldwide. The validation of other products, which may already be delivered at a local scale, requires data across the full range of lake types worldwide before they can be integrated into the Copernicus portfolio. Such data is typically gathered through infrequent research projects that cover only a small number of waterbodies. Water-ForCE identified this gap, and initiated discussions with the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) to address the issue.
Roadmap for the future
Based on their key findings, the project developed a comprehensive roadmap for the future of Copernicus water-related services. Their guidelines provide analysis of the water component, propose scenarios on how to improve the situation and offer recommendations in order to better serve policymakers, researchers, international organisations, local authorities, industry and the general public. While the project itself has been a success, its true impact will be felt in the years to come. If the water domain is adequately recognised within Copernicus, and the steps outlined in the roadmap are implemented, we can expect a broader portfolio of water-related services. This will lead to accurate and reliable water products and information being delivered to users globally, in a user-friendly manner, helping us navigate our future in a changing climate.
Keywords
Water-ForCE, Copernicus services, roadmap, water-related services, data