Integrated GEOSS climate applications to support adaptation and mitigation measures of the Paris Agreement

Actions should focus on developing applications in support of users involved in the implementation of climate adaptation and mitigation actions in line with the Paris Agreement, by integrating a whole range of Earth Observation data including those recorded through in-situ observing systems, and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs). The actions will seek to use higher spatial and/or temporal data sets while also taking advantage of a broader open data access and new data mining technologies. In addition, the actions should advance methodologies for integrating resulting data flows with multiple GEOSS data sets (from EO satellites to in-situ data including citizen data where appropriate), numerical model outputs and other relevant statistical and socio-economic data. Ultimately, integrated applications should concentrate on climate adaptation applications with estimated societal impact, on impact of GHG emissions or related indicators (such as land cover changes), or feed new indicators for the monitoring of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an EU context. Special attention should be given to multi-scale approaches with abilities to scale up and down from European to local scales.

The actions should make use of, contribute to and feedback on the GEOSS platform which provides international user communities with tools for discovery, visualisation and access to GEOSS data. The actions should actively contribute to relevant GEO Tasks of the GEO Work Programme. It should contribute to the development of user-driven climate applications to be delivered through the EuroGEOSS initiative. They should promote open science and underpin the work of the IPCC through the enlarged provision of in-situ data and of further analyses of ECVs. Applications resulting from the actions should complement relevant Copernicus core services (e.g. Climate Change Service - C3S, Land Monitoring, etc.) and address well identified end user needs in Europe. When relevant, actions should align with the European Space Agency (ESA) programmes[[https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/The_Living_Planet_Programme/ESA_s_Living_Planet_Programme ;

https://eo4society.esa.int/]].

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of EUR 4-5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Timely and reliable Earth observation data and information on the state of our changing climate and environment are indispensable to support the EU in its international commitment on climate change. In particular, the Paris Agreement accentuates the need for new, transparent, integrated solutions to better understand the Earth system, minimise and address climate change contributors and impacts, support accountability towards long-term goals and inform climate services and decision making. Developing integrated solutions tailored to needs in Europe will depend on the European capability to combine multiple Earth observation (EO) data sets - including GEOSS and Copernicus data sets - with ensemble modelling, socio-economic and in-situ data at the spatial and temporal scales at which interactions in the land, marine and atmosphere ecosystems operate.

The project results are expected to contribute to:

• the direct support of the adaptation and mitigation measures of the Paris Agreement, as well as the other GEO engagement priorities such as the Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030;
• the European input to the GEO Work Programme post-2019 to address the climate change challenge cross-cutting all GEO Societal Benefit Areas (SBA) (e.g. for improved land use management);
• increasing European capability to combine multiple EO data sets with models, socio-economic and in-situ data, based on a systematic exploitation of the GEOSS Platform ;
• reinforcing in-situ component of European observing systems for the monitoring of internationally recognised Essential Climate Variables (ECVs);
• the new EuroGEOSS pilot applications to better understand climate change contributors and impacts, and minimise the degradation of the Earth system, support accountability towards long-term goals and inform climate services and decision making.