The Copernicus programme is a cornerstone of the European Union’s efforts to monitor the Earth and her many ecosystems, whilst ensuring that her citizens are prepared and protected in the face of crises and natural or man-made disasters.
The Copernicus programme places a world of insight about the planet at the disposal of citizens, public authorities and policy makers, scientists, entrepreneurs and businesses on a full, free and open basis. An inherently multidisciplinary and truly European enterprise, Copernicus brings together communities from across the geoinformation and environmental scientific spectrum, and delivers operational services which range from Arctic sea ice monitoring to emergency response, through oil spill detection and monitoring of urban sprawl. Copernicus services support a broad range of environmental and security applications, including climate change monitoring, sustainable development, transport and mobility, regional and local planning, maritime surveillance, agriculture and health.
Copernicus services are based on information from a dedicated constellation of satellites, known as “Sentinels”, as well as tens of third party satellites known as “contributing space missions”, complemented by “in situ” (meaning local or on-site) measurement data.
To know more COPERNICUS: EUROPE’S EYES ON EARTH
ITHACA is part of the global community that represents Copernicus on the ground and will be promoting the benefits of the EU's Earth Observation Programme being member, from April 2021, of the European Commission established network of Copernicus ambassadors: the Copernicus Relays.
The relays are the voice, but also the eyes and the ears of the European Commission at local and regional level to ensure that user needs are integrated into the Copernicus Programme and to maximise its use at local and operational level.
The network is part of a wider toolkit of initiatives designed to provide information about the programme and address any concerns from citizens about accessing data and information from Copernicus. In addition, these localised one-stop shops spread the word about opportunities set up by the European Commission to support the development of innovative applications and new business models.
For any support request or doubts about the use of Copernicus services and products in National, regional or local context, please contact the ITHACA Copernicus help desk service at Copernicus.support@ithacaweb.org (English and Italian languages).