This information is provided courtesy of Niall Bolger of the Irish Delegation to the European Space Agency at Enterprise Ireland. If you have any queries please contact Niall directly at niall.bolger@enterprise-ireland.com. Image credit: EUMETSAT/ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) will organise a workshop on urban applications, titled URBIS24-URBan Insights from Space 2024, building on the previous series of MUAS, with the aim of involving a wider user community. The workshop will be held in ESRIN, outside Rome, on 16-18 September 2024.
The objectives are to: gather participants from different sectors, including urban experts, policy makers, remote sensing experts, academia and NGOs, in sharing knowledge, expertise and opportunities for using Earth Observation (EO) in addressing urban challenges, hence fostering new collaborations among participants; Identify challenges and priorities of urban experts and decision-makers in the context of urban planning, urban adaptation, increasing liveability, which can strongly benefit by using up to date EO integrated solutions; Explore up to date results from Remote Sensing scientists and experts and delineate new applications and R&D activities.
Location – ESRIN, Rome, 23-26 September 2024
This symposium will be organised by ESA in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE), the European Commission (EC), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with the aims to (1) showcase latest R&D EO Science and Applications achievements relevant for the Africa continent, (2) further facilitate international EO R&D collaborations across Africa and Europe, (3) continue the user-driven process of capturing EO high-priority topics for future R&D and capacity development joint efforts, (4) share information about future EO missions and digital technology and the related opportunities, (5) discuss the challenges and opportunities to accelerate the integration of downstream services in operational solutions.
Following a successful first edition organised on 3-5 October 2023 in Frascati, Italy, in collaboration with key European and international entities (DG-CLIMA, DG-JRC, World Bank, BNP Paribas, Verra), a second edition is planned for Oct 2024.
This event will take place 9-11 October 2024 in Copenhagen, together with key co-organisers such as EEA and DG CLIMA, and follow an EEA-led Forestry Expert Group (8-9 October). It aims at bringing together the perspectives from various domains (e.g., AFOLU, Blue Carbon, Soils, Emissions monitoring, EU certification on Carbon Removals) and numerous key stakeholder groups such as the regulatory institutions, the credit carbon systems bodies, financial institutions, EO industry and scientists. This edition is expected to gather more than 200 people. Registration is open until 10th September.
ESA will organise the 3rd Workshop on International Cooperation in Spaceborne Imaging Spectroscopy in ESTEC, 13-15 November 2024.
Building on the outcomes of the first and second editions of this Workshop in July 2019 and October 2022, and on the continuous cooperation between all involved Agencies (NASA, JPL, DLR, ASI), the main objective of this Workshop is to strengthen international coordination, synergies among current and future missions and to establish priority areas for future projects and activities. The Objectives of the workshop are to assess the status of current and planned international imaging spectroscopy missions designed for Earth surface monitoring; Identify major gaps and opportunities for the scientific and user community linked to the development of future imaging spectroscopy missions; Strengthen international cooperation and coordination in the space and ground segment operation, calibration and validation, products definition, data access and data exploitation.
ESA will organise a conference on biodiversity, called BIOSPACE25, Biodiversity Insight from Space, on 10-14 February 2025 in ESRIN, Rome.
This event will be the first of its kind, fully dedicated to exploring the use of remote sensing in biodiversity science and applications. BIOSPACE25 will bring together a diverse group of participants, including ecologists, modelers, EO experts, biodiversity policy stakeholders, academics, private sector representatives, financial organisations, and NGOs. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their experiences with satellite remote sensing in various biodiversity contexts, discuss the challenges and opportunities, and collaboratively define R&D priorities in terms of scientific questions, policy needs, and knowledge and observations gaps that can be addressed through EO solutions. The conference will be organised with key stakeholders, including the CBD, IPBES, UNEP, FAO, UNSD, WWF, GEO BON, GBIF, CEOS and NASA.