Section: Copernicus Programme - Background | GMES&Africa and Copernicus Marine Earth Observation Training Course, Zanzibar, 2019 | EUMETSAT

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  • GMES & Africa and Copernicus Marine Earth Observation

    This is the online phase for the GMES&Africa and Copernicus Marine Earth Observation Training Course. 

    This training is co-organised by the MarCoSouth GMES&Africa consortia and EUMETSAT in collaboration with other GMES&Africa partners and guest lecturers.

    The MarCOSouth project aims to maintain, further develop and provide a sustainable platform for local, institutional, human and technical capabilities in the African countries  through the development of services focused on sustainable socio-economic development, empowering a wide range of users in the public and private sectors through the application of regionally-optimised satellite observations and model based forecasts in African marine and coastal domains.

    Through Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa, the Africa Marine and Coastal Operations projects will contribute to the implementation of the African Space Policy and Strategy (ASPS) through application of world-leading satellite sensors, e.g. the European Sentinel series, with innovative and regionally optimised products. Examples of ASPS objectives addressed are: developing indigenous infrastructure and capabilities that service an African market; provisioning regionally appropriate services and products; ensuring all levels of government are able to access data through a centralised portal.

    The goal of this workshop is to strengthen your capacities to develop Earth Observation products, services and tools that promote sustainable management of marine resources, improve marine governance, and stimulate the growth of the blue economy in Africa..The online phase will introduce you to the Copernicus Marine Data Stream (CMDS), providing you with the background knowledge of the Copernicus programme, satellites and instrumentation, data access and formats, tools and software, necessary to begin working with this data for marine applications .The aims of this training course (both the online and classroom phases) are to help you:

    • Understand the concepts around Earth Observation across the value chain;
    • Learn the underlying principals of marine remote sensing, how to access / download data and products, and how to work with various open source tools; 
    • Develop and deliver a 'mini project' so you are able to gain all the skills that are directly applicable to your research / work needs.
    This online phase will be followed by a classroom phase in Zanzibar, Tanzania from the 12th - 20th November (applications are closed).

     
GMES and Africa - Background
Sentinel-1: Radar Imaging of the Ocean

Copernicus Programme - Background

  • Copernicus Programme - Background

    This topic provides overview material on the Copernicus programme, including the role of the agencies launching and operating the satellites (EUMETSAT and ESA), and the Copernicus services who provide additional products from Copernicus (and other sources of) satellite data, models, and in situ measurements.

    Schematic showing the major parts of the Copernicus programme, highlighting those with a marine relevance

    The schematic above summarises the major components of the Copernicus programme and those (highlighted in orange) with relevance to marine applications. 

    Within Copernicus, Sentinel-3 is often referred to as the 'Blue Sentinel" thanks to its suite of ocean observing instruments. The broader Copernicus Marine landscape also includes the use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites, as well as several services which have a marine mandate.

    The Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) provides products and services for marine applications, using data from the Sentinels, historic and third party missions from agencies around the world, physical and biogeochemical models, and in situ data. Other services also support the marine domain, including in particular the Emergency, Climate, and Security Services. 

    In this course we focus primarily on Sentinel-3 and related products provided by the marine service, as well as some marine applications of Sentinel-1 and 2 that have relevance to the aims of GMES&Africa. Below you will find additional resources from the various agencies involved in Copernicus, explaining the programme and their role in it. 

GMES and Africa - Background
Sentinel-1: Radar Imaging of the Ocean