With extreme weather events on the rise, national geospatial data is becoming indispensable for effective emergency response. In countries like Latvia, Portugal, and Slovenia, data from national geospatial, cadastre, and land registration authorities have been crucial for mobilizing the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Case studies published by EuroGeographics – the Association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral, and Land Registry Authorities – highlight the impact of official geospatial data. This data has supported wildfire recovery efforts, informed landslide risk assessment following intense rainfall, and evaluated damages from record-breaking windstorms.
This vital data is made available through a framework agreement between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and EuroGeographics, which simplifies licensing for three key Copernicus Services: the Emergency Mapping Service, Land Monitoring Service (CLMS), and Security Service (CSS). By streamlining access, the agreement enriches the Copernicus Reference Data Access (CORDA) database, making more datasets readily available for disaster response and environmental monitoring across Europe.
Overcoming legal barriers
Angela Baker, head of partnerships and sustainability, EuroGeographics said: “The most recent bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (CS3) reveals that much of Europe experienced above-average precipitation with heavy rainfall, floods and associated damage in Central and Eastern regions in September 2024. However, severe wildfires were observed over the western and southern Iberian Peninsula where it was drier than average.”
“The new case studies we have published demonstrate how our agreement with the EEA is delivering authoritative national geospatial data to the Copernicus In-Situ Component to enable emergency response, risk and recovery for these types of extreme weather events. The framework licence is key to increasing the use of our members’ data and strengthening cooperation between National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities and Copernicus Services. We were delighted to highlight it as a practical solution for overcoming legal barriers to data access for disaster response and recovery, security and land services at the 14th Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management in New York.”
Access to authorized data
“Copernicus Services also have access to harmonized, value-added administrative boundary data through our agreement with Eurostat, as well as pan-European topographic, gazetteer and imagery datasets and services delivered through the Open Maps for Europe interface and the Open Maps For Europe 2 project (OME2).”
Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias, Copernicus in-situ data expert, EEA added: “Without in-situ data, the Copernicus Programme simply cannot deliver its data, products and services. Our agreement with EuroGeographics facilitates access to geospatial information from official providers across Europe to help meet end user requirements regarding content and quality. It also allows for increased data delivery from EuroGeographics members in the future, ensuring that National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities are recognized for their essential contributions to Copernicus.”
The case studies focus on:
- Latvia where authoritative data provided by the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency (LGIA) was essential for assessing forest damage in the aftermath of a record-breaking storm.
- Portugal where national landscape data was provided by the Directorate General for the Territory to enable insights into the impact of one of the country’s biggest ever wildfires.
- Slovenia where detailed height data provided by the Surveying and Mapping Authority was key to assessing the risk of landslides and soil erosion following heavy rainfall.
