Improving Copernicus data access and usability for water management

European Union´s Earth Observation Programme Copernicus provides vast amounts of free and openly accessible global data from satellites and ground-based, airborne and seaborne measurement systems for six major thematic areas: land, marine, atmosphere, climate change, emergency, and security (the Copernicus services). Though water related issues are covered in each of the  Copernicus services, there is no explicit visibility for water related data and products.  The Horizon 2020 project Water-ForCE (Water scenarios for Copernicus Exploitation) developed a roadmap to better integrate data for the entire water cycle within the Copernicus services and available to address water-related issues. It addresses the data needs and requirements from the user community point of view; analyses the current disconnection between remote sensing and in-situ data; and looks on how remote sensing is used in the modelling of water problems.

One of the objectives of the project was to look at the current state of the art in modelling using Remote Sensing (RS) data for water quantity and quality for decision support and policy, with focus on Copernicus services. The analysis  focussed on three main pillars: EU institutions and their policies; the specific approaches by national policies in all EU countries and approaches at international level.

Moreover, the analysis looked at how the Copernicus data can be more effectively used in developing and delivering the upcoming versions of the directives.

The analysis pointed out that the reasons for slow uptake of RS data (including Copernicus) in water management are primarily due to the dynamic characteristics of the sector. Water is critical resource for different socio-economic activities and there are multiple aspects to the water management as in: water resources assessment, planning development and protection (both surface water and groundwater), public water supply, waste water treatment and disposal, management of water-related disasters such as floods and droughts, agricultural water use (irrigation and drainage), water for energy production, inland navigation, water-related ecosystem services, tourism and recreation (including bathing waters), etc.

The many and diverse water management aspects are also associated with many different water-related agencies, which are rather traditional in their approaches to using data (mainly in-situ), with little awareness of opportunities for RS and products that could be employed by EU institutions and agencies to systematically monitor the impacts and the implementation status of existing water related policies. A systematic approach is found in the area of climate change, where monthly reports produced by C3S are used as a monitoring tool. This approach can be implemented in the other Copernicus services as well.

This research work has been developed within the project WaterForCE, funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement Νο 101004186.