EUMETSAT & Canada Engage In Sat MOU

EUMETSAT and Canada today initialed a memorandum of understanding to advance cooperation in satellite monitoring activities. Under the agreement, which will come into effect in 2008, Europe and Canada will work together to improve weather, climate and environmental monitoring through the observation of atmosphere and oceans. The Director-General of EUMETSAT, Dr. Lars Prahm, and the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Meteorological Service of Canada, Mr. David Grimes, on behalf of the Government of Canada, initialed the memorandum.




In the memorandum, EUMETSAT and Canada agree to review possibilities for advancing scientific knowledge and product development, including Canadian participation in EUMETSAT’s Satellite Application Facilities (SAFs). EUMETSAT is coordinating a growing network of these SAFs, which are co-located at National Meteorological Services throughout Europe. These are specialized in Nowcasting, ocean and sea ice, ozone, climate monitoring, Numerical Weather Prediction, Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver for Atmospheric Sounding Meteorology (GRAS), land surface analysis, and hydrology. Under the agreement, EUMETSAT and Canada will also review opportunities for improving the acquisition and exchange of satellite data and products. Cooperation between EUMETSAT and Canada will involve several Canadian government departments and agencies, including Environment Canada, the Canadian Space Agency and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans—Darmstadt, Germany