Checking Climate Conditions Collaboration

EUMETSAT and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) have signed a Collaboration Agreement that will allow both institutions to combine their efforts in addressing the environmental challenge currently posed by climate change, with a clear focus on developing countries. The agreement foresees the provision of data generated by the JRC’s African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Observatory for Sustainable Development to African countries via EUMETCast, EUMETSAT’s near-real-time broadcast system for environmental data. Earth observation contributes effectively to monitoring weather, climate and the environment. EUMETSAT, an operator of weather, climate and environmental monitoring satellites, and the JRC have decided to strengthen their links in this domain. The collaboration will improve scientific knowledge and product development in the field of climate monitoring, allowing both organisations to contribute effectively to monitoring the climate, in support of the Implementation Plan of the Global Climate Observing System, created in 1992 by the United Nations to ensure that observations and information needed to address climate-related issues are obtained and made available to all potential users. Based on the organisations’ respective experience in Earth observation applications in developing countries, the collaboration will allow EUMETSAT and the JRC to cooperate in contributing to the extension of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) to ACP countries—Brussels, Belgium