Developing policy-driven Earth Observation products

Earth Observation (EO) data has become an indispensable asset for informing critical decisions across multiple domains. However, a persistent last-mile gap remains between policy needs and the EO products and services currently available. A coordinated approach is therefore essential, developed alongside Member States (MS), relevant Policy Directorate Generals (DGs), and Copernicus entities, while leveraging decades of European EO R&I funding and expertise. To support an effective transition from research to operational use, a longer-term ambition is sistematrically addressing the last-mile gap using mechanisms such as a dedicated EO science service. This EO science service would bring together an EO competence network covering different thematic areas to address specific requests and provide technical specifications and prototypes for operational implementation. Within this scope, the Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation (KCEO) and the EO science service should play a central role in bridging the final gap. They will create tailored applications levereging existing research and expertise while encouraging commercial growth. Accordingly, the establishment of guiding principles and technical guidance is essential for prototyping of new EO products, and this document sets out the framework to achieve this objective. To ensure transparent governance, prototyping requests from Policy DGs, the KCEO, and Copernicus Services are evaluated and prioritized based on policy impact, policy coherence, technical feasibility, and thematic balance across policy domains.

VALLEJO ORTI Miguel;  DOWELL Mark;  LAHSAINI Meriam;  WECKMUELLER Dominik;  MARZI David;  JEAN Dussart; 

BERTOGLIO Camilla; 

2026-09-01

European Commission

JRC148081

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC148081,