New Copernicus service assesses geological risks
The Portuguese Space Agency joins the Lisbon Geographic Society in organizing a webinar, on May 3, about the European Earth Movement Service. Sign up to learn about the potential of the new Copernicus service.
Landslides or subsidence, even on a very small scale, can weaken buildings and infrastructures, cause flooding or even, in extreme situations, cause the collapse of ground areas. That is why the anticipation, follow-up and monitoring of such situations are essential to adopt mitigation strategies that avoid losses at various levels.
It is in this framework that the new European Earth Movement Service (EGMS), created and provided by the Land Monitoring Service of the Copernicus program, which provides earth movement data, both natural and man-made, free of charge and accessible to all.
“The EGMS is based on data captured by Copernicus Sentinel-1, generating information, with millimeter precision, on earth movements, structures and infrastructures in the member states of the program,” explains Carolina Sá, Earth Observation project manager at the Portuguese Space Agency.
The European Earth Movement Service, created about a year ago following a working group that has been operating since 2016, has a scope that allows users to access reliable information on earth movement on a local, regional or national scale.
“It is a service with products that are updated annually, which can be used to identify risk areas and complement other sources of information,” adds Sofia Souto, geologist and also Earth Observation project manager.
Now, at a time when the EGMS is starting to become a reference in the development of applications for mitigation policies, the Portuguese Space Agency is joining the Lisbon Geographic Society (SGL) in organizing a webinar focused on this service of the Copernicus program, on May 3rd.
For one hour (see agenda), several experts involved in the Copernicus program and in the analysis of ground motion data captured by satellite will present the service, the national participation in its validation, as well as some examples of applications.
The webinar is part of the cultural activity of the SGL’s Section of Mathematical Geography and Cartography, which also includes study visits and lectures, followed by discussion, for members of the Section, and conferences, colloquia, etc., open to members and the general public. It is in this context that the SGL has held several conferences to disseminate the Earth observation program, Copernicus, and its services.
Participation in the webinar is free of charge, but registration is required.
