GMES is a joint initiative of the European Union and the European Space Agency. Using a combination of space observation, localised monitoring, and analysis, it provides timely information on the state of the environment and security issues such as natural and man-made crises.

The first pilot services (marine, land, emergency response, atmosphere) are running in a pre-operational phase. The EEA has signed a EUR 3 million contract with the European Commission to coordinate in situ data flows over the next three years.

Its long experience in managing networks of data providers makes the EEA a natural partner in GMES in several ways — bringing together user needs, helping operate some services and securing necessary data from numerous European partners. The contract, which will run for three years under the EU’s 7^th Framework Programme, is an important step in ensuring that the mechanisms are in place to move GMES beyond the pilot phase.

The EEA will focus on:

• promoting cooperation with relevant networks, with a particular focus on the links with SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) and INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community);
• clarifying the data requirements of the GMES services;
• designing long-term sustainable solutions to meet data needs;
• case studies and quick wins.

GMES, INSPIRE and SEIS

GMES is one of three key European initiatives, alongside SEIS and INSPIRE, that respond in different ways to new pressures in the environmental information marketplace — new environmental issues, changing citizen expectations, more complex policy instruments, and the need to reduce costs. The EEA will work to exploit the ways in which these initiatives can be complementary.