In the last decade a significant number of projects and programmes in different domains of environmental monitoring and Earth observation have generated a substantial amount of data and knowledge on different aspects related to environmental quality and sustainability. Big data generated by in-situ or satellite platforms are being collected and archived with a plethora of systems and instruments making difficult the sharing of data and knowledge to stakeholders and policy makers for supporting key economic and societal sectors. The overarching goal of ERA-PLANET is to strengthen the European Research Area in the domain of Earth Observation in coherence with the European participation to Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and the Copernicus. The expected impact is to strengthen the European leadership within the forthcoming GEO 2015-2025 Work Plan. ERA-PLANET will reinforce the interface with user communities, whose needs the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) intends to address. It will provide more accurate, comprehensive and authoritative information to policy and decision-makers in key societal benefit areas, such as Smart cities and Resilient societies; Resource efficiency and Environmental management; Global changes and Environmental treaties; Polar areas and Natural resources. ERA-PLANET will provide advanced decision support tools and technologies aimed to better monitor our global environment and share the information and knowledge in different domain of Earth Observation.
/ Objectives
Specific objectives of ERA-PLANET are:
- To prepare and launch a two-stage joint transnational call structured along the following Strands:
- To fund projects according to a priority list set by external experts.
- To monitor funded projects and to report progress accordingly.
- To develop a strategic research agenda to reinforce the ERA and to coordinate the cross- and inter-cooperation of European and national programs in key and selected EO domains.
- To coordinate initiatives with the aim to improve the interoperability among the existing and future projects on EO and links to the GCI.
The project objectives exhibit the capacity of ERA-PLANET to reply to the key challenge of the call and specifically aim to simplify access to the information required by decision makers and bring together and strengthen the European national and regional research and innovation programmes in the EO domain. ERA- PLANET will attempt to go beyond the coordination of EO during its implementation and will establish initiatives to survive after the duration of the project.
/ The Strands
/ Governance
Program Coordinator: Nicola Pirrone, Research Director CNR - Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research,Italy
Steering Committee Members:
WP-1: Consortium coordination and management
Lead: CNR (IT) - Nicola Pirrone, Research Director, Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, CNR, Italy
WP-2: Preparation and launch of the co-funded Call
Lead: MU (CZ) - Jana Klánová, Professor, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
WP-3: Evaluation and proposal selection
Lead: CNR (IT) - Nicola Pirrone, Research Director, Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, CNR, Italy
WP-4: Follow-up and monitoring of projects
Lead: CREAF (ES) - Joan Masó Pau, Researcher, Ecological and Forestry Applications Research Centre, Spain
WP-5: Communication, Exploitation and Dissemination of the results
Lead: NOA (GR) - Evangelos Gerasopoulos, Research Director, Institute for Environmental Research & Sustainable Development, NOA, Greece
Lead: CNR (IT) - Nicola Pirrone, Research Director, Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, CNR, Italy
Project Officer: Le Bouler Gaelle, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
General Assembly: The General Assembly includes representatives of Programme Managers and Beneficiaries.