In the last decade or so, society has been transformed by the quietest revolution of all – the progression to a digital world. From Big Data systems and supercomputers, the Internet of Things to Earth observation data, we have never before had access to such a wealth of information at our fingertips.
At the same time, the climate is warming and the world’s population is growing and expected to reach over 9 billion people by 2050. This inevitably places an associated pressure on the environment, the world’s resources and the infrastructure required to support modern societal needs.
COVID-19 lockdowns around the world have given us a peek at what a reset could look like, and an opportunity to adjust and consider how digital data – that has yet to reach its full potential – can be used.
Implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and Copernicus Climate Change Service provide decision-makers with quality-assured, traceable and freely available data drawn from sensors across space, land, sea and air, along with the tools, applications and support for use.
Yet, it is not simply raw data that Copernicus is delivering, but actual insights that are absolutely critical for informed decision-making, whether related to public health, policy and business planning, or civil protection during events such as the pandemic.
The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, which monitors atmospheric conditions throughout the world 24/7, provides updated air quality information on a daily and weekly basis, investing over 350 million observations every 12 hours and, when combined with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ scientific analysis and models, produces over 1.4 terabytes of fresh data for users every day.
To help monitor the effects of the pandemic, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service tailors this information specifically for the COVID-19 situation across Europe and provides vital information and visualisations including maps and time series, along with animations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM10) for 50 major European cities.
In addition, to explore climate-related factors, software experts have worked with the scientists from the Copernicus Climate Change Service using its climate data, monitoring and analysis to develop an application that allowed health authorities and epidemiology centres to explore whether temperature and humidity have any effect on the virus’s spread.
However, the varied uses of environmental and Earth observation data go far beyond COVID-19 monitoring – they can help to make an economic recovery and growth both green and sustainable. With its environmental data and information, Copernicus supports various industry sectors, and indeed, many businesses already use the data to improve their existing services, ensure resilience of supply chains or to create new products.
Sectors like energy, agriculture and even tourism, can assess how likely they are to be affected by both climate change and associated government policies, and then adapt accordingly to assure their business and mitigate risk. For example, in the renewable energy sector, companies are using Copernicus climate data to help calculate the most effective wind farm location or estimate future supply and demand.
For agriculture, the data is used by crop researchers, international policymakers, and agricultural consultancies to adapt and advise on the impact of climate variability – such as harvest times or pest prevalence.
These are just a few examples, but there are many more. Building on an ambitious EU Recovery Plan, the EU’s Green Deal and the Digital Agenda, the data and information produced by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ Copernicus Services and Copernicus as a whole supports the process of building a stronger, greener economy for Europe.
Ultimately, the data, used wisely, will create the important shift towards a more resilient, climate-neutral and sustainable society for generations to come.
Article Credit: euractiv