THE DORIS_NET NETWORK OF REGIONAL CONTACT OFFICES: GMES TAKES ROOT IN THE EUROPEAN REGIONS

Transcription

1 THE DORIS_NET NETWORK OF REGIONAL CONTACT OFFICES: GMES TAKES ROOT IN THE EUROPEAN REGIONS Carrara, P. 2, Zolotikova, S.. 3, Clave, M. 4, Hilger, M. 5, Nicolau, S. CF. 6, Schumacher, V. 7, Bosc, C. 8, Wells, Prof. A. 3 2 IREA-CNR, Sede di Milano, Via Bassini, 15, I20133 Milan (Italy), carrara.p@irea.cnr.it, Italy 3 G-STEP, University of Leicester, Readson House, Regent Road, Leicester, LE1 7DF, sz63@leicester.ac.uk, Alan.Wells@star.le.ac.uk,UK 4 Capital High Tech, Bordeaux Aéroparc, 25 rue Marcel Issartier, Mérignac, mclave@chtech.fr, France 5 Vertretung der Freien Hansestadt Bremen bei der Europäischen Union Avenue Palmerston 22, B Brussels, hilger@bremen.be, Belgium 6 Direcção Regional da Ciência, Tecnologia e Comunicações, Rua Conselheiro Dr. Luís Bettencourt, 16, Ponta Delgada, Açores Portugal, Sonia.CF.Nicolau@azores.gov.pt, Portugal 7 CEON Centre for Communication, Earth Observation and Navigation Services GmbH, Robert-Hooke-Str. 7, D Bremen, schumacher@ceon-bremen.de, Germany 8 Délégation Aménagement Laboratoire Expertise Transports de Toulouse, - CETE SO/DALETT/DIRECTION, Christelle.Bosc@developpement-durable.gouv.fr, France Abstract Satellite technology can provide numerous services to local authorities and businesses but they often lack knowledge of the possibilities. Applications of satellite data extend across many fields, ranging from the monitoring of climate change trends to applications related to land, oceans and atmosphere. The European Union has embarked on two flagship programmes, Galileo and GMES both of which offer manifold benefits for public authorities, business and thus citizens on the regional level. However, up to now, the main focus has been on developing high level services for implementation on a national or even international scale. This paper outlines how a consortium of European regions adds another dimension by building a methodology on how to make the link between services being developed under the European GMES programme and the stakeholders at regional level where GMES continues to be rather unknown and underexploited. This paper reports on the way DORIS_Net (Downstream Observatory organised by Regions active In Space Network 1 ) works to achieve this regional link in order to ensure success of the GMES Initiative on a regional level. DORIS_Net is a Coordination Action project, specifically targeted at fostering downstream activities and links with regions. Its consortium consists of 13 partners coming from European regions within the NEREUS -Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies. In addition, DORIS_Net is an integral part of the wider GMES4Regions (G4R) initiative promoted by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research & Development which has resulted in the GMES4Regions portal, a gateway to GMES for European local and regional authorities. 1 The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under grant agreement n

2 DOWNSTREAM SERVICES AT REGIONAL LEVEL TODAY AND THE DORIS_NET APPROACH At present, Europe is in the process of implementing ambitious space programmes such as GMES and Galileo. In particular, Europe's Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program is a complex, and multifaceted programme addressing the key domains atmosphere, land, marine, emergency response, climate change and security. However, in order to make GMES a full success on an operational level, it is essential that regional actors are involved in the implementation of GMES services. Europe s regions represent a large reservoir of potential users of GMES data, products or services for an increasingly diverse range of applications. For example, GMES downstream services may be customized to individual user needs, many of which are to be found at the regional level. DORIS_Net (Downstream Observatory organised by Regions active In Space - Network) brings together a consortium consisting of 13 partners 2. DORIS_Net has a fully user led approach through the establishment of a network of Regional Contact Offices linking European regional and local authorities. All regional consortium partners are potential users of GMES services and members of the NEREUS network of European regions (Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies) bringing a wealth of experience and know how into the project. Although DORIS_Net has its roots in the NEREUS network it is not restricted to NEREUS members. citizens. The DORIS_Net project started in February 2011 and is funded by the European Commission as a Coordination Action within the 7th Framework Programme (Grant Agreement N ). The Coordination Action focuses on fostering downstream activities and links with regions. THE NETWORK OF REGIONAL CONTACT OFFICES The core element of DORIS_Net`s approach is to create a network of dedicated regional centres of GMES expertise through which GMES data, services and best practice can be exchanged across and between regions. These GMES Regional Contact Offices (RCOs) act as independent focal points in their regions. This network is tested and verified by a nucleus of European pilot regions already involved in GMES services. The RCOs are connected by an Observatory serving regional users by identifying and classifying the space related services and service providers within the member regions. The RCO proactively assists potential users to identify DORIS_Net intends to shift the focus to applications pertaining to regional and local levels, closer to the individual needs of European 2 CEON (Coordinator, Bremen /Germany), University of Leicester with its G-STEP initiative (East Midlands/UK), CETE (Midi Pyrenees and Aquitaine regions /France),.The Secretary of Science Technology and Equipments, (Azores/ Portugal), CNR IREA (Lombardy/Italy), CHT (France), TERN (Basilicata, /Italy), Fundacion ADEuropa (Castilla Y Leon/Spain), MPAE (Madrid/ Spain), LRBW, (Baden Württemberg /Germany), Guyane Technopole (French Guyana/ France), Pole Mer Bretagne (France), Institute of Geodesy and Cartography (Mazovia/ Poland) Page 2 Fig. 1: The DORIS_Net RCO network, current status services to respond to their specific needs, firstly within their own region, and then more widely from within the DORIS_Net network of partners. They do this by collecting regional user requirements, mapping this to regional topics of interest and by analysing how these could be matched with the GMES portfolio. In order to do this, the RCOs are organising a series of regional

3 events, hands-on seminars as well as face-to face meetings. As one of the major milestones of DORIS_Net, the first set of five DORIS_Net Regional Contact Offices were successfully established: Azores region hosted by SRCTE Bremen region hosted by CEON East Midlands region hosted by G- STEP Lombardia region - hosted by CNR- IREA Midi-Pyrenees/ Aquitaine regions hosted by CETE Sud-Ouest clarification for the users/providers. First trials resulted in the creation of an Inventory of users and an Inventory of providers in the RCOs regions. These inventories provided a starting point for RCOs to start building a knowledge base and raise GMES awareness in the regions. Series of regional events To increase GMES awareness, networking events are vital. Bringing together potential GMES endusers and service providers serves to widen awareness across the regions, however there is still a clear need to raise education at an introductory level about the possible benefits that GMES can bestow on existing services used by Most recently, Basilicata, a Fast Track Region tutored by CNR IREA, on the 24 th May 2012 has established an RCO and launched it with a regional event on the 8 th of June 2012 entitled: Towards a smart specialization in the field of space technology: the contribution of European regional policy to Europe Fig 1 shows the current DORIS_Net RCO network. At present, the six active RCOs are part of the DORIS_Net consortium. Outreach regions 3 which are not part of the consortium will be tutored by a partner within the consortium, so they can directly benefit from the methodology developed in the project. MAKING THE REGIONAL LINK TO GMES Bremen, Azores, Milan, To encourage inter-regional cooperation between member regions, and to establish an exchange of best practice, DORIS_Net has created the DORIS_Net Observatory, aimed at supporting both regional users and downstream service providers. As first step, a regional stakeholder analysis was performed, a questionnaire was prepared in the beginning of the project, building on the experience and lessons learned from previous projects such as NAVOBS+. The questionnaire was tested and refined in trials and translated into local languages. However, the overall experience has shown that best results could be obtained by face-to-face interviews, as many of the questions needed explanation and 3 Ventspils/ Latvia, Tartu/ Estonia, Helsinki/ Finland, Islas Canarias/ Spain, Madeira/ Portugal, Cork/ Ireland, Magnesia/ Greece, Provence-Alpes Cotes D Azur/ France, Debrecen/ Hungary Page 3 Bordeaux Fig. 2: DORIS_Net regional activities regional and local authorities as well as the private sector. DORIS_Net has therefore embarked on a variety of activities, briefly summarised below. Azores Leicester, A trial video-conference between two RCOs provided an example of disseminating information and training through multimedia tools. The East Midlands RCO took part in the RCO launch in the Azores on 16 November 2011 as part of the conference Discover the world through GIS organised by the Regional Secretariat for Science, Technology and Infrastructures in Ponta Delgada

4 with participation of the University of the Azores, Ponta Delgada City Hall and Regional Directorates for Forest Resources, Regional Directorate for Geographic Information and Planning for the Madeira Territory, Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, and GaTE, Office of Space Technologies. Bremen region The Regional Contact Office (RCO) Bremen, CEON, organised a Regional GMES Conference on in Bremen. The conference was centered around two major thematic areas of interest Offshore Wind Energy and Climate Change both of which are of high relevance for the Northwest region of Germany. Climate Change is a threat for the region, with projected sea level rise requiring adaptation strategies such as the enforcement of dikes and harbour walls. Offshore Wind Energy can potentially benefit from GMES data due to the fact that the large scale offshore wind farms currently being installed in the North Sea require accurate forecasts of weather conditions. Around 75 participants gathered for this event, including representatives from the regional climate change community, regional research institutions, regional authorities, the European Space Agency (ESA), German Ministry of Transport (BMVBS), the German Space Agency (DLR) as well as industry and key players from the region s offshore wind cluster. East Midlands The East Midlands Regional Contact Office is hosted by the University of Leicester through G- STEP (GMES Science and Technology Exchange Programme). Together a regional GMES event was organised on the 1 st November 2011 at the National Space Centre in Leicester entitled Global to Local: Space innovation in mapping. The theme was to help foster a relationship between GMES service and data providers to regional SMEs and local authorities. Over 100 participants were present with presentations from representatives of the UK and European Space Agencies, DEFRA, Ordnance Survey, British Geological Survey, Google, and university academics. The meeting involved a conference session followed by hands-on workshops allowing participants to visualise GMES data and applications which could be manipulated for their needs. The networking Page 4 aspect of the meeting led to several more events being organised between SMEs and UK service providers to aid in the development of focussed applications to address specific problems. Lombardia The Lombardia Regional Contact Office, hosted at CNR IREA, in collaboration with the Directorate General Industry of Regional Authority, organized a main event in Milano on the 30 th January 2012 entitled New opportunities for SMEs from space technologies dedicated to the SMEs with the participation of all regional space stakeholders and GMES experts. About 100 people attended the event including representatives from the business (SMEs and big enterprises), scholars from research centres (CNR IREA UOS Milano e Napoli, CNR ICT, JRC Ispra) and universities (Politecnico Milano, Università Pavia, Università di Bicocca Milano), regional administrators from University and Research Unit, DG Civil Protection, DG Environment, DG Industry, DG Green Systems of Regional Authority. The purpose of this initiative was to inform about the possibilities offered by GMES; to develop new services and new market opportunities from space technologies and to involve regional SMEs as potential providers or developers of GMES downstream services. The agenda of the meeting included public presentation of the European Initiative GMES (DG Enterprise) and its supporting tools for SMEs; introduction of the European network of Regional Contact Offices (RCO) established within the project; success stories presented by SMEs and Regional Authorities that are offered as potential ideas to other SMEs. In the afternoon face-to-face meetings between SMEs and experts of different topics covered by GMES (land, marine, atmosphere, emergency, security) took place. Midi-Pyrenees/ Aquitaine The Midi-Pyrénées and Aquitaine Regional Contact Office hosted by the South West CETE organized several events: small group events in July and November 2011 to sensibilise end-users and wider events on specific thematics interesting the Region as Green Blue Network on February 2011, Land use on may 2012, maritime and coastal management on may 2012, Land management on June Those events are

5 dedicated both to end-users but also to intermediate users who are also regional service providers that can use GMES data to develop services for end-users. The Regional Contact Office notes a positive increase in the participation and involvement of end-users over all the DORIS_Net events. The 29 th of May, for the Aquitaine DORIS_Net event on maritime and coastal management, more than half of the audience was end-users (collectivities, national actors on costal management) who expressed their interests and detailed needs. During this event, the Regional Contact Office of Midi Pyrénées and Aquitaine distributed brochures to promote applications useful for regional actors. All Regional Contact Offices act to promote applications useful for regional end-users by participating to several brochures, such as 50 (operational) Uses of GMES at regional level (in the framework of NEREUS), Window on GMES (in the framework of GMES4Regions). HELPING BUSINESSES It is hoped that positive impacts will be achieved by establishing new and innovative instruments aimed at improving the competitiveness of SMEs. So in order to help SMEs tackle the challenges of GMES downstream services development and to strengthen the links between the regional GMES downstream service providers and public stakeholders, a networking event dedicated to SMEs was organised in Brussels on 9 November This event brought together the different stakeholders involved in the development and the use of GMES services and regional end users representatives and stimulated the creation of partnerships. The event was attended by no less than 65 participants among which: major players in charge of the implementation of pre-operational services in the fields of atmosphere, security, emergency response, land and marine, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are key actors in the services value adding chain, regional authorities, who represent a big reservoir of potential users, research organizations, Page 5 and other interested organizations such as clusters or European associations. Following up this event, the approach was broadened to a wider area in Europe. Information about the services and fields of competences of service providers and in particular SMEs provides a good overview of the capabilities of a wide range of companies available at the moment in Europe. The aim of this work is to correlate the capabilities with the requirements of regional users from the regions covered by DORIS_Net. However, the building up of the User Needs and Service Provider Observatory is an on-going process and the material collected during first stages of the project will be continuously updated by the RCOs in order to refine the needs for each region and to draw valuable recommendations for other European regions. In addition, DORIS_Net is part of the wider GMES4Regions (G4R) initiative promoted by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme for Research & Development which has resulted in the GMES4Regions portal, a gateway to GMES for European local and regional authorities. CONCLUSIONS This paper provides an overview on how a network of regional organisations is working together in the DORIS_Net project to make a regional link to GMES. These efforts at regional level are complemented by the wider GMES4Regions initiative powered both by DORIS_Net and the parallel project GRAAL. As major achievement, DORIS_Net has developed and implemented the Regional Contact Office (RCO) concept as an effective means and forum bringing together regional stakeholders and enabling an inter-regional exchange. Currently with six RCOs established across Europe Bremen (Germany), The Azores (Portugal), Lombardia (Italy), East Midlands (UK), a joint RCO in Midi-Pyrenees and Aquitaine (France) and Basilicata (Italy) DORIS_Net aims to integrate new regions into the network as it develops. To that end, it is becoming clear that the investment required to implement the

6 methodology developed in this prototype on a European scale (there are about 350 regions in Europe) will need to be of a much larger scale than what can be achieved within this Coordinated Action in order to be sustainable. This is particularly true in times of economic crisis, but the work performed so far showed that it is possible to give demonstrable proof of the benefits associated with GMES for regional users and service providers: However, there are still many challenges that have to be addressed: language and cultural barriers for instance. Future use of independent language tools and technologies, in combination with geographical visualisation approaches (i.e. Semantic services, web mapping) can help to reduce these barriers, thus attracting a wider user base. Page 6