1. ROBERT LOWSON
EEA COORDINATOR
GMES BUREAU

2. A Bigger picture Expectations Environmental pressures
New approaches to regulation
Global commitments and issues
Technologies
Access (Aarhus…)
Streamlining (WISE...)
Organisational change (Group of 4)
Prioritisation
New tools and rules (incl GMES and INSPIRE)
SEIS framework

3. SEIS – an overarching framework
Improve availability and quality of information needed to design and implement Community environment policy
Reduce administrative burden on Member States and EU institutions & modernise reporting
Foster the development of information services and applications that all of us can use and profit from.

4. Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Action Plan 2004-2008
Drivers of SEIS
6th Community Environment
Action Programme,
Content
Streamlining
Access
Global Monitoring for Environment
and Security Action Plan
Establishment EEA and Eionet
Council Regulation, 1990
Directive
on Reuse of Public
Sector
Information, 2003
SEIS
Standardized Environmental Reporting
Directive, 1991
Directive INSPIRE, 2007
Directive on Public Access
to Environmental Information, 2003
Aarhus Convention
on Access to Information, 1998

5. GMES – what? User-driven, global, integrated
Space systems
In – situ systems
Services
Data integration and information management

6. A Twin Approach
Fast Track Services – building on past projects – operational deliverables by 2008
Sustainable future – big challenges – Commission Communications in 2008

7. GMES Challenges
From research projects and development towards pre-operational, then operationa,l status
Observation continuity and operational capacities, development of new capacities if needed
Coordination and harmonisation of existing Capacities
Identifying and prioritising user needs
Identifying concrete contributions to GEOSS and other international collaborations

8. In – situ challenges Space Segment
– ESA experienced, fully engaged, a clear community
Non – space
- hundreds of actors
- different systems, sometimes not coordinated
- multi - purpose

9. Proposed way forward for in-situ
Fast tracks to pursue their in situ needs
“Bottom – up” asessment of capacities
In – situ working group to advise on these and on long – term sustainable arrangements

10. 2007/8 – important steps Target for operational GMES services
Commission communication on GMES
Commission communication on SEIS
FP7 space projects launched, further programme development
SEIS implementation projects
INSPIRE implementation continues

11. Drivers of INSPIRE Explain what is spatial information Needs
Better information needed to support policies
Improvement of existing information flows
Differentiation across regions to be considered
Revision of approach to reporting and monitoring, moving to concept of sharing of information
Situation in Europe
Data policy restrictions
pricing, copyright, access rights, licensing policy
Lack of co-ordination
across boarders and between levels of government
Lack of standards
incompatible information and information systems
Existing data not re-usable
fragmentation of information, redundancy, inability to integrate
Explain what is spatial information

12. INSPIRE Scope
Spatial data held by or on behalf of a public authority operating down to the lowest level of government when laws or regulations require their collection or dissemination
INSPIRE covers 34 Spatial Data Themes laid down in 3 Annexes – (required to successfully build environmental information systems)

13. INSPIRE Directive
General rules to establish an infrastructure for spatial information in Europe for the purposes of Community environmental policies
This infrastructure shall build upon infrastructures for spatial information established and operated by the Member States.
INSPIRE does not require collection of new spatial data – electronic format
INSPIRE does not affect Intellectual Property Rights

14. INSPIRE Directive Components
Metadata
Interoperability of spatial data sets and services
Network services (discovery, view, download, transform, invoke)
Data and Service sharing (policy)
Coordination and measures for Monitoring & Reporting
INSPIRE is a Framework Directive
Detailed technical provisions in Implementing Rules (IR)

15. Challenges for member states
Promoting communication and coherence
Sustainable funding, capacity and organisation
Prioritisation
International aspects
Identifying collaboration tools
Using SEIS implementation as a test bed