European Space Imaging Completes VHR Data Supply Faster than Ever
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European Space Imaging Completes VHR Data Supply Faster than Ever

European Space Imaging (EUSI) has successfully completed another year’s Controls with Remote Sensing (CwRS) campaign in record time, supplying almost cloud-free imagery well inside collection windows in keeping with its reputation for speedy delivery of high-quality data. Each year, CwRS campaign collects around 1,000 images evenly distributed across Europe and totalling more than 240,000km² – twice the area of England, or 8 times that of Belgium. Generally the collection campaign begins in March in southern Europe and, following agricultural flourishing, works its way north towards completion in August.

EUSI has been a reliable data supplier to the European Commission in the CwRS programme and has delivered the bulk of the data for a yearly increasing number of control sites since the programme’s inception in 2004. With success rates close or equal to 100% every year and contributing more than two thirds of the data in the past ten campaigns, European Space Imaging has proven to be a most dependable programme partner.

 
In 2013 EUSI had 100% success over a total of 213 control sites. About half the sites were collected within 7 days of the collection window start time, and the rest within 15 days of the window opening. This corresponds to an overall  average site completion time to within the first quarter of the requested windows. All collections were made accessing either WorldView-1, WorldView-2 or QuickBird satellites. European Space Imaging has the benefit of operating their own ground station which, in combination with manual satellite tasking based on real-time weather conditions, leads to the speedy delivery of data for distribution to  European Union Member State administrations.
 
European Space Imaging is looking forward to continuing its role as dependable imagery partner and to supporting the EU Commission and EU Member States with data supply into the future.

Controls with Remote Sensing

Since 1993, the European Commission (EC) has promoted the use of 'Controls with Remote Sensing' (CwRS) as a system to control agricultural subsidies granted under the EC’s Common Agricultural Policy. Following the real time evaluation in 2003 and the successful operational application since 2004, the EC’s Joint Research Centre (director general JRC), in agreement with director general AGRI, provides VHR satellite remote sensing data, to the EU Member States (MS) administrations for their CwRS area-based subsidies.

Since 2010, VHR Imagery acquired under the CwRS Campaign has also been used for the quality assessment of the Land Parcel Identification System – which is the main geodatabase in the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS - the main administration tool for managing of farmers' applications).


The director general JRC provides technical guidance regarding the CwRS strategy as well as managing the image acquisition, ordering and communication with the MS administrations and image providers. Also, in close cooperation with the MS, they support the definition of the imagery required. Satellite imagery is acquired through third-party suppliers selected by the DG JRC like European Space Imaging who has been a key third-party imagery supplier to these campaigns since the programme's inception.

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