Image of the United Kingdom acquired by Proba-V on the 19th July 2015. Image courtesy of ESA/Belspo – produced by VITO, Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

This week the UK has become Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), the international body responsible for coordinating observations of the Earth from space.

Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

CEOS was initially established in September 1984, following a recommendation from a Panel of Experts on Remote Sensing from Space reporting to the G7 Economic Summit of Industrial Nations Working Group on Growth, Technology, and Employment. Originally, it was set up to coordinate and harmonize Earth observations to make it easier for the user community to access and use this data – through instrument inter-calibration, common validation processes and comparisons of products. However, over time this remit has expanded to include more aspects of the collection and use of space-based Earth observations.

CEOS is a membership organisation, and governmental organizations, both national and international, responsible for operating civil space-based Earth observation programs, or are in the process of establishing such a program, are eligible for CEOS membership. Each year, a Chair is chosen from the membership to oversee CEOS activities and its work plan, in addition, the Chair, in consultation with CEOS members, develops a set of priorities for their year long term.

The 2024 CEOS Plenary was hosted in Montreal last week as the Canadian Space Agency was the 2024 chair, and at the conclusion of the event the UK Space Agency, through its Chief Executive, Dr Paul Bate, took over the role of Chair for the coming year. Australia is set to take over for 2026.

Priorities For the UK Space Agency

The UK Space Agency has chosen the theme of ‘Unlocking Earth Observation for Society’ for its year leading CEOS, supported by four priorities:

1. Using Earth Observation (EO) to improve public services and people’s lives by getting the use of EO data embedded in public sector policies at the national and local scale.
2. Increasing use of space data used within the Global Stocktakes of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
3. Supporting development and promotion of Methane emissions measurement best-practices on a global scale, working with the CEOS Greenhouse Gas Task Team.
4. Inspiring the next generation through a new ‘CEOS in Schools’ initiative demonstrating to students, aged 14-16, how satellite EO is used to address global issues such as climate change, environmental protection, and disaster management – this will culminate in a Youth Summit in Bath in November 2025 allowing young people’s voices to be heard at CEOS as it will coincide with the next CEOS Plenary.

In addition to the work as Chair, Dr Bate will represent CEOS globally, starting with COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan next month.

Conclusion

It is an exciting time for the UK to be involved in leading CEOS, and we are excited to be part of the UK EO industry to support the outlined priorities and maximise the societal and economic benefits of EO for the world.