Agenda Oxygen

Agenda

• Oxygen

• Ground Segment Task Force

• Earth & Space week (Brussels)

• TIGER

• EDUSPACE

• EO Missions

Oxygen: Open and Operational Ground Segment

The need from the user view point

PDS technological evolution

Oxygen: Why and how

• User need for coherent access

• Financial evolution requires to increase cost efficiency

• Smaller programmes  reduced budgets
• Attract transition from research to other funding

• Technological evolution leading to new ground segment partners and layout

• Co-ordination between partners
• Standardization
• Reuse of already available infrastructure

Oxygen Objectives (1/2)

• Oxygen is a concept aimed at

• Facilitating access to EO data from ESA and other missions

• Increasing sustainability of EO data provision widening the range of offered data sources

• Making the operations of EO missions more efficient

Oxygen Objectives (2/2)

• Oxygen has started officially almost 2 years ago and is ongoing to enlarge the benefits of EO .

• It has been preceded by a series of precursor activities aiming at ease the users’ life:

• harmonization of the user client interfaces (EOLI based) in a Multi-mission environment
• Introduction of standard state of the art technology e.g. Web Mapping or access to MUIS catalogue using XML/SOAP

EOLI – ESA’s Multimission EO Catalogue

Principles

Interoperability - harmonized data access

Mission independent and modular

• PDS harmonization

• Detailed definition of open architecture
• identification of generic-common elements, specific mission elements and define standard interfaces

• Evolution of existing system rather than new developments

• Evolution of the common elements to integrate new missions

Implementation Plan

1st Phase (2003 – 2005)

• Analysis of existing infrastructure

• EO Web Portal for awareness of missions, user services, products, information and service providers

• Service Support Environment: for easing provision of Services by Service Providers

• Online Data Access: provision of online products and improve online exchange of data

• Archive rationalization: Ensure data Archives integrity and access for ESA and national missions support

• Harmonization of ground segments for current and future ESA missions

• Archive and NRT Facilities Architecture
• User Services and Order Handling

1st Phase (2003 – 2005)

• Policy and Programmatic:

• Enlargement of data sources through 3rd parties cooperation
• Data policy evolution: adjust ERS and Envisat data policy to internal cooperation requirements

• Integrating upcoming EO National projects in Europe

• Feasibility assessment at political, technical and programmatic level (Terrasar-X, Radarsat-2, Cosmo, Pleiades)
• Pilot activities for interoperability between catalogues, order and online distribution systems (standards in SOAP/XML)

2nd Phase (2005-2006)

• Prepare the ‘EO Data Access Component’:

• Define the interoperability Standards for the harmonized access to heterogeneous missions
• Co-ordination with the major satellite owners / industry
• integrate the national missions and other non-European missions to respond to user needs for access to ‘maximum number’ of mission data

• Mission Planning Cooperation Tool (Charter)

• Harmonization of ESA Ground Segment

• Processing support environment
• Product Verification and Labelling system
• Mission Planning

• Online access to archived data

Technical Projects

1) Oxygen eoPortal

• http://www.eoportal.org :

• The new eoPortal was created and opened in November 2003 to provide access to and promote European EO activities.

• provides access to web resources from ESA and other institutes

• re-uses all components of the INFEO initiative (JRC/CEO) and adds new features

• comprised of sub-sites to provide access to various data types

• directory of resources
• calendar
• maps
• catalogues
• services …

2) Simple interoperable catalogues

• Principles

• Based in XML/SOAP
• Content of information minimized according to user needs

• On-going specifications

• Catalogue access (available, pilot activities)
• Order Handling (definition being finalized with CNES, DLR)

• Systems supporting the above protocols

• MUIS / EOLI: ESA users services front-end
• MASS / SSE: non-ESA providers integration platform

3) Multi-mission Facilities Infrastructure

MMFI Schedule

• Implementation of the Facilities Open Multi-mission Infrastructure and evolution of existing missions

• FEOMI KO in September 2004
• Migration plan toward open architecture:
• Envisat evolution:
• ftp function (February 2005),
• Archives evolution (November 2004-2005),
• Completion of ERS and TPM integration by end 2005

• Completion of Archive management and rationalization (HARM) activities within beginning 2004, including European archive format implementation

4) Online Data Access Principles

• On-line Archive (MMFI - ADAR): Mass Storage Tape Libraries or on disk

• User data request via Internet bypassing manual validation (order or subscription)

• Product retrieval via Internet:

• High speed Internet backbone (GEANT/NREN) for academic users
• Commercial ISP augmented with load-balancing and re-routing COTS

• Product broadcast over DVB-Satellite

• Distribution Servers providing on-request and subscription data

• Electronic data distribution between GS Centers using High Speed Intranet (based on GEANT/NREN)

• Security Principles

• Detect and avoid unauthorized use of EO data
• Protection from malicious intrusion

Phase 1 Architecture

Network

• HiSEEN: High Speed ESA EO Network

• 34 Mbps Network Based on the GEANT/NREN (Academic) Backbone

• De-facto high end-to-end throughput availability
• Cost effective solution

• Deployed in 9 of 11 centers

• Completion planned for January 2005, CNES in early 2005

• On-line Data access available for beg 2005

Ground Segment Task Force Recommendations

• Extracted from Final Report

Vision on global GS context

Ground Segment Requirements

• Data handling

• To task, acquire, archive, process up to the appropriate level, distribute and catalogue data of all past, present and future ESA missions on a long-term basis, and of third party missions according to the approved procedure. This requirement includes the provision of historical data in current formats through current distribution channels.
• This may include higher-level processing and data assimilation where appropriate, as agreed on a case-by-case basis.'

• Data access

• Provide easy and coherent access to all Earth Observation data from ESA and third party missions, and facilitate access to space borne Earth Observation data for European users.

• Product generation and delivery

• Deliver standardized, calibrated and validated products.

• User and service support

• Support equally any type of users: scientific, commercial and public services including security and defence, and provide a technical service support environment.

Ground Segment Requirements

• Interface to national and international missions

• Be open to interface with national and international missions information
• easy-to-access, coherent and open gateway to EO data

• Reusability

• The elements and facilities of the ESA EO ground segment should be open and compatible for use by any ESA and other European missions.

• Efficiency

• The Earth Observation ground segment must be operated and maintained in an efficient way, with respect to technical performance and costs.

• Reliability

• Be highly reliable and sufficiently redundant, to avoid data loss and interruption of services.

• Evolution

• Be open to evolve due to new user requirements and technological developments, allowing the easy replacement of technically obsolete or inefficient elements

Implementation Principles

• Mission independence

• Modularity

• Competition

• Coordination and cooperation.

GSTF Recommendations

• Define and promote building-block approach with well-defined and published external and internal interfaces for all components 

• Put in place a Coordination Body capable to ensure:

• technical and programmatic coordination
• standardisation

• of all European activities concerning Earth Observation ground segment development and operation, taking account of standards where they exist.  

GSTF Recommendations: ESA

• Define new mission independent and modular ground segment architecture for all new missions

• Apply it in the early design phases
• Revise ground segment budget arrangements
• Immediately start to move to the new mission-independent scenario, reviewing:
• Oxygen initiative (Oxygen Phase 2)
• Earth Explorer ground segments and operations
• ENVISAT & ERS and 3rd party missions operations

• Apply new competitive approach for:

• multi-mission operations support.
• building-block development and evolution through framework contracts

• Ensure consistency across the Earth Observation ground segment activities of ESA and EC

• Modify 3rd party mission selection 

Earth & Space Week

• Brussels

Events

• A number of events took place during Earth & Space Week. Most important ones are:

• Third EO Summit
• GEO-6
• International Conference on Cooperation in Space
• Earth & Space Exhibition
• Industry Summit

Major achievements of EO Summit

• Adoption of 10 Year Implementation Plan for GEOSS

• Ministerial Resolutions on 10 Year Plan and Tsunami

Next steps / GEO

• GEO now formally established (was ad-hoc GEO before);

• GEO-I meeting 2-4 May 2005 in Geneva

• Executive Committee established, details TBC at GEO-I

• GEO Secretariat formally established, hosted by WMO Geneva, approx. 10 staff after 2006;

• S&T Workgroup and User Interface WG established; details agreed at GEO-I

• Workplan 2006 preparation with ad-hoc team (3-4 experts), seconded by governments and organisations; starts work 1 April; Workplan 2006;

• Call for financial and in-kind support issued by GEO

TIGER

EDUSPACE

EDUSPACE www.eduspace.esa.int

• "Eduspace, the ESA Multilingual Website on EO for Secondary Schools operational in six languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Danish).

• Powerful education tool and excellent communication mechanism to provide EO information and related internet links. Provides professors and students with:

• EO material, discussion forum, helpdesk function, huge image databank of satellite images, interactivity with weather satellites image loops, library of study cases, generated also by professors, and a dedicated powerful image processing software, called LEOWorks (Learning with EO).

• Some 1500 schools have already registered from all over the world. Stand-alone versions on CD are distributed to schools with connectivity problems."

EO Missions Status

EO Missions handled by EOP

CRYOSAT

Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer: GOCE

• First Earth Explorer Core Mission

• First ESA Mission dedicated to the exploration of the Earth Gravity Field

• Determination of the geoid with an accuracy of 1-2 cm at a resolution better than 100 km

Atmospheric Dynamic Mission : AEOLUS

Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity - SMOS

• Second Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission

• First ESA Mission dedicated to the global measurement of soil moisture and ocean salinity