GNU

The GMES Network of Users (GNU) is a Coordinated Action of 22 science partners under the 6th Research Framework Programme of the European Union.
The GNU deals with Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), a European initiative launched in 1998 to monitor the state of the environment and its short, medium and long-term evolution. For this, GMES combines observation data received from Earth Observation Satellites and ground based information.

The aim of GNU is to initiate a structuring of the demand side of the currently fragmented and incoherent GMES user community by setting up an independent platform that will
1) become the focal point and mouthpiece of GMES user needs and
2) foster dialogue between the stakeholder communities.

More specifically, GNU intends to

• create a platform to give the GMES user community a voice;
• add value to the various GMES projects;
• achieve harmonised, yet differentiated, user requirements, and deduce gaps in current data delivery;
• consider human and data related aspects alike;
• collaborate with the most important European networks and initiatives related to environmental data;
• make the different stakeholders expectations match to optimise the effects of GMES on the various stakeholders;
• make stakeholders systematically interact;
• facilitate for users to get into GMES;
• be credible from the user's perspective;
• stand in for the European users of the national, regional and local level;
• be constructively critical towards GMES;
• continue the collaboration beyond the lifetime of the Coordinated Action

GNU will thus contribute to optimising the GMES process in terms of providing benefits to users, and, likewise, it will support the users in getting the most out of the GMES process and to best utilise its potential.

Work packages:

• Analyse the GNU partners' lessons learnt and define best practices as to the human aspects of GMES which are related to users;
• Develop GNU's common understanding on the technical aspects of GMES by analysing existing user needs inventories and evaluating the current data base;
• Operationally link GNU with different stakeholders, including service providers, researchers and various projects to add different perspectives to GNU's work to match expectations and to optimise the ways stakeholders respond to GMES;
• Discuss the outcomes of GNU, and exchange knowledge with European level and other selected stakeholders.

The Wuppertal Institute analyses the GMES user landscape. Based on this, it performs a so called response analysis. This methodology is designed to put GMES outputs in relation to specific policy cycles. This will help to determine the functionality and salience of GMES remote sensing.