J. Verdebout
Space Applications Institute, Ispra, Italy.
1.
INTRODUCTION TO THE CEO PROGRAMME
1.1
Objectives
The mission of the CEO (Centre for Earth Observation) Program is to
develop and promote the use of Earth Observation data from space. To
achieve this goal, the CEO Program seeks to increase the number of
customers of EO derived information (in research, governmental and
commercial fields), to encourage and stimulate the EO related industry
(research and commercial) and to improve access to and availability of EO
and related data, information and services.
The CEO program is funded both by the European Commission (EC) via
the Directorate General Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy and by the
Space Unit of Directorate General XII in Brussels. By funding such a
program the EC hopes that it will re-balance the effort between the space
segment of Earth Observation, and the ground segment (i.e., the use of these
data), and in so doing help to develop an operational Earth Observation
industry.
15
M.M. Verstraete et al. (eds.), Observing Land from Space: Science, Customers and Technology, 15–28.
© 2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Chapter 3
THE CEO INITIATIVES TO COLLECT AND
ANALYZE USER REQUIREMENTS FOR EARTH
OBSERVATION