H2.2/2023/005 & h4/2023/007 - support service for copernicus data quality and the ccm activity

Description du marché

Copernicus aims to improve and expand the full range of environmental monitoring applications: climate change, land cover, vegetation monitoring, ocean color, sea surface temperature, sea level rise, sea and air pollution, air quality monitoring, ground motion, etc. These applications achieve the best results when they combine a wide range of Earth Observation (EO) data generated by various types of satellite sensors: SAR, Optical Very High, High and Medium Resolution, Altimetry, Atmospheric Composition, hyperspectral, thermal infra-red, multispectral etc. In order to be able to meet this need for wide ranging types of EO data, Copernicus makes available to users not only data from the Copernicus Sentinels but also data from other (commercial) complementary missions, called Copernicus Contributing Missions (CCM). The quality of Copernicus Sentinel data is rigorously analysed by teams of scientific EO experts, who calibrate and validate the data received from the sensors to ensure that the data distributed to users are fit for purpose and meet the stringent data quality requirements. These teams are called the Mission Performance Clusters (MPCs), and their contracts are managed by the Data Quality team in ESA’s Earth Observation Directorate. The scope of the MPCs is being enlarged as they will soon take over responsibility for overseeing the quality not only of the Copernicus Sentinel data but also of the CCM data. This quality control of the CCM data is currently handled under the PRISM contract, by the Copernicus Coordinated Quality Control (CQC) function. A support service is required in order to handle the day-to-day supervision of these two operational branches (Data Quality for Sentinel and CCM data and the CCM Activity), to ensure an efficient coordination of the end-to-end operations of the CCM Activity and the Copernicus Data Quality services, under ESA’s overall management. The Support Service will be funded by the EU Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027, under the Copernicus component of the EU Space Programme. In line with the signed FFPA and relevant Contribution Agreement, ESA is delegated by the European Commission to manage this activity. ESA adapted procurement rules will apply as per the ITT to be published (open Competition).

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