Unlocking Open-Source Capabilities in the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem

The satellites of the Sentinel family are Europe's eye in space – managed by the European Space Agency (ESA). They observe the earth continuously and collect enormous amounts of data that provide valuable insights into environmental, climatic, and geospatial changes. These data are used for various applications, including Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) mapping, environmental monitoring, disaster response, climate change analysis, and agricultural monitoring. The Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem makes these data freely available to users, along with tools for processing and analysis. It encourages researchers, developers, and organizations to use these products for various applications, from scientific studies to practical environmental monitoring solutions. These products include but are not limited to, Sentinel data, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), mosaics, and service products like biophysical parameters such as FAPAR (Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation). In addition to these products, the ecosystem also provides a range of tools, including cloud-computing environments and APIs, to simplify and enhance the usability of Earth Observation data. In this session, we will explore how, in addition to freely available data, the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem provides several open-source capabilities to simplify and enhance EO data usability. These include a cloud-computing environment like JupyterLab, a user-friendly Copernicus Browser for easy data exploration, and APIs like STAC and openEO for streamlined data access and integration. By offering these resources openly, the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem supports a growing community of users, helping them turn satellite data into actionable knowledge to address global challenges.