Canada-Europe agreement on meteorological satellites and instruments

Plain language summary

This agreement is the primary source of cooperation between Canada and the European Union in the fields of meteorological satellites, satellite meteorology, climate and environmental monitoring from space, and space weather. The Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and EUMETSAT allows both parties involved to work together on sharing scientific best practices, the sharing of data, and finding mutually beneficial areas where working together can improve the reliability of meteorological satellites and climate and environmental monitoring from space. The new MOU was amended to broaden the purpose to include oceanography, land surface, cryosphere, air quality, and hydrology. The agreement helps to facilitate real-time data exchange, and provides a framework that allows for close collaboration at both the management level, as well as at the working level.

Objective

The objective of this agreement is to provide a framework for cooperation in the fields of meteorological satellites, satellite meteorology, climate and environmental monitoring from space, and space weather.

Key elements

Participants review opportunities for scientific exchange, acquisition and exchange of satellite data and products; satellite data assimilation; cooperation in development of requirements and identification of opportunities to improve high latitude observations to support operational meteorology, climate and environmental monitoring, and space weather; opportunities for mutual contribution and development of satellite missions and instruments; shared training materials; exchange views and best practices related to enhancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace and more broadly in STEM fields, and other activities of mutual benefit. The agreement has been broadened to include collaboration in oceanography, land surface, cryosphere, air quality, and hydrology.

Expected results

This agreement is expected to provide a framework for stronger collaboration between the Government of Canada and EUMETSAT, particularly related to meteorological satellites and their data.

Canada’s involvement

This agreement is important to Canada because it facilitates open communication between Canada and EUMETSAT at both the management level and at the working level on a broad range of topics of mutual interest. Additionally, it  facilitates satellite data exchange activities, such as Canada’s participation in  EARS (EUMETSAT Advanced Retransmission Service) where Canada provides near-real time satellite data acquired over Canada from EUMETSAT’s polar orbiting Metop satellites back to EUMETSAT and then benefits from access to global satellite data in return.

Results / progress

Activities

ECCC continues to provide retransmission of METOP satellite data to EUMETSAT via EARS.

METOP data is also fed through MSC’s operational satellite data reception and processing system for input to ECCC’s programmatic and scientific satellite data requirements.

Canada and EUMETSAT will continue to explore other opportunities for mutual collaboration in the aforementioned subject areas, while the MOU is in force.

Reports

No reports

Results

ECCC continues to successfully operate the EARS system to provide METOP data exchange with EUMETSAT.