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GSE RESPOND

GMES service elements - emergency response support

Czech supply into GSE RESPOND project

Project duration: 2007 to 2010

Project manager: Tomáš Soukup

The purpose of the European GSE RESPOND project is to speed-up and enhance efficiency of international humanitarian aid to areas struck by natural disasters and other crises, by use of proper and reliable geoinformation products based on satellite imagery. Gisat joined the project only in its second phase and contributed by geoinformation products supporting mostly Czech non-profit humanitarian organizations People in Need and ADRA. On the international scale the users are UN agencies (UNOSAT, WHO. UNDSS) and the World Bank.

During the project there were developed 179 mapping products, out of which almost half was dedicated to help the African continent, one third for the Middle East and a fifth for Asia. Two thirds of products were utilized by Czech humanitarian organizations and the rest by UN and the World Bank users. The big challenge for the company was the large volume of satellite data to be processed. It was recognized, that easy availability of satellite data is for crisis management projects a critical factor. During the project cycle Gisat underwent several independent validations of its products by DLR, Infoterra UK, Sertit and Telespazio partners.

The project supported the integration of Gisat into international community of geoinformation companies and helped to foster relationships with the Czech users. The company continues working in the emergency field by participation in the European project SAFER, GMES Emergency response Service.

Gisat

The company was founded in 1990 as a first in Czech Republic providing geoinformation services in the area of remote sensing. The company is oriented on remote sensing and GIS applications including satellite data retail. The wide scope of services is based on partnerships with all major Earth observation satellite data providers. Gisat has extensive long-term experiences with leadership of international projects, as well as a solid knowledge of the specific situation in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Its clients are both public administration bodies and companies from commercial and industrial sector.

What would you name as main benefits of the project to you and your company?

“GISAT has long-term experiences with geoinformation support of development projects and participation in ESA GSE RESPOND was indeed beneficial, because of our specific experiences in humanitarian activities. In the user domain the project gave us insight into processes and collaborations with various stakeholders like non-profit organizations, national, European and international institutions including United Nations. In the profesional domain we had a chance to work with our European GMES product supplier counterparts, also in the frame of the International Charter.”