European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management (EGSIEM)

from concept to implementation

authored by
Adrian Jäggi, M. Weigelt, F. Flechtner, A. Güntner, T. Mayer-Gürr, S. Martinis, S. Bruinsma, J. Flury, S. Bourgogne, H. Steffen, U. Meyer, Y. Jean, A. Sušnik, A. Grahsl, D. Arnold, K. Cann-Guthauser, R. Dach, Zhao Li, Q. Chen, T. Van Dam, C. Gruber, L. Poropat, B. Gouweleeuw, A. Kvas, B. Klinger, J. M. Lemoine, R. Biancale, H. Zwenzner, T. Bandikova, A. Shabanloui
Abstract

Earth observation satellites yield a wealth of data for scientific, operational and commercial exploitation. However, the redistribution of mass in the system Earth is not yet part of the standard inventory of Earth Observation (EO) data products to date. It is derived from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission and its Follow-On mission (GRACE-FO). Among many other applications, mass redistribution provides fundamental insights into the global water cycle. Changes in continental water storage impact the regional water budget and can, in extreme cases, result in floods and droughts that often claim a high toll on infrastructure, economy and human lives. The initiative for a European Gravity Service for Improved EmergencyManagement (EGSIEM) established three different prototype services to promote the unique value of mass redistribution products for Earth Observation in general and for early-warning systems in particular. The first prototype service is a scientific combination service to derive improved mass redistribution products from the combined knowledge of the European GRACE analysis centres. Second, the timeliness and reliability of such products is a primary concern for any early-warning system and therefore EGSIEM established a prototype for a near real-time service that provides dedicated gravity field information with a maximum latency of 5 d. Third, EGSIEM established a prototype of a hydrological/early warning service that derives wetness indices as indicators of hydrological extremes and assessed their potential for timely scheduling of high-resolution optical/radar satellites for follow-up observations in case of evolving hydrological extreme events.

Organisation(s)
Institute of Geodesy
External Organisation(s)
University of Bern
Technische Universität Berlin
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ)
Graz University of Technology
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES)
Stellar Space Studies
Lantmäteriet - The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral, and Land Registration Authority
Newcastle University
University of Luxembourg
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Type
Article
Journal
Geophysical journal international
Volume
218
Pages
1572-1590
No. of pages
19
ISSN
0956-540X
Publication date
27.05.2019
Publication status
Published
Peer reviewed
Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Geophysics, Geochemistry and Petrology
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 13 - Climate Action
Electronic version(s)
https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggz238 (Access: Open)
 

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