Developing best practice catalogue for use of Copernicus in the public sector in Denmark

A catalogue of best practices for the use of Copernicus satellite data in Denmark will be developed to serve as inspiration for potential new users. The catalogue will initially focus on municipal applications and later expand to include public applications at the national government level. The catalogue will build on use cases, which will be developed drawing on the knowledge and experience of the public institutions in the Copernicus Commission.

Whereas satellite data forms part of the day to day data feed supporting administrative processes at the national government level, local government has not yet adopted satellite based analysis in their administrative processes. The Environmental Department (TMF) in Copenhagen Municipality has taken a first step in using satellite imagery, providing valuable information for the management of the city’s environment. The experiences have identified one of the major barriers for working with satellite imagery being the highly technical nature and high initial cost of entry.

Many of the public satellite imagery stakeholders are represented in the national Danish Copernicus Committee, where Copenhagen and Lemvig municipalities represent local government interests. We propose using the technical know-how and experience already present in the national committee, to create a catalogue of best practices and use case scenarios. Through workshops, key themes will be identified and more in-depth analysis of selected use cases will be presented, in collaboration with relevant private-sector companies. The catalogue will be made available for public use, and will serve as inspiration for developing new practices and help reduce barriers for novice users of satellite imagery in the public sector. Thus, the catalogue will help stimulate business development in companies involved in the application of earth observation (EO), as most municipalities do not possess sufficient EO skills and know-how themselves.

The catalogue is meant to serve as inspiration for getting started with using Copernicus data in municipal, regional and national government work flows. In 2018 the focus will be on identification and development of use cases and best practice at the local government level. Based on these experiences, the catalogue will be expanded ultimo-medio 2019, to include use cases at the regional and national level. This is expected to further stimulate user uptake amongst the national agencies as well as collaboration between local and national administrative levels.

An online forum will be created to serve as a network of municipal and private agents, interested in using Copernicus. The forum will also facilitate the distribution, and together with the national Copernicus Committee ensure implementation, of the catalogue.

The results will be disseminated through the municipal network, the national Copernicus committee, existing national EO information channels and through presentations at a national conference and a mini-conference.

The work will be carried out in a partnership with Environmental Department of Copenhagen Municipality (KK-TMF). T