This workshop is a joint initiative of ESA and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission to foster a greater uptake of Earth Observation technology in environmental compliance assurance.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been at the forefront of exploring new capabilities to integrate EO-derived information more systematically into environmental crime investigations. The aim is to improve the identification of illegal activities and ensure the effective incorporation of EO information into intelligence models used by investigative teams, leveraging key technologies and innovative processing techniques. The effort contributes to maintaining Europe’s international leadership in ensuring safety and security for citizens, and fostering enhanced regional and international cooperation on security priorities. 

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission provides independent evidence and knowledge to ground European policy in science. The European Commission aims to step up the implementation and enforcement of EU environmental legislation. To help achieve this, the JRC researches and supports the use of geospatial intelligence in environmental compliance assurance. The Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation at the JRC is conducting a deep dive assessment on the use of Earth Observation for Compliance Assurance across various EU policy sectors.

The communication titled "Guardians from Above: Leveraging Earth Observation to Combat Environmental Crimes - The Nature FIRST Experience," will highlight our current solutions developed, including also experiences of the use of remote sensing by law enforcement authorities in Slovakia and Spain.

Consult the different sessions here.