Charles University, Faculty of Science is a full member of National secretariat GEO/Copernicus of the Czech Republic that is the main governmental body to deal with Copernicus agenda on the national level. Charles University is fully involved as a Copernicus Academy member as well. The Copernicus Academy works to increase the exchange of ideas and best practices across borders and disciplines while contributing to the development of the use of Earth Observation data in general and Copernicus data and information in particular, in various public or private user organisations or industries. The role of Charles University can be considered as a bridge between international and national dimensions of Copernicus agenda in the Czech Republic.
Based on the often discussions from the regular meetings of the National secretariat GEO/Copernicus and Copernicus User Forums, an expert group and contact point/office of the Copernicus program is missing in the Czech Republic and should be established to be providing an expert information and consultations to end-users of EO/Copernicus data and services. This office will fill a gap in the Copernicus programme implementation in the Czech Republic.
From this point of view, this project proposes to establish a group of experts and a contact point for existing and potential end-users of EO/Copernicus data and services in the Czech Republic with synergy of the activities of the National secretariat GEO/Copernicus and Copernicus Academy/Copernicus Relays. The main role of this office will foster collaboration between educational, public and private institutions and established commercial operators or entrepreneurs so that EO/Copernicus data and services can reach the science, education and market and benefit the citizens of the Czech Republic. Moreover the experts of this office will provide information about benefits of Copernicus data to potential end-users in different sectors and to coordinate and providing the experiences of different group of experts: from science and research sector, business, public bodies…
The main aims of this action follow the main ideas of Copernicus Academy initiative and National secretariat GEO/Copernicus:
- to promote and implement the ideas of the Copernicus programme/Copernicus Academy and Copernicus Relay in the Czech Republic
- to establish and foster an office and an expert group for promotion and implementation of Copernicus data and services in wide range of sectors and end-users
- to implement the best practices/successes stories into education and to create a link between academic and private sector – presentation of best practices to wide communities
- through face to face meeting and consultations to find gaps where would be possible and useful to be implemented EO with focus on Copernicus products and services
- to organize regular workshops and trainings bringing EO/Copernicus data and services into practice
- to publish books/sheets of success stories from the Czech Republic and Europe; new tutorials based on Copernicus data, open source SWs (SNAP) and big data tools, e.g. Copernicus DIAS.
- The tailoring and translation of the already existing and new tutorials and use cases to national and regional applications and the adaptation to the local language (Czech).
- to implement the best practices/successes stories and to create a link organizing a platform between academic, public bodies, non-government institutions and private sector
- to show and present the best practices of Copernicus to students and to enable meeting between students (young generation) and experts from research and business
- to write a report and concept for supporting the implementation of the most important and relevant application of EO/Copernicus data and services in practice in the Czech Republic
- to organize a workshop to be presented and discussed situation and perspectives of implementation of EO/Copernicus products in the Czech Republic with focus on the success stories of application of EO/Copernicus data
- to organize a special section within Copernicus User Forum to be presented and discussed an ideas and results of Copernicus Academy
- to open Charles University for communities to provide promotion, face to face consultations and trans-generation and trans-sectors workshops on Copernicus data and ideas
- to promote and to assess the way how Earth Observation/Copernicus products and services could provide social benefits and strengthen the links between academic sector and application sector.