Washington: NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) agreed to combine Earth observation data from multiple satellites into a single open-source format available to scientists, policymakers and the public in an attempt to help mitigate the impact of climate change, according to a joint statement signed on Tuesday.
“Not only will NASA and ESA work together to deliver unparalleled Earth science observations, research, and applications, but all of our findings will also be free and open for the benefit of the entire world as we work together to combat and mitigate climate change,” NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen said in a press release.
The partnership was formalized through a joint statement of intent, which outlines how the agencies will collaborate to advance understanding of the Earth System and to promote open sharing of information, the release said. The two agencies have a history of scientific collaboration.
In 2020, NASA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and European partners, including ESA, launched the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, which is collecting the most accurate data yet on global sea level and how oceans are rising in response to climate change, the release added.
NASA has also announced plans for an Earth System Observatory, which will design a new set of missions linked to climate change, including disaster mitigation and fighting forest fires. The joint NASA-ESA statement complements those activities, according to the release.
