4 min readNew DelhiMay 23, 2024 11:49 AM IST
First published on: May 22, 2024 at 07:07 AM IST
Soon after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crashed on Sunday (May 19), the European Union (EU) activated its rapid satellite mapping service to help search efforts, following a request for assistance from Iran.
Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, posted on X: “Upon Iranian request for assistance we are activating the EU’s @CopernicusEMS rapid response mapping service in view of the helicopter accident reportedly carrying the President of Iran and its foreign minister.”
The wreckage of the helicopter was found on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard-like conditions.
The rapid mapping service is one of the crucial components of the Emergency Management Service (EMS), which comes under the EU’s Copernicus programme. What is the Copernicus EMS, and how does its rapid mapping service work?
What is the Europe Union’s Copernicus programme, to begin with?
The Copernicus programme is part of the EU’s space programme and aims to monitor the Earth and its environment by collecting data from a set of satellites known as the Sentinels. It also gets data from contributing missions (existing commercial and public satellites) and in situ or non-space sources such as ground stations.
The data are processed and analysed to generate value-added information, which can be used for a wide range of applications in many areas. These include land management, the marine environment, the atmosphere, emergency response, security, and climate change, according to the website of the European Space Agency (ESA). Users get the information on a “full, open, and free-of-charge” basis, the website says.
Launched in 1998, the Copernicus programme was earlier called Global Monitoring for Environmental Security (GMES). Currently, it is implemented by the European Commission (EC) with support from the ESA and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
And what is Copernicus EMS?
The Copernicus EMS has been in operation since 2012, and provides geo-spatial information derived from satellite remote sensing and in situ data sources to help manage natural disasters, man-made emergencies, and humanitarian crises.
There are two components of the service: the mapping component and the early warning component. The former provides maps and analysis based on satellite imagery; the latter issues alerts about floods, droughts, and forest fires, and gives near-real time assessment of forest fire impacts.
The mapping component has two modules: rapid mapping (RM); risk and recovering mapping (RRM). The RM, which was activated to look for Raisi’s crashed helicopter, provides maps within days or hours, anywhere in the world. The RRM delivers maps that are required for disaster management — and not for immediate responses — within weeks or months. It is used for prevention, preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and recovery.
How does the rapid mapping work?
To provide maps quickly, the service acquires, processes, and analyses satellite imagery, geospatial data, and social media when required. According to the Copernicus website, the RM service can supply four different “products” — each one of them provides maps and brief analysis — which the user can choose while requesting the service.
📌 Reference Product: It gives quick information on the area of interest and assets before the emergency/disaster takes place.
📌 First Estimate Product: It provides a quick assessment of the most affected locations after the disaster has taken place.
📌 Delineation Product: It supplies information on the impact, extent, and update on the situation after the disaster has taken place.
📌 Grading Product: It provides damage assessment, spatial distribution, and extent after the disaster has taken place.
At the site of the crash. (Reuters) 
Share
