The European Union activated its emergency satellite mapping service at Iran’s request as adverse weather and darkness hampered search and rescue operations.
The rapid response mapping technology is a critical component of the Emergency Management Service (EMS) within the Copernicus programme.
It is named after the renowned 15th-century scientist Nicolaus Copernicus.
The programme is the earth observation component of the European Union’s space initiative.
Copernicus was launched in 1998, and was earlier known as the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Programme (GMES).
The programme uses global data from satellites, and ground-based, airborne, and sea-borne measurement systems to address issues related to climate change, disaster management, and agriculture, among other uses.
Notably, data from the Copernicus programme is freely available and accessible to all.