Pictured: The ESA European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt.
The German National Forum for Remote Sensing and Copernicus 2026, held from 28–30 April in Darmstadt, brought together stakeholders from science, government and industry to discuss the future of Earth observation in Europe. The event highlighted the role of the European Copernicus Programme as a key infrastructure supporting environmental monitoring and decision-making and was held at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Space Operations Centre (ESOC).
The forum featured contributions from major institutions including the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), as well as international organisations, federal agencies and private sector actors. GEO-LDN was represented through three members: Bernd Eversmann from the Secretariat as well as Leads Group members Anke Schickling (ESA) and Andreas Brink (JRC).
Pictured: A Session of the Forum.
On Thursday, 30 April, Bernd Eversmann (GEO-LDN Secretariat, GIZ) contributed to the morning session “International Cooperation and Development Cooperation” (11:00–12:30), organised by DLR. He presented on the use of Earth observation in development cooperation. The session brought together actors from research institutions, companies and public agencies working on international projects, including applications in forestry, agriculture and environmental monitoring.
In the afternoon session “EO for Global Environmental Agreements: GEO and the D-GEO Working Group” (13:30–15:00), Andreas Brink (JRC) and Bernd Eversmann jointly presented on the role of Earth Observations for monitoring of changes in Land Cover and Biodiversity. Discussions in the second part of the session focused on the role of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) as a global coordination mechanism linking Earth observation with international environmental agendas.
Earlier that day in the session “Copernicus Expansion Missions and Next Generation” (09:00–10:30), Anke Schickling presented on user preparation for upcoming Copernicus missions, highlighting future developments of the space component.
Across the three-day forum, discussions ranged from technological innovation and data infrastructures to concrete applications in climate action, biodiversity monitoring and international cooperation. A key takeaway was the importance of connecting European Earth observation capacities with global frameworks and to clearly demonstrate how the use of Copernicus data contributes to improving peoples’ daily life.
Author: Alicia Hupperich, GEO-LDN Secretariat
Photo Credit: Bernd Eversmann, GEO-LDN Secretariat
