The GMES User Forum was organized by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) together with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and in close cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It brought together about 120 participants from a large number of German institutions, national agencies, and leading private companies for discussions with high-level representatives from the European Commission and the German Government. The main intention of this meeting was to inform potential users about the already existing and upcoming GMES core- and downstream services and to better integrate national needs and networks into the further planning. After the opening session and the introductory presentations held by the head of the GMES office in Brussels, Ms. Christine BERG, and delegates from the organizing ministries, the group of participants was divided into four different thematic groups according to the four GMES core services land – ocean – atmosphere – and emergency. Senior Expert Joerg Szarzynski was officially invited by the Ministry of Transport to moderate the session on emergency on behalf of UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER. The break-out group succeeded in developing a portfolio of evaluative statements and detailed recommendations which will be summarized within the final report and subsequently delivered to the German Government. The statements address three major discussion areas, namely 1. national requirements concerning the GMES data, services, and infrastructure, 2. the general framework and data policy, and 3. the integration of user needs and recommendations into the further development of the GMES policy.
For further information go to: GMES/European Commission and GMES/National User Forum
