PI Community (EOPI)

Activities
PI Community (EOPI)

Overview

ESA PI Community

The ESA Earth Observation Principal Investigators (EOPI) community is the point of reference for users and scientists who intend to request free access to ESA and Third Party mission satellite data for research and development, which also offers unique opportunities to access data from new scientific EO missions.

ESA and ESA Third Party Mission (TPM) data are provided free of charge. ESA may however request users to provide a contribution in case of requests for very large datasets.

Access to some Third Party Mission data collections requires submission of a Project Proposal, when the data provider can only make a limited amount of data available. The Project Proposal must explain the objectives and expected outcome of the project, and detail the amount of data requested.

Proposals will be reviewed, which normally takes between four and six weeks, and following successful evaluation a product/programming quota will be assigned by ESA.

Some data providers have specific restrictions on how their data may be used, which are described in the Terms and Conditions.

There are no deadlines for proposal submission.

Access to ERS and Envisat (A)SAR Level 0 data products is limited to specific purposes, including testing and development of processors and processing the data to higher levels.

To request access to (A)SAR Level 0 products, you must submit a Data Service Request, specifying the need and intended application of the data.

The request will be evaluated by ESA, which normally takes up to two weeks. Following a successful evaluation, a limited quota for Level 0 products will be assigned by ESA and instructions on how to access the data will be provided.

Beyond the standard services, some special (non-nominal) ESA Heritage Mission data deliveries and level of performances are available. Such specific services can be granted by ESA within technical, financial or legal constraints, to users who describe and justify their needs through submission of a Special Data Service Request. The special request will be evaluated by ESA, which normally takes a few weeks. Following a successful evaluation, instructions on how to access the data will be provided.

Submit a Special Data Service Request

In special circumstances, ESA uses an Announcement of Opportunity to provide the user community with the opportunity to obtain datasets from ESA Earth Explorers, Third Party Missions, or Heritage Missions.

These opportunities are created to fulfil specific scientific requirements (such as the calibration and validation of a new mission) or are the result of an agreement between ESA and a Third Party Mission provider.

The conditions for each Announcement of Opportunity varies, based on the nature of the opportunity. Some opportunities may only be open for a limited time or the opportunity may only offer a limited amount of data.

To request access to data available through an Announcement of Opportunity, a request must be submitted, which describes the intended use of the data and the expected outcome.

Terms and Conditions

The use of all data products from ESA’s operational missions, non-operational Heritage missions, and Third Party Missions is regulated by terms and conditions, which outline how the data may be used and any restrictions that may apply.

The relevant terms and conditions must be reviewed before submitting a Project Proposal or Data Service Request. The applicable terms and conditions are provided on the data collection pages.

Consult ESA’s Earth Observation data policy to learn more about ESA’s goal to make data available to the EO community and the high level conditions that apply to data access.