Copernicus is an EU programme aimed at developing European information services based on satellite Earth Observation and in situ data. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) supports all actors involved in the management of natural or manmade disasters by providing geospatial data and images for informed decision-making. CEMS constantly monitors Europe and the globe for signals of an impending disaster or evidence of one happening in real time. It immediately notifies national authorities of their findings or can be activated on-demand and offers to provide them with maps, time-series or other relevant information to better manage disaster risk. CEMS products show information about a disaster event on a scale, timeline, and perspective that only geospatial information can provide. They can examine changes to an area of Earth over a series of days, weeks, months, or years. CEMS, which is always free of charge for users, has as illustrated in the figure below three main components: (1) On-Demand Mapping, (2) Early Warning and Monitoring, and (3) Exposure Mapping.
Structure of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service