GCRI · Space and Earth Observation
Space and Earth Observation
Space systems and the Earth-observation technologies used for risk intelligence and sustainable development. Space and Earth Observation is an established platform of The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation.
- STEM methods
- 7
- Canonical methods this field applies
- Topics
- 8
- Subject pages in the field
- Counterparts
- 7
- Platforms in shared fields across the network
- Report series
- 2
- Reports series it contributes to
Method, evidence and resilience for space-based services.
Space and Earth Observation is designed to publish Earth observation method guides, land and ocean observation cases and space-system risk briefs. Its methods combine satellite data science, Earth observation models and attention to uncertainty and rights. It is distinct from the Earth observation platform (EOP) in Foundry, which renders shared Earth observation data across the Consortium; this platform is the research community behind the methods.
Sensors and products
How each sensor type sees the Earth, what it can and cannot measure, and how products are validated against ground observation.
Evidence for decisions
Water, agriculture, ecosystems and disasters: how satellite evidence is used, where it adds most and where it is weakest.
Space system resilience
The vulnerabilities of satellites, ground segments, navigation and communications, and the stewardship of orbital space.
EO tasking and products.
The screen a team would use to follow this field: its measures, states and decisions. Names are examples and values are illustrative.
EO tasking and products
Flood basin AOI · Activation ACT-610
Passes over the area
next 8 passes
Acquisitions
| P-1 | Radar | n/a | Processed |
| P-2 | Optical | 91 | Cloudy |
| P-3 | Radar | n/a | Downlinking |
| P-4 | Optical | 18 | Scheduled |
Product chain
- TaskAOI
- Acquireradar
- Downlinkstation 2
- ProcessARD
- Map floodchange
- Validatesamples
- Deliveruser agency
The questions this field works on.
Earth observation sensors
Optical, radar, thermal and hyperspectral methods.
TopicSpatial temporal evidence
Ground truth, resolution and uncertainty.
TopicSpace system resilience
Satellite infrastructure and ground segment risk.
TopicCommunications and navigation
GNSS, satcom and dependency.
TopicEO in water and agriculture
Water, crop and ecosystem applications.
TopicDisaster monitoring
Flood, heat and wildfire evidence.
TopicSpace debris and sustainability
Orbital congestion and stewardship.
TopicGeospatial governance
Licensing, privacy and data quality.
Stocks, flows, delays and a tipping threshold.
Two stocks, pressure and adaptive capacity, joined by a reinforcing growth loop, a delayed balancing response and damage when pressure outruns capacity; past the threshold the system can tip. Teaching model with stated illustrative values, not a prediction. The map on this page shows The Arctic; the model itself is not tied to a place.
Controls
- Growth of pressure
- 6.0% a year
- Efficacy of capacity in reducing pressure
- 4.0% a year
- Investment response to perceived pressure
- 20%
- Perception delay
- 4.0 years
- Tipping threshold of pressure
- 60 index
- Amplification past the threshold
- 2.0 times
- Years simulated
- 50 years
Readouts
- Peak pressure
- 113 index
- Capacity at the end
- 186 index
- Years over the threshold
- 15.8 years
Numbers, methods and sources
| Year | Pressure | Capacity | Perceived |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 20.0 | 50.0 | 20.0 |
| 4 | 23.3 | 44.9 | 21.2 |
| 8 | 27.2 | 42.2 | 24.0 |
| 12 | 31.7 | 42.3 | 27.7 |
| 16 | 36.8 | 45.5 | 32.2 |
| 20 | 42.3 | 51.5 | 37.2 |
| 24 | 47.9 | 60.3 | 42.6 |
| 28 | 53.2 | 71.3 | 48.0 |
| 32 | 57.8 | 84.3 | 53.1 |
| 36 | 66.4 | 98.4 | 58.4 |
| 40 | 82.7 | 115.9 | 69.7 |
| 44 | 97.8 | 139.7 | 83.8 |
| 48 | 109.1 | 169.4 | 97.3 |
Methods
- System dynamics Forrester (1961), Industrial Dynamics, MIT Press; Sterman (2000), Business Dynamics
- Critical transitions and tipping points Scheffer and others (2009), Early-warning signals for critical transitions, Nature 461
- Causal loop diagram Sterman (2000), Business Dynamics, McGraw-Hill
- Uncertainty fan (parameter Monte Carlo) Spiegelhalter, Pearson and Short (2011), Visualising uncertainty about the future, Science 333
- One-at-a-time sensitivity (tornado) Saltelli and others (2008), Global Sensitivity Analysis: The Primer, Wiley
Data
No observed data enters this model: it runs on the teaching values set by the controls, to be replaced with a programme’s own evidence.
Across the six pillars, led by Nexus Consortium
- Experiments Labs
- Built in Space and Earth Observation in Foundry
- Tested at Space and Earth Observation in Universe
- Codified in Space and Earth Observation in Standards
- Published in Space and Earth Observation in Reports
- Taught in Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Academy
What Space and Earth Observation does.
Earth observation is the gathering of information about the planet’s surface, water and atmosphere from satellites and aircraft. Space and Earth Observation covers sensors, analysis-ready evidence, space system resilience, communications and navigation, water and agriculture, disaster monitoring, debris and geospatial governance. Space agencies, operators and mapping authorities decide.
Its community
Remote-sensing scientists; space engineers; geospatial analysts; disaster scientists.
Its methods
Satellite data science; EO models; uncertainty and rights.
Its outputs
EO method guides; land/ocean observation cases; space-system risk briefs.
Model Space and Earth Observation as a system. Run the cascade.
Assembled from the Nexus Standards area profile Climate risk standards: the hazards it names, the systems and sectors that carry the loss, the controls that dampen it and the data that observe it. Choose the components, pick an initiating hazard and step through the cascade. The Map view places the run on an example geography with open data. Every coupling weight is a stated assumption you can change. A teaching model, not a forecast, an assessment or a certification. To model a place of your own choosing, open the full System Builder.
Hazards
- Sea-level rise
- Coastal flood (set off downstream)
- Storm surge (set off downstream)
- High-tide flooding (set off downstream)
- Coastal erosion (set off downstream)
- Saltwater intrusion (set off downstream)
- Estuary flood (set off downstream)
- Coastal habitat squeeze (set off downstream)
- Wetland loss (set off downstream)
- Mangrove loss (set off downstream)
- Groundwater flood (set off downstream)
- Climate-driven migration and relocation (set off downstream)
- Mass displacement (set off downstream)
Systems and couplings
Controls
NS-0Constitution and principlesNS-1The UNI and the artefact catalogue (grammar v0.2: domain, sector, region and environment segments)NS-3Risk record UNIs (grammar, legacy crosswalk, allocation authority)NS-3bDataset and product metadata profile (STAC, DCAT, PROV-O)NS-9Contextual UNIs (deployments, instances, programme instances)NS-11Verification and monitoring (evidence, attestations, zero-trust conformance observation)NS-14Conformance and crosswalk to external standardsNRS-H65Hazard family: Planetary boundary transgressions (NHS-1 planet.boundary)NRS-H62Hazard family: Compound and multi-hazard events (NHS-1 sys.compound)NRS-H71Hazard family: Deep-time and cosmic catastrophes (NHS-1 planet.deep-time)NRS-H79Hazard family: Mental health crises (NHS-1 health.mental)NRS-H75Hazard family: Climate-sensitive illness (NHS-1 health.climate-sensitive)NRS-H7Hazard family: Large-scale circulation anomalies (NHS-1 atmo.climate-mode)
Observation
- ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) (listed for reference)
- CMIP6 climate projections (Copernicus Climate Data Store) (listed for reference)
- NGFS Scenario Explorer (listed for reference)
- INFORM Risk Index (listed for reference)
- Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
- Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
- Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global GDP
Example geography
- Pacific Island states: 150 hexagonal cells
- Night lights tonight, outages (VIIRS Day/Night Band), NASA GIBS
- Surface water through cloud, 30 m (OPERA DSWx-S1 radar), NASA GIBS
- Rain rate, last half hour (IMERG), NASA GIBS
- Vegetation disturbance alerts, 30 m (OPERA DIST-ALERT), NASA GIBS
What Space and Earth Observation studies, and who governs space.
Space and Earth Observation, studies the satellites and ground systems that observe the planet and position and connect people, and the risks to those systems in orbit. Space agencies, operators, spectrum regulators and mapping authorities decide; GCRI operates no satellite and orders no acquisition as an authority.
Imagery and orbit illustrations here are examples; imagery products keep their providers’ licences.
How Space and Earth Observation is modelled, measured and tested.
The model, its assumptions, its data and its uncertainty, in the form a scientist or engineer would check. Structures follow published methods. The values drawn are illustrative, not findings.
Earth observation chain
How a satellite or sensor record becomes evidence on Space and Earth Observation, and where each step adds uncertainty.
- 01 · Acquireorbit, sensor and revisitUncertainty: gaps from cloud and orbit
- 02 · Calibrateradiometric and geometricUncertainty: sensor drift
- 03 · Correctatmosphere and terrainUncertainty: aerosol and slope assumptions
- 04 · Retrieve or classifythe variable or the classUncertainty: model and training error
- 05 · Validateagainst ground truthUncertainty: sample design and size
- 06 · Publishwith error bars and lineageUncertainty: stated, never hidden
Datasets and provenance
The data classes behind Space and Earth Observation and what is recorded about each before it is used.
| Data class | Provenance recorded | Resolution stated | Licence checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satellite imagery, optical and radar | sensor, processing level, acquisition date | pixel size and revisit | per scene |
| Reanalysis and climate model output | model, experiment, member, version | grid and time step | per release |
| In-situ sensors and gauges | station, instrument, calibration record | point and sampling rate | per network |
| Population and asset exposure | method, vintage, input sources | cell size and unit | per release |
| Boundaries and reference geography | producer, edition, date | scale | per edition |
- Lineage
- W3C PROV record from source to figure
- Principles
- FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable
- Gaps
- shown as missing, never filled silently
Observation from space serves every domain.
- WaterHow this field couples to itRadar and optical missions map floods, reservoirs and river levels.
- EnergyHow this field couples to itSatellite timing and communications underpin grid and market operations.
- FoodHow this field couples to itCrop monitoring relies on optical and radar time series.
- HealthHow this field couples to itAir quality and heat are observed from orbit to support health studies.
- BiodiversityHow this field couples to itForest, wetland and reef change are tracked from satellite records.
Earth observation in the Arctic.
Land cover and vegetation over the Arctic, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 2
Earth observation, for this page
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite image
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-14
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite image. Satellite or model raster as the provider publishes it. Clouds, swath gaps and retrieval error leave gaps and noise; values are indicators, not measurements at a place.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Modelled (latest year GIBS publishes)
- Source
- MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1) (NASA LP DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LP DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- yearly; Satellite classification; latest year GIBS publishes
- Newest at build
- 2024-01-01
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite land cover classes for the year shown, including croplands; a classification with known errors, not a farm register.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra EVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite vegetation index for the 8 days to the date shown, a habitat condition indicator; not a measure of species or biodiversity.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Estimated
- Source
- Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University))
- Provider
- NASA SEDAC (CIESIN, Columbia University)
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Vintage
- null; Census-based estimate, static (2020)
- Resolution
- about 1 km grid
- Uncertainty
- Census-based estimate of people per square kilometre in 2020, shown as exposure context; not a count of people affected by any hazard.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed (clouds leave gaps)
- Source
- MODIS Terra NDVI (NASA LANCE)
- Provider
- NASA LANCE
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite index; clouds leave gaps
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-13
- Resolution
- about 250 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite greenness index over the 8 days to the date shown; an indicator of crop and pasture condition, not a yield estimate or a food security warning.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
About this layer
- Evidence
- Observed
- Source
- VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2) (NASA LAADS DAAC)
- Provider
- NASA LAADS DAAC
- Licence
- NASA open data
- Vintage
- daily; Satellite radiance, corrected for moonlight and atmosphere
- Newest at build
- 2026-10-12
- Resolution
- about 500 m grid
- Uncertainty
- Satellite night-time radiance for the date shown; lights are a proxy for electricity use and outages, not a measurement of supply or access.
- Reached through
- gibs.earthdata.nasa.gov, only after you allow the live map
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Earth observation, framed on the Arctic.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · U.S. Geological Survey · NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERTSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- MODIS land products (vegetation indices, gross primary production, land cover), NASA LP DAAC and LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Live: U.S. Geological Survey Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- Observed (EO): NASA JPL OPERA DIST-ALERT (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2026). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA’s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Past year, daily temperature and sunshine (NASA POWER): These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program..
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (11 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Land cover type (IGBP), yearly: MODIS Terra and Aqua land cover (MCD12Q1), NASA LP DAAC · 2024
- Enhanced vegetation index, rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra EVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Vegetation greenness (NDVI), rolling 8 days: MODIS Terra NDVI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
Where space evidence goes.
Earth-observation evidence is designed for the Observatory Signal series; space system resilience for the Strategic Systems series. Products would carry NS-3b metadata under the proposed Nexus Standards.
- Agencies can share validation data.
- Field teams can contribute reference observations.
- Researchers can contribute debris and space weather studies.
A dependency in orbit, and evidence from above.
Satellites observe the whole planet repeatedly. Optical, radar, thermal and other sensors record floods through cloud, crop condition across continents, sea-surface temperature, forest loss, urban growth and the ground deformation that can precede landslides. For many places, satellite data is the only consistent record of environmental change, and it has become central to weather forecasting, climate monitoring, disaster response and resource management.
That evidence is powerful and easily misread. A satellite measures radiation reflected or emitted from the surface, not the quantity a decision-maker cares about. Turning measurements into maps of flooded area, crop yield or damage requires models, calibration and ground truth, each with errors that vary by place, season and sensor. Products with very different accuracy can look equally authoritative on a screen. Without stated uncertainty and validation, satellite evidence can mislead the decisions it is meant to inform.
Society also depends on space in a second way. Satellite navigation provides the timing signals used by telecommunications networks, power grids and financial systems, as well as positioning for transport and agriculture. Satellite communications connect remote areas, ships, aircraft and disaster zones. These services can fail through space weather, interference, cyber attack, ground-segment faults or collisions in increasingly crowded orbits, and a failure can cascade into systems on the ground that have no obvious link to space.
Steward of four STEM methods, connected across three institutions.
The platform stewards Earth observation and remote sensing, space systems and satellite services, geospatial information systems and spatial statistics and geostatistics in the STEM Commons, which other platforms apply. It also draws on high-performance, cloud and edge computing, communications and network technology and physics. See the STEM foundation.
- Climate and HazardsInstitutionGCRIWhat it addsHazard science that relies on satellite records, including climate baselines.
- Climate and Nature Governance at GRFInstitutionGRFWhat it addsGovernance dialogue on climate and land and ocean use, where satellite evidence is used.
- Diplomacy Nexus at GRFInstitutionGRFWhat it addsInternational cooperation, including on shared observation and space.
- Reinsurance and Catastrophe at GRAInstitutionGRAWhat it addsHow catastrophe risk understanding uses Earth observation, as sector analysis.
The areas of space and Earth observation this platform takes on.
Space and Earth Observation studies the satellites, ground systems and data that observe the planet and connect and position people on it, and the risks to those systems in orbit. Its pages set out how Earth observation sensors work, how space-based evidence is made reliable, how it serves water, agriculture and disaster monitoring, and how space systems, debris and geospatial data are governed, with every value labelled by its evidence and every limit stated. It prepares evidence; space agencies, operators and mapping authorities decide.
Earth observation sensors
Optical, radar, thermal, lidar and atmospheric instruments, and what each can and cannot see.
Spatial and temporal evidence
Turning images into consistent, analysis-ready records with known accuracy over space and time.
Space system resilience
Threats to satellites and ground segments from space weather, failures, interference and attack.
Communications and navigation
Satellite communications and navigation and timing services that society increasingly depends on.
EO for water and agriculture
Satellite evidence on rainfall, soil moisture, crops, water bodies and irrigation.
Disaster monitoring
Mapping floods, fires, earthquakes and storms from space, and getting imagery to responders.
Space debris and sustainability
Debris, congestion and collision risk in orbit, and the rules that aim to keep orbits usable.
Geospatial governance
National spatial data infrastructures, standards, licensing and the rights around geospatial data.
Built on named science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Every claim on Space and Earth Observation rests on methods with a canonical page in the STEM Commons, so readers can see what a finding depends on and where its limits lie.
How work moves in this field.
A question becomes evidence, a governed build, an organised community, a controlled test, a reviewed publication and, finally, a decision taken by the competent authority under its own rules.
- Question Universe National, regional or institutional priority. Question in Space and Earth Observation
- Evidence Foundry STEM foundation of the platform. Evidence in Space and Earth Observation
- Build Foundry Foundry. Build in Space and Earth Observation
- Organise Universe Nexus ecosystem. Organise in Space and Earth Observation
- Test Universe Universe (independent site). Test in Space and Earth Observation
- Publish Reports Reports. Publish in Space and Earth Observation
- Decide Competent authority Competent authorities and institutions, through NXS-RLS (participants, agreements and handoffs). Decide in Space and Earth Observation
- Renew Universe Corrections and the next annual agenda. Renew in Space and Earth Observation
Each step of the cycle in the pillar it runs in; the decision stays with the competent authority, outside the programme.
- Labs
- Foundry
- Universe
- Nexus Standards
- Reports
- Risk Academy
- Competent authority (outside the programme)
How this works across the six pillars.
Space and Earth Observation works through six pillars of one annual programme, led by the Nexus Consortium, with GCRI, the Global Risks Forum (GRF) and the Global Risks Alliance (GRA) each contributing in its role: explore, experiment and prototype in Labs, build, simulate and prepare in Foundry, convene and test in Universe, codify, correct and apply in Nexus Standards, publish in every format in Reports, teach in the open in Risk Academy.
handoff in playrecorded handoffno direct handoff
Programme yearAll phases
Route
The whole programme
Every pillar hands its work to another; together they close the year’s feedback loops.
L · F · U · S · R · A
- Pillars
- 6 of 6
- Handoffs
- 18 of 18
- Loops
- 17 closed
Handoffs in play
- F01Universe → Foundry · Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision caseReadiness preparation
- F02Foundry → Universe · Core Build Report and go or no-go evidenceControlled build
- F03Foundry → Reports · Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profileCloseout
- F04Universe → Reports · After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13After-action review
and 14 more
- LabsWhere questions become experiments and prototypes: new methods, data and tools are tried in the open, with their limits on record, before the Foundry builds them, under the Nexus Consortium.Labs
- FoundryWhere methods, data and models become reproducible builds, each run with its inputs, version and limits on record.Space and Earth Observation in FoundryFoundry
- UniverseWhere a build is tested under controlled conditions with independent evaluators, so a method’s skill is measured, not assumed.Space and Earth Observation in Universeuniverse.nexus
- Nexus StandardsWhere methods, identifiers and data schemas are codified in the open and corrected when a test finds a fault.Space and Earth Observation in Standardsnexustandards.com
- ReportsWhere findings are published with their method, uncertainty and evidence class, and corrected as new versions.Space and Earth Observation in ReportsReports
- Risk AcademyWhere methods and systems are taught on real data and real places, by working the case, on Risk Academy.Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Academyrisksacademy.com
What the work is read against.
The platform does not set standards. It reads its evidence against the frameworks that competent bodies have adopted, so a finding can be placed where a decision-maker already works.
| Framework or standard | Body | What it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space | United Nations (UNOOSA) | Foundational rules for state responsibility and peaceful use of outer space |
| Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities | UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space | Voluntary guidelines on policy, safety, cooperation and research for sustainable space activity |
| IADC Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines | Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee | Measures to limit debris creation and to dispose of spacecraft after missions |
| Radio Regulations | International Telecommunication Union | Allocation of radio spectrum and satellite orbits, and interference rules |
| Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space | United Nations General Assembly | Principles for remote sensing activities and access by sensed states |
| Integrated Geospatial Information Framework | UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) | A framework for national geospatial information management |
| CEOS Analysis Ready Data | Committee on Earth Observation Satellites | Specifications for satellite data processed to a minimum level for immediate analysis |
| International Charter Space and Major Disasters | Charter member space agencies | A mechanism to provide satellite data to authorised users after major disasters |
| OGC standards and the SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog specification | Open Geospatial Consortium and the STAC community | Interoperable formats and catalogues for geospatial data |
The same field, seen three ways.
GCRI studies a field as science, GRF governs it and GRA builds shared financial understanding of it. Space and Earth Observation links to its counterparts so that work on one side is visible on the others.
- Diplomacy NexusInstitutionGRFShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Climate and Nature GovernanceInstitutionGRFShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Insurance NexusInstitutionGRAShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Banking NexusInstitutionGRAShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Asset Management NexusInstitutionGRAShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Reinsurance and CatastropheInstitutionGRAShared fieldClimate and hazards
- Climate and Nature Financial RiskInstitutionGRAShared fieldClimate and hazards
Where this page’s references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
- Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (1967)
- Guidelines for the Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities (UN COPUOS, 2019)
- Principles Relating to Remote Sensing of the Earth from Outer Space (UN General Assembly resolution 41/65, 1986)
- ESA Space Environment Report (European Space Agency, annual)
- Nexus Standards, the proposed NS series (nexustandards.com)
Pages in Space and Earth Observation.
Mandate and publisher
PageField overview
PageResearch and evidence
PageInnovation and practical technology
PageProgrammes and projects
PageData and technical methods
PageSpecialist community
PageLearning and professional development
PageEvents and technical dialogues
PageResearch and publications
PageParticipation paths
PageContact the specialist team
PageTrust, rights and status
PageSTEM foundation of Space and Earth Observation
PageHow work moves in this field
PageBuild in Foundry
PageTest in Universe
PagePublish in Reports
PageThe same field across the Consortium
PageTopics
Where this page leads across the Consortium.
Questions and answers.
Who publishes Space and Earth Observation?
Is Space and Earth Observation active?
How can I contribute?
Where are findings published?
Which values on this platform are real?
How do I report an error?
How does this platform differ from the Earth observation platform in Foundry?
Does the platform provide satellite imagery?
Contribute evidence from this page.
Reports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
- EmailGateway GW-GCRISend it from this pageEvidence, a correction, a case, a method, a review, a translation or profile input. It arrives tagged with this page, so the editor who owns it receives it.
- ZenodoOpen depositDeposit it and submit to the communityPublish your own record on Zenodo with your ORCID iD, then submit it to the Reports community there. Curators review it; the DOI stays yours.
- ReportsGCRISee every way to contributeThe contribution types, how each is reviewed, what credit you receive, the licence and what is never accepted.
Never send personal data, sensitive infrastructure detail or anything you have no right to share. A contribution is reviewed before use; sending it confers no authorship or editorial rights, and sponsorship never buys a finding.
How Space and Earth Observation works.
Choose a view and press Play to follow the platform’s process, its programme year, the standards it applies and how its findings are published. The outline shows how the work is designed to run, not the status of any decision.
Space and Earth Observation
How Space and Earth Observation works
Platforms · Programme year · Standards · Reports
A platform joins a field to named methods, labelled evidence and the outputs it publishes, without becoming the authority it serves.
01 Scope
- 01Field and familiesStart · The platform leadThe home states the field, its families and who it serves.
- 02Topic dossiersRecord · Platform authorsTopics explain the subject with labelled evidence.
02 Evidence
- 03Evidence labelsRecord · GCRIEach value is labelled: observed, published statistics, estimated, modelled, scenario or unknown.
- 04MethodsStep · Method ownersMethods come from the STEM Commons, each with one canonical page.
03 Work
- 05Scenarios on the systemsModel · Foundry pillarScenarios run on the Nexus systems, labelled as scenario.
- 06Standards that applyRecord · Nexus StandardsThe platform names the standards that apply. A validator report is evidence for review.
04 Publish
- 07EditionsRecord · ReportsFindings are published through Reports with their limits.
- 08Authority decidesOutcome · The competent authorityDecisions and execution stay with the government, operator or licensed institution.
Space and Earth Observation home · Platforms · Shared methodsAn outline of how the work is designed to run; it does not report the status of any decision or record.
Take part in Space and Earth Observation.
Start from who you are. Answer an open call. Or form and lead a competence cell on the Space and Earth Observation platform.
National institutions
Ministries, statistics offices and agencies: a national desk and chapter, and a seat in the working groups. National chapters
Sectors and professions
Operators, regulators, banks, insurers and professional bodies whose work touches Space and Earth Observation. Participate
Learning
Courses and practice, with a record of every course completed. Free to study. Open learning
Standards
Draft, review and adopt the methods and data standards with the working groups. Working groups
Communities and research
Universities, civil society and individual experts: projects, data and review. Write to the team
| Open call | Seeks | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Founding call for experts to the working groups CALL-FOUNDING-EXPERTS | expert, editor, chair | 2026-12-15 |
| Open nomination for the three independent expert seats of the Global Standards Council CALL-GSC-IND | council-member | 2026-12-01 |
| Nominations of interim regional members (applies only if the transitional provision is decided) CALL-GSC-REG | council-member | 2026-12-15 |
| Review of the wave-1 risk core outlines (C1, C2, C3, C4, C8, C10, C11) CALL-REVIEW-WAVE1 | contributor | 2027-01-31 |
| Experts for the core standards of risk science: uncertainty and evidence grading, scales, structured expert judgement, tolerability, extremes and compound events, catastrophic and existential risk, ethics and equity, units and measurement (NRS-C17 to NRS-C24) CALL-CORE-SCIENCE | expert, editor, chair | 2027-01-31 |
| Independent reviewers for the families of the hazard atlas, three from at least two regions for each family (NHS2-R19), priority families first CALL-ATLAS-REVIEW | expert | 2027-03-31 |
| Members of the interim Frontier Safety Review Panel and red-team reviewers (biosafety and biosecurity, AI safety and security, critical-infrastructure security); applications treated in confidence CALL-FRONTIER-SAFETY-REVIEW | expert | 2026-11-30 |
| Experts in ontology, metrology, software verification and conformity assessment for the requirement register, the NHS-2 machine representation, the conformance test suites and the conformity assessment scheme CALL-CONFORMANCE-ONTOLOGY | expert, editor | 2027-01-31 |
Calls past their closing date are hidden automatically. Every call, proposal and route: open areas and calls.
Gather the cell
Bring together three to seven people with complementary skills: data, field practice, policy and communication.
Register it
Write to the team with the cell’s name, members, area and region. You receive a reference and a contact. Write to the team
Choose a charter
Pick one focus: research and evidence, data and maps, standards review, or community preparedness.
Learn together
Follow shared study paths at Risk Academy, with practice and a record of every course completed. Hazards and resilience
Lead and report
Hold regular sessions. Publish what the cell learns through Reports. Bring findings to the working groups. Working groups
What a national team or a local community can do on The Global Risks Index (NXS-GRX) today.
Your country’s profile
Open risk profiles for 195 countries, with sources and licences on every value. Open the Index
Correct or reply
Correct a value or reply for your country. The change is logged with its effect. Open the Index
Offer data
Offer a dataset. It enters through the licence gate, with your credit. Open the Index
Every figure on this page is indexed: environment, hazards, climate, The Arctic.
The Index is the Consortium’s indexing system for risk data. Every indicator, hazard, series and country profile carries its Nexus Standards identifier, its source and its licence, so what this page shows can be traced, corrected and reused.
- 01 · Sources205 registered sourcesEvery value keeps its source and licence; withheld values are counted.Data and licences
- 02 · Nexus StandardsNIS-1 and NHS-1451 indicators, 905 hazards; every record carries a UNI.Nexus Standards
- 03 · The Index54 series, 195 country profilesComputed on the standards; no value is published until an edition is released.The Global Risks Index
- 04 · This pageSpace and Earth ObservationMaps, figures and feeds read the Index in the context of environment, hazards, climate and The Arctic.Public API
Series in this context environment, hazards, climate
- GSGlobal Earth observationWhat Earth observation can and cannot see of risk: coverage, revisit, latency and the observing systems NXS-GRX (canonical data, provenance and risk) depends on.NXS-GRX-AR-000070Hazards · Climate · Environment
- GLBGlobal SystemsThe state of interdependent global risk: the twenty domain indices aggregated to the world, the five core systems (water, energy, food, health, biodiversity) and their couplings, the global tail register and the gap…NXS-GRX-AR-000002Hazards · Climate · Environment
- GSGlobal ClimateChronic and acute physical climate hazard, transition exposure, adaptation gaps and scenario pathways to 2030, 2050 and 2100.NXS-GRX-AR-000065Climate · Hazards · Environment
- GSGlobal WaterAccess, scarcity, quality, floods and droughts, groundwater depletion, transboundary dependency and the couplings of water to energy, food, health and nature.NXS-GRX-AR-000059Hazards · Climate · Environment
Country profiles The Arctic
Every country profile carries the source and licence of each value. Correct a value or reply
Hazard domains NHS-1
- Solid EarthNXS-GRX-AR-000138
- Land and ecosystemsNXS-GRX-AR-000140
- Planetary boundaries and Earth-system tippingNXS-GRX-AR-000141
Geodata and API open
Open layers on an equal-area hexagon grid, shown as densities per km² or as symbols: People · GHSL 2025People · WorldPop 2025Built-up areaPortsAirportsRoadsRailwaysRivers and lake centrelines
/api/v1/public/grix · https://nexustandards.com/uni/{uni}
Developers · Data · Made with Natural Earth, Public domain; GHSL and WorldPop, CC BY 4.0
Snapshot of the Index registries pinned 2026-10-23 · 22c6eed. Research and risk-analytics information: not a rating, an official classification, a warning, a benchmark or advice.
Bring a method, a dataset or a question.
Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.
Legal documents.
Maps, data and figures on this site are shown for context and general information. They are not advice, forecasts or warnings; the limits of the information are set out in the Disclaimers and Data Notices.