More information is available in a press release.

The EUMETSAT delegation was headed by Alain Ratier, Director-General of EUMETSAT.

The bilateral meeting was preceded by a technical workshop identifying the implementation arrangements for data exchange and cooperation related to calibration/validation and data processing activities.

Cooperation goals

The main aim of this cooperation is to contribute to the establishment of global oceanographic data sets for the international oceanography user community. This reinforces EUMETSAT’s role in the provision of oceanographic satellite data and is a direct means to implement the EUMETSAT strategy.

Background and scope of cooperation

Initial contacts with NSOAS/SOA date back to 2009 and have now matured into a cooperation agreement on data exchange of oceanographic satellite data. EUMETSAT will provide data from the Metop Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) instrument as well as from the Jason-2 and Jason-3 missions. In return, NSOAS/SOA will provide data from the current Haiyang (HY) missions. HY-1A and -1B, launched in May 2002 and April 2007, respectively, were designed to measure the ocean colour and sea surface temperature with visible and infrared sensors. The main objectives are to detect the chlorophyll concentration, suspended sediment concentration, and dissolved organic matter, pollutants, and sea surface temperature. The first of the second generation HY satellites, HY-2A, was successfully launched on 16 August 2011 to monitor the dynamic ocean environment with microwave sensors to measure sea surface wind, sea surface height, and sea surface temperature (the instruments include an altimeter, a microwave radiometer, and a scatterometer). The data will support ocean state forecasting, storm warning, ocean topography and the study of ocean processes.

Bilateral meeting with China Meteorological Administration

A meeting also took place with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), with which EUMETSAT already has well-established cooperation. Apart from a general status update on both sides, the purpose of the meeting was to review reciprocal data access, and particularly to discuss ongoing studies of the benefits of optimum orbit coordination of the polar satellites which are part of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS). Changes to the current polar-orbiting constellation would further secure and improve the delivery of operational meteorological satellite observations to the global user community.

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