EUMETSAT Meteorological Satellite Conference 2025

This session aims at providing an overview of National and International Programs for Environmental Satellites. We will invite the satellite operational agencies and research institutions to present their present and future horizons for Environmental satellite programmes. The first day's introductory session will provide an overview of National and International International EO programmes.

The EUMETSAT new generation fleets session, from GEO to LEO, aims to evaluate Meteosat 12's operations and its impact on nowcasting for high impact weather and other application areas. By 2025, we expect the launch of the first EUMETSAT polar system payload and a consolidated assessment of the Arctic Weather Satellite. The session will focus on scientific preparatory work to highlight application areas for the instruments, explore synergies with other missions, and incorporate AI and machine learning methods. We will focus around four key blocks with a leaning to operational meteorology:

• Meteosat Third Generation: Initial assessments and applications
• Preparation for second-generation LEO and Meteosat sounder
• Arctic Weather Satellites: Preliminary results review
• Synergies across platforms, considering both calibration and new unforeseen products

The sub-sessions will be:

2.A. FCI

2.B MTG - S/UVN

2.C Synergy

2.D AWS/Sterna

2.E EPS-SG

2.F MTG-LI

With advancements in impact weather forecasting and climate information into decision making processes, it's time to examine operational prediction systems. We invite abstracts on using satellite data for predictions from minutes to weeks, focusing on ocean, land, and atmosphere interactions and their impact on coupling modelling. We're interested in nowcasting methods, coupled prediction systems, data assimilation, and training machine learning with observations. The session provides an opportunity to share results from observation impact studies, improved data usage, and new machine learning capabilities. An invited talk for ECMWF's 50th anniversary will also be part of this session. The concept involves having three main blocks focused on operational meteorology with abstract covering:

• NWP and nowcasting: transitioning from traditional methods to machine learning, leveraging satellite data.
• Coupled Earth System interfaces: identifying impactful satellite data.
• Advanced data assimilation, AI, and post-processing: maximising satellite data usage.

The launch of Sentinel-6B and Sentinel-3C will extend the Copernicus altimeter constellation for 5 to 7 years. The Sentinel-3 Next Generation Topography mission will revolutionise satellite altimetry for weather and ocean forecasting. The climate data record of global and regional sea level change, now 32 years long, will surpass 50 years with the Sentinel-6 NG mission. We will assess the achievements of current altimetry data and discuss needs for upcoming missions, including applications in climate and ocean science, operational oceanography, and prediction systems.

Sub-sessions will cover:

1. A Overview
2. B Processing and error budget
3. C Applications

This session delves into the evolving landscape of user requirements in the space sector, with a forward-looking approach to the next 5 to 20 years. Key discussions will include predicting the evolution of existing and emerging services, along with the development of platforms and tools that enhance service delivery. Participants will explore long-term trends in observational science, focusing on advancements in satellite-based and complementary technological solutions. Additionally, the session will address monitoring the architecture of the space sector, emphasizing innovative design scenarios and leveraging off-the-shelf solutions to meet future demands. Join us for insights into shaping the future of space-based services and technologies. This session will comprise four key blocks with abstracts and presentations covering:

• Special session on future mission requirements (invited speakers, a full day)
• A sub-session aiming to provide insights into shaping the future of space-based services and technologies, focusing on cost sustainability, innovation, and collaboration across various sectors. Advancing Low Earth Orbit programs, optimizing satellite and ground systems for cost efficiency, and strengthening service delivery through cross-sector partnerships define the future of space-based technologies.
• Enhancing our observational capabilities of Earth's system interfaces (i.e., Planetary Boundary Layer, chemistry and clouds, stratosphere and troposphere)
• Innovations in Earth Observation Retrieval Algorithms – AI and Traditional Approaches

The conference sub-sessions will be:

5.A Future mission requirements – special session

5.B innovation, from sustainability to cross-collaboration

5.C Earth's system interfaces

5.D AI

5.E Future missions

Satellite data play an essential role in building the climate data record and trusted reference products, with simultaneous multi-decadal observations and multi-mission efforts, and from a holistic, Earth Systems perspective. They are essential drivers of downstream, multi-sector, user applications such as water management, just energy transition and any impact-based assessments and applications, including high-impact weather events at short lead times and longer time scales.

This session will cover the role of leveraging satellite data in decision-making, as the stimulant of innovation-driven applications across time scales, from weather prediction to the development of climate adaptation and resilience action plans, goals and strategies. Here we will have multiple key blocks with abstracts dealing with:

• The role of satellite data as drivers of innovation, user-centric applications and in decision-making
• The role of land and hydrological satellite products to support hazard forecasting and mitigation
• Cutting-edge research and practical applications of satellite data in energy meteorology

The conference sub-sessions will be:

6.A.1 Satellite data as drivers of innovation: nowcasting/convective storms

6.A.2 Satellite data as drivers of innovation: air quality/atmospheric pollutants

6.A.3 Satellite data as drivers of innovation: climate or other innovations

6.B Satellite data in applications: Hydrology and water management

6.C Satellite data in applications: Energy and aviation

6.D.1 Satellite data in applications: Wildfires

6.D.2 Satellite data in applications: Land

6.E Satellite data in applications – Panel discussion: From Space to Society: the growing economic and social value of earth observation data

This session invites contributions showcasing innovative data practices, transformative AI applications, and multi-platform governance solutions that advance EO for climate science and adaptation, resilience planning, and sustainable environmental management. The idea would be to have four key blocks calling for abstract in:

• Open Science and FAIR Principles: How open-source tools, FAIR-compliant practices, and open-access platforms transform EO by enhancing transparency, collaboration, and data reuse.
• Big Data and Cloud Ecosystems: Insights into advanced platforms such as the Destination Earth Data Lake (DEDL), leveraging cloud-native formats, standardized metadata, and edge computing to process petabytes of data efficiently.
• How the Earth System Modelling and Observation communities use and see the evolution of the cloud and computing infrastructures?
• Supporting European Green Goals: Examining how cloud computing and AI-driven solutions facilitate climate resilience, carbon reduction, and sustainability initiatives aligned with the European Green Deal. Considering also opportunities and risks of solar radiation modification.

The conference sub-sessions will be:

7.A Open Science and FAIR Principles

7.B Tools and Algorithms

7.C Frameworks for Enabling AI

7.D Innovative AI Applications

7.E Data Access and Cloud Ecosystems

The Arctic sea ice is under rapid shrinking. This change is not only opening new opportunities for Arctic shipping and resource exploration, it is also raising new climate, environmental and ecological challenges in the Arctic. Due to harsh environment in the Arctic, satellite remote sensing has long been the main observation tool for this region. This session invites contributions of sea ice remote sensing and its applications for short-term and sub-seasonal to seasonal predictions and climate projects of the Arctic sea ice, with the purpose for sustainable explorations.