A seamless view from satellite to the ground segment.

In 2024, EUMETSAT will consolidate the operational exploitation of Meteosat Third Generation imager and lightning measurements. The calibration and validation phase will be completed. All of this will strengthen existing services to the weather and climate communities and will also introduce new applications in key domains.

Global meteorological satellite coverage is achieved through the cooperative contributions of many nations to the Integrated Global Observing System coordinated by WMO. In response to WMO’s Vision for Observations Provision in 2040, EUMETSAT’s strategy, Destination 2030, aims to solidify its contribution to realizing this vision by exploring further contributions to the Global Observing System.

Two additions to the EPS-SG system are currently under assessment: a Doppler wind LIDAR mission (EPS-Aeolus) that will improve NWP skill by adding missing wind profiling capability to the EPS-SG system, and a constellation of micro-satellites (EPS-Sterna) expanding the EPS-SG microwave sounding capacity. These additions will both enhance NWP skill and provide more frequent soundings for nowcasting. In 2024, the benefit case for investing in these proposed additions, based on specially commissioned NWP impact studies and utilizing established socio-economic methodologies, will be available.

As in recent years, the integration of the ground segment within cloud technology and the further application of AI and machine learning tools will open the door to new possibilities for exploiting the large amount of satellite information."