Launch of sobloo – a Copernicus Data and Information Access Service (DIAS)

Baveno, 21/06/2018 – At the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the European Union’s Earth Observation programme Copernicus in Baveno (Italy), Airbus and its partners Orange Business Services and Capgemini officially launched sobloo, a Copernicus Data and Information Access Service (DIAS).

Copernicus is the most ambitious Earth Observation programme to date providing accurate, timely and easily accessible information to improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security.

To foster data dissemination and address a strong need for simplification, the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) decided to launch DIAS in order to offer users the capability to exploit Copernicus data and information without having to manage transfer and storage on their own computer systems.

sobloo: a highly experienced consortium led by Airbus, Orange Business Services and Capgemini

sobloo is designed to broaden and diversify the Earth Observation ecosystem by providing easy access to all Copernicus data and information to the scientific community, general public, entrepreneurs and start-ups who wish to process the data to provide their own Copernicus based services. As a collaborative platform, sobloo aims to expand and diversify the data collection (Earth Observation commercial imagery, thematic layers, mobile, IoT, etc.), foster interactions and innovation, establish a sustainable economy and further develop the European cloud.

The sobloo platform has been designed to suit all types of users’ profiles with different entry points and capabilities. It is an open geospatial community for people looking for data and related services, as well as developers looking for a dedicated environment to create new applications. Truly collaborative and innovative, sobloo offers the opportunity to co-create and mutually enrich the platform. Early adopters have already started to use sobloo and give their feedback in order to improve the overall user experience for the future community. Today’s platform opens to first functionalities and datasets; in the coming months, it will evolve to integrate more Earth Observation and geo-information layers, analytics and a full offer of services.

The services of sobloo already include APIs (Application Programming Interface) and connectors to smoothly access a rich data catalogue, cloud-based resources with large storage and impressive computation power, generic cloud managed services, dedicated EO tools and platform toolbox to set up a convenient development environment.

sobloo was created with the aspiration to improve data access and facilitate data sharing. Its services are based on a cross-fertilization principle. The platform allows users to benefit from a large services catalogue on several activities domains. sobloo gives access to a development environment offering both the simplicity and the performance of today’s cloud technologies.

sobloo’s easy-to-use marketplace provides a high visibility for users’ solutions and supports commercialisation through a variety of managed services and convenient billing.

“Airbus has been a strong partner of the Copernicus programme from the very beginning and I am glad to see our adventure continues with sobloo, the Copernicus DIAS platform we are launching with our partners Orange Business Services and Capgemini. As prime contractor, we are committed to providing a reliable tool to simplify the data access for European citizens and boost the creation of new business models based on Earth Observation,” said Mathilde Royer- Germain, head of Earth Observation, Navigation and Science at Airbus.

“Orange Business Services is proud to provide its global public cloud solution based on Flexible Engine for sobloo. This platform will allow to create new services and applications around the Copernicus information and push the Earth Observation further,” said Stefan Kanis, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Cloud for Business, Orange Business Services’ cloud entity.

“Industry is increasingly starting to recognize the benefits of Earth Observation data. Satellite imagery can be used across all industry verticals. It is a fully-fledged component of the data revolution for all our customers,” says Denis Dallez, Space Segment Manager within Capgemini. “Capgemini’s role in sobloo is to support industry and the public sector to harness and apply the power of Earth Observation data and beyond. We will be leveraging Group’s extensive digital capabilities to help our customers expand their business and unleash further innovation.”

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

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