Observations of the Earth made from space and aircraft integrated with those from ground-based systems are being used in computer models to improve our understanding of how the Earth works. These observations provide one of the few ways of gleaning information about vast areas of the Earth, that will enable us to understand, respond and adapt to climate and environmental changes.
One of the UK's principal science objectives (from the Natural Environment Research Council's strategy) is "to lead the world in the prediction of the regional and local impacts of environmental change from months to decades". This kind of prediction is neither possible nor credible without the ability to incorporate EO data into numerical models of the Earth System. The National Centre for Earth Observation sets out to ensure that this will be possible and achievable.
The NCEO builds on the work of the NERC EO Centres of Excellence, and involves over 100 scientists from 26 universities and research establishments. These scientists come from a range of disciplines and their collaboration ensures that the UK's investment in satellite observation is fully capitalised and that the benefits of EO are permeated into the wider NERC research community and beyond.
