ITMS at the „Nationales Forum für Fernerkundung und Copernicus“

ITMS was represented at the “National Forum for Remote Sensing and Copernicus” at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt from April 28–30, 2026, where it showcased the current status of the project.

Five federal ministries, as well as the German Aerospace Center (DLR), invited participants to this year’s „Nationalen Forum für Fernerkundung und Copernius“ at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt. As a central platform for the dialogue among stakeholders of Earth observation in Germany, the Forum focuses on the potentials of the European Copernicus program and promotes scientific exchange and knowledge transfer towards applications. Copernicus data are essential for ITMS, for example, as boundary conditions for model simulations or satellite data for direct emission estimates.

In a session with contributions to the topic of monitoring the atmosphere and air quality, Andrea Kaiser‑Weiss presented the ITMS project and its plans to use satellite data for observation‑based emission estimation. Andreas Fix gave an overview of the current status of the German‑French satellite mission MERLIN, which will measure methane concentrations in the atmosphere. Heinrich Bovensmann presented new findings on anthropogenic methane emissions using aircraft‑mounted imaging spectrometers. These help validate satellite‑based estimates of methane emissions, as illustrated with two examples. The talks were complemented by an ITMS overview poster from Beatrice Ellerhoff showcasing results from Phase 1 of the project.

The Forum provided ITMS with an ideal platform to exchange with other experts in Earth observation and to discuss the latest developments in Copernicus.