Interview — The data behind our knowledge: what and how

What kind of data do we have and work with at the EEA? 

High-quality data is the foundation of our work at the EEA. As an independent body, it is crucial for ensuring that we have a strong scientific evidence base to support us in developing environmental and climate knowledge and informing decision-makers. We rely on 38 European countries across our European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) to provide us with the data we need to monitor trends across environment, climate and sustainability. 

The data we handle is very diverse, so we need flexible ways of handling this. Examples include structured data, such as measurements on air quality, noise pollution, renewable energy use and water quality and unstructured data, such as national policies and implementation plans. Much of the data we collect and manage is geospatial, meaning the data includes a location, allowing us to analyse patterns across areas. 

Another fascinating part of our work is using Earth observation data from satellites and data from ground-based in-situ sources. In-situ data means local observations collected from sensors on the ground, sea or air, as well as drone images and crowd-sourced data from volunteers. 

We collect all this data from different sources, so good collaboration and careful coordination across countries and partners is really important throughout. 

Karl Hamilton

Head of Department - Digital

What is the data used for? 

The data we collect is primarily used to monitor, assess and support environmental, climate and sustainability policy making and implementation across Europe. Data enables us to track and forecast trends across diverse thematic areas, such as climate change, water resources, nature and biodiversity, land use and pollution. Our data helps policymakers make informed decisions by providing harmonised, high-quality integrated datasets that provide them with a European-wide picture.   

How does the Agency’s data system work exactly? What is the EEA data hub? 

The process begins during the policy making and legislative process. Depending on the policy requirements, different types and sources of data may be needed. The EEA works closely with countries to establish a framework for reporting and to help prepare national data sets for submission. We receive and quality check all submitted data through our integrated reporting system, ReportNet. Our goal is to make this process as simple as possible for our users and to reuse previously submitted data, where possible. 

The EEA also works with Copernicus. What sort of data is used from this and how do we use it? 

Copernicus is an exciting and fascinating part of our work. Copernicus is the Earth observation component of the EU’s space programme that gives us free access to valuable data about our planet and environment. We use this data, especially from services that monitor the atmosphere, air quality, climate change and land use, to support our work. 

The EEA plays a key role in the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS), one of the six Copernicus services.  We produce high-quality European data on land cover, land use, vegetation, water cycles, Earth’s surface energy and even the movement of the ground with micro-precision. This data helps track environmental changes across Europe with consistency over time and space. We also work to support countries use Copernicus land data to enhance their environmental monitoring efforts. 

What opportunities do you see for Copernicus in supporting the green transition in the coming years?  

Copernicus is rapidly evolving with new satellite missions, bringing cutting-edge capabilities that, combined with AI and machine learning, offer major opportunities to support the green transition. The ability to take high-quality images from space, with high frequency gives us an unparalleled pan-European snapshot of diverse phenomena. 

For example, we use and see even more great potential for Copernicus data in areas like climate change, land use, forestry, soil monitoring, nature, water, and biodiversity and other applications. Copernicus is one of the major success stories of pan-European collaboration and realising its full potential is going to be really exciting work for us. 

Copernicus can also help countries to simplify reporting by providing more frequent, accurate, and cost-effective environmental monitoring, which could eventually supplement or replace traditional reporting methods.  This is important for ensuring we help countries to reduce the administrative burden of reporting. 

What can experts, policymakers and even citizens do with EEA data?   

Almost all the data collected by EEA is made available, free of charge for experts, policymakers and citizens and you can access this today.  Data can be downloaded through our DataHub or accessed through our information platforms.

Through these platforms, you can explore interactive maps, dashboards, indicators and charts, alongside EEA knowledge, such as briefings and reports that put the data into context. An interesting example is our Environment and Health Atlas, where you can check out the quality of the environment where you live or anywhere in our EEA countries.

What is the impact of storing this data, growing amounts of data?  

Collecting more data, more frequently of course means more storage and advanced data processing. The increase in storage required for environmental data is an important consideration for us, given the enormous growth in data volumes, for example hourly air quality reporting. Large-scale satellite imagery also generates huge storage requirements. Managing the lifecycle of data is essential, ensuring that datasets are carefully catalogued, managed and stored only as long as necessary.  

We also want to be as efficient as possible and avoid duplicating data unnecessarily. This means that the EEA does not need to store a copy of all the data we work with.  We work with partners to process and store some data, while ensuring that is catalogued and accessible. For example, satellite imagery is stored using the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, enabling efficient processing using shared cloud infrastructures. 

How do you see further digitalisation and AI influencing our data work?  

I am really excited about the role that digitalisation and AI will undoubtedly play in shaping our future work. As part of our strategy to 2030, we see digitalisation as more than just a technological shift. It is a transformation that drives innovation, improves how we handle and analyse data and strengthens our teams with the skills they need to make the most of new tools and ways of working.

Advances in AI will offer exciting possibilities, from enhancing data exploration and automation to improving visualisations, modelling and policy analysis. We already use machine learning to refine air quality modelling and AI-driven tools are going to unlock a lot of new possibilities. 

We are also engaged in cutting-edge EU initiatives like Destination Earth, where we worked with partners to develop a Digital Twin for Climate Adaptation to simulate environmental changes with unprecedented precision.  As we advance in digitalisation, it’s important that we continue to be conscious of the environmental impact and ensure that we do this as sustainably as possible.