Innovators I - EOREA

The overall objective of EOREA (Earth Observation Enhanced Rapid Environmental Assessment) was to increase the use of Earth Observation information in the field of military Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA).
REA is defined in the military environment as "the acquisition, compilation and release of tactically relevant environmental information in a tactically relevant time frame".

Knowledge of the effects of environmental conditions on platforms, sensors, systems and weapons is a fundamental enabler for successful operations.
When focused on locations of current or impending operations, assessment of the environment requires the collection, fusion and dissemination of a wide range of geospatial intelligence information in unclassified and classified domains, rapidly or in near real-time.
It may involve overt and clandestine data collection activities.

The project developed and delivered EO based products and services targeted to NATO Navies to enhance the Recognised Environmental Picture (REP) in operation areas. A user priority is to maximise available environmental information from sources other than in situ measurements.

Specifically, three service elements were developed within the project:

• a bathymetry service, based on high resolution optical imagery;
• a decision support service, operational decisions computed algorithmically and based on multiple inputs;
• a wind and waves service, coastal wind and waves derived from offshore models and measurements and SAR imagery.