Copernicus Support Office: Bringing the Copernicus ecosystem together

The Copernicus ecosystem rapidly grew after the start of operations in 2014, with the launch of the first Sentinel satellite. It now has over 300,000 users worldwide, a number that continues to expand. As a user-driven programme, the European Commission foresaw the need to coordinate the ecosystem, gathering feedback and enabling the promotion of the benefits of Copernicus beyond the capacity of their team. In 2016, the European Commission launched two networks - the Copernicus Relays and Copernicus Academy - consisting of champions in the Copernicus ecosystem who could act as promoters, trainers, and supporters of the Copernicus data and information services. To coordinate these networks, the Copernicus Support Office was created at the same time.

*Copernicus Networks General Assembly 2018 in Brussels*

Novaspace led the setup of the Copernicus Support Office, its tools and processes. Support was given to the European Commission on three levels:

Managing virtual and in-person networking events for the members of the Copernicus networks
Providing feedback to the European Commission on the benefits and challenges users encountered while working with Copernicus data and information
Animating and supporting the larger Copernicus ecosystem through a help desk and social media

Through the expertise of Novaspace’s partners and consultants, and its extensive network in the Copernicus community, the help desk and social media accounts of the Copernicus Support Office answered questions related to accessing and using Copernicus data and information, legal aspects, and assisted in bringing together experts with users when needed. Moreover, additional support was provided to the members of the Copernicus networks in the form of webinars, online meetings to facilitate the exchange of information between the European Commission, the Entrusted Entities and the users, and in-person training on several aspects of the Copernicus programme.

Key to the running of the Copernicus Support Office was the dedication of Novaspace in getting to know the networks’ members and influencers on social media. The personal touch provided by the operators of the help desk and social media was highly appreciated and boosted the attractiveness of the Copernicus Support Office.