Cartography in the EU

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political partnership of European member states focused on collective growth, peace, and technological sovereignty. 

EU

In the field of technological research and cartography, the EU will distinguish itself in 2026 with the following core programs and initiatives:

Technological Research
  • Horizon Europe (2021-2027): This is the world's largest funding program for research and innovation. A specific work program has been established for the period 2026-2027 with a budget of €14 billion, focusing on the digital transition, biotechnology, and affordable energy.
  • Digital Europe: This program complements Horizon Europe by focusing on scaling up digital technologies such as AI, cyber-security, and super-computing.
  • Strategic Infrastructure: At the end of 2025, the EU launched a new strategy for research and technology infrastructures to ensure European leadership globally. 
Cartography and Earth Observation

The EU plays a leading role in modern cartography by using satellite data for accurate land and environmental mapping: the Copernicus Program. This is the EU's flagship program for Earth observation. It provides continuous data via the Sentinel satellites for mapping services in the areas of:
  • Land Monitoring: Detailed maps of land cover and land use.
  • Emergencies: Real-time mapping for emergency response in the event of floods or forest fires.
  • Security and Maritime: Monitoring borders and marine ecosystems.
  • Galileo: Europe's own satellite navigation system that provides extremely precise positioning, essential for modern digital cartography and geographical information systems (GIS).
Collaboration takes place through partnerships with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Member States to ensure an independent European information system for the environment and security.

ESA

In 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) will make a crucial contribution to mapping the Earth's surface through advanced satellite constellations and the development of digital replicas of the Earth. The main pillars of this contribution are:

ESA sites
R&D sites

    1. Operational monitoring (Copernicus program)

Through the Copernicus program, ESA manages the Sentinel satellites, which form the backbone of modern European cartography:
  •  Optical mapping: The Sentinel-2 constellation provides detailed images of the land surface every five days, essential for mapping vegetation, agriculture, and urbanization.
  •  Radar imaging: With the Sentinel-1 satellites (including the Sentinel-1D, which will be fully operational in 2026), ESA maps the Earth's surface regardless of cloud cover or darkness, which is essential for monitoring land subsidence, ice sheets, and floods. 

Sentinel
Sentinel-2

   2. Science missions (Earth Explorers)

ESA is launching specific science missions to map complex physical characteristics:
  • Biomass mapping: The Biomass mission will map global woody biomass in forests in 2026 to better understand the carbon cycle.
  • Temperature mapping: Preparations for the LSTM (Land Surface Temperature Monitoring) mission will enable high-resolution land surface temperature mapping for precision agriculture and urban heat island effects.
    3. Digital Twin Earth & Destination Earth
  • ESA is playing a leading role in the Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative. In 2026, satellite data of the Earth's surface will be integrated into highly accurate digital models to simulate and visualize natural phenomena and the impact of human activities in real time.
    4. Integration into national statistics
  • In 2026, ESA will focus specifically on technology transfer to governments. The StatEO26 conference (May 2026) will focus on the use of satellite data for official geographic statistics, such as ecosystem mapping and national land-use inventories.
   5. Open Data and Accessibility
  • ESA makes its cartographic data freely and publicly available through platforms like the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, enabling scientists and companies worldwide to generate up-to-date maps of the Earth's surface.


ESA