The SENTINEL-2 mission requirements for a twin-satellite system with high revisit and high resolution images will support issues such as:

• border surveillance;
• maritime surveillance;
• support to EU external action.

The main objectives of border surveillance are to:

• reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the EU undetected
• reduce the number of deaths of illegal immigrants by improving the number of lives saved at sea
• increase internal security of the EU as a whole by contributing to the prevention of cross-border crime.

For maritime surveillance, research and demonstrator activities are being developed.

In support to EU external action, Earth Observation (EO) products, including mapping and geo-information products, will be deployed in emergency and crisis situations, and services can be integrated by the user into their working environment. Lessons learned through the precursor G-MOSAIC project and feedback from stakeholders have helped guide the requirements for pre-operational services and additional research activities.

Links to Copernicus programmes

More on the Copernicus support to issues of border & maritime surveillance and EU external action can be found here.