The ‘Global Monitoring for Environment and Security’ (GMES) represents a concerted effort to bring data and information providers together with users, so they can better understand each other and make environmental and security-related information available to the people who need it through enhanced or new services.

It is a direct response to the growing concerns amongst policy- makers to ensure access to information on the environment at global, regional and local scales without sacrificing independence in the relevant policy areas.

GMES was created in the response to the need by Europe for geo-spatial information services. It provides autonomous and independent access to information for policy-makers particularly in relation to environment and security.

The GMES overall aim internationally is to support Europe’s goals regarding sustainable development and global governance, in support of environmental and security policies, by facilitating and fostering the timely provision of quality data, information, and knowledge.

Two main objectives are addressed:

• The implementation of Sustainable Development
• The need to integrate the environmental dimension in European policies which requires a much higher level of coordination between policy areas, of dialogue with stakeholders, and much more public participation than ever before
• Information on environmental issues and on the effects of policy measures constitutes an indispensable platform for policymaking, dialogue and participation

It will define and implement systems that use advanced information sources and systems to place useful information in the hands of citizens and institutions.

Further information on the GMES initiative can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/gmes/ and
GMES.info

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