The aim of the event was to present projects that use artificial intelligence (AI), big data and space technologies in territorial management in order to anticipate which benefits these technologies can bring and how they can enhance the experience of citizens, companies and public administration entities.

The event was opened by Maria Manuel Leitão Marques, MEP and STOA Panel member, and Manuel Heitor, Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal. CoCO2 coordinator Richard Engelen presented how AI, and especially Machine Learning, can complement Earth System modelling to better exploit the increasing wealth of Earth Observation data to monitor anthropogenic emissions of CO₂, CH₄ and NO₂.

The importance of projects like CoCO2 in this domain, but also Copernicus and the new Destination Earth programme more generally, was emphasized in the discussion by Matthias Peschke, Director in the DG for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) of the European Commission, and Nicolaus Hanowski, Head of the Mission Management & Ground Segment Department of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Final words were for Lina Gálvez Muñoz, MEP and STOA Panel member, who thanked everyone for the presentation and useful discussion.