European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites EUMETSAT

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites EUMETSAT is an international organisation established in 1986, which provides satellite data on the weather and climate to its Member States. Finland has been a member of EUMETSAT since its establishment. The organisation has 30 member states, in addition to which it has partnering countries. The Member States finance EUMETSAT activities and are also its main users. The EUMETSAT’s vision is to be the European leader in Earth observation satellites.

EUMETSAT offers satellite data, images and products to national meteorological service providers in its member countries, such as the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Finland, through its own satellite programme. Strengthening cooperation with the European Union and other satellite operators is one of the priorities of the organisation. EUMETSAT's main strategic objective for 2025 is a smooth transition from the current generation’s systems to new MTG, EPS-SG, Sentinel-3, Sentinel-4, Sentinel-5 and Jason-CS/Sentinel-6 satellite systems. The purpose of the new systems is to expand the services provided for the Member States and to ensure the continuity of operations in the 2030s and beyond.

Membership in the EUMETSAT guarantees Finland access to real-time weather satellite data and the opportunity to take part in several satellite data application programmes. Currently, the Finnish Meteorological Institute is leading the EUMETSAT Ozone Programme and is involved in the implementation of the Climate Programme.