Applications | An application is a software package, library or algorithm that performs a specific function and that can be installed within an infrastructure to exchange or process data on behalf of the Participants. |
Data Creator | A Data Creator creates data, e.g. by generating data/information from a sensor or processing data provided by an EOF service. A Data Creator may also assume the role of Data Provider , unless the generated data is technically made available in the EOF Ecosystem by an entity different than the Data Creator. |
Data Licensor | A data licensor is the legal entity that has the legal right to control Data Sharing Units. The Data Licensor define the specific terms and conditions under which another party (the licensee) can use that data. |
Data Owner | A Data Owner is an entity or natural person responsible for ensuring the quality, availability, and accessibility of a dataset ( including e.g. creating, maintaining, and deleting the data) balancing usability needs and resources availability. The term 'EOF Data Owner' is not used in a legal understanding but from an operational data management perspective. |
Data Provider | A Data Provider is a Service Provider that makes data technically available in the EOF Ecosystem, typically to be transmitted to a service consumer on behalf of a Data Owner. |
Data Sharing Units | Data Sharing Units within EOF are defined as DSSC “Data Products” i.e. data units—including Earth system models and space observations derived datasets—along with machine-readable metadata describing the scientific and technical information and license terms. While the contents of EOF Data Sharing Units vary, each data unit serves as a comprehensive package, providing all the necessary details a potential consumer requires to assess its relevance and decide whether to use it. This comprehensive data concept is adopted to be seamlessly applied to environmental models, remote sensing data, astronomic measurements and predictive simulations, supporting diverse applications such as climate monitoring, disaster response, and scientific research. Within EOF, the defined Data Plane ensures that data units are accessible through multiple services exposing web interfaces for data discovery, discovery and streamline access, APIs, and mapping tools. The Control Plane enforces applicable data access and usage policies defined by Data Owners and Service Providers implementing standard token-based authentication methods. |
EOF | The ESA Earth Observation Framework (EOF) defines the set of principles, architectural drivers and service integration strategies developed and continuously enhanced within the ESA EO & Climate programmes and the initiatives to enable the European industry to deliver competitive and sustainable services. |
EOF Ecosystem | Services within the EOF Ecosystem encompass those ensuring the ecosystem's functionality (Foundation Services) and those offering additional capabilities (Value-creation services). |
EOF Service | In the context of the ESA Observation Framework (EOF), a service is any activity undertaken by industry adhering to the EOF's principles to enable or to ensure the delivery data and information. The collection of all such services forms the EOF Ecosystem. |
Foundation Services | These services provide the foundation capabilities, encompassing all the activities necessary to enable the deployment and operations of the Value-Creation Services. They support the interplay of participants in the EOF Ecosystem according to the EOF quality and security principles. ESA supports the implementation and maintenance of the EOF Foundation Services through industrial procurements which include the provision of infrastructure resources. |
Governance Authority | The entities in charge of defining the governance framework applicable to the EOF Ecosystem. - ESA leads the EOF Ecosystem governance, through co-design and collaboration, and holds ultimate responsibility for decision-making within the EOF Ecosystem. - ESA implements the necessary means to monitor and enforce the compliance to the governance rules. |
Identity | EOF defines the concept of “Identity” as the unique digital representation of a Participant within the ecosystem, enabling secure authentication, access control, and trust management. An Identity in EOF is based on:
- Verifiable Credentials (VCs) and decentralized Identity principles, ensuring compliance with eIDAS regulations and interoperability with the European Digital Identity Wallet, or
- Credentials and user profile information registered in an EOF IAM system compliant to the GDPR regulation. |
Programmatic Stakeholder | Entity(ies) acting as European programme coordinator(s), programmatic governance authority(ies) or shared programmatic governance authority(ies) and funding authority(ies) for a European Programme. |
Resource | A Resource is defined and identified as an abstract concept covering what can be provided and/or consumed in the frame of EOF Ecosystem via a dedicated EOF service. |
Service Consumer | An individual that has performed a Participant Onboarding process in the EOF Ecosystem and consumes a set of resources according to a defined role. Service consumers are individual or legal entities that have the legal right to access and use data of a Data Owner as specified by relevant access and usage policy. |
Service Provider | An entity providing services to the EOF Ecosystem. Service Providers have undergone a Participant Onboarding process and a service Onboarding process as per EOF specification. |
Service Resources | Each EOF service expose to users a set of Service Resources. Service Resources are the specific set of capabilities, features, and operations that a service provides to its users via dedicated interfaces, enabling them to derive information from EOF data units. Within EOF, the concept of infrastructure resource, encompassing storage, computing, and networking capabilities provisioning, is included in the concept of service resource as users can interact with them via specific service interfaces. Moreover, EOF services are based on publicly available Cloud Infrastructures and HPC capabilities and the provisioning of infrastructure resources is considered as a tool and an operational process supporting the provisioning of a service. |
Sponsor | A sponsor is an entity or individual that provides strategic and/or financial support to any of the EOF Services for providing free to the user capacities. |
Value-Creation Services | The Value-Creation Services are industrial services relying on the Foundation Services for an efficient deployment and operations, offering additional capacities, capabilities and data or information. A particular case of value-creation services are industrial services enabling ESA to execute its mandated role in the context of Earth Observation and Climate actions (e.g. Copernicus Space Component or ESA EO Science missions and data management, DestinE activities entrusted to ESA, DTE Programme activities). Value-Creation Services delivered to ESA are often implemented through industrial procurements, ensuring the required levels of performance, quality, and commitment in line with the specific ESA programme needs. |