CS GROUP & space applications: RUS teams mobilized in response to the Covid-19 crisis

The Copernicus Research and User Support (RUS) project, led and operated by CS GROUP, proposes effective alternatives to the isolation linked to Covid-19, in order to allow the academic world to continue its activities and the exploration of the Copernicus space programme, the European programme for Earth observation and monitoring.

Since March 2020, the four European companies involved in the RUS project (CS GROUP, Serco, Noveltis and  Along Track) have deployed the necessary infrastructures & tools, in order to ensure the operational continuity of the RUS service in a context of widespread teleworking.

The stakes were high, because all over Europe thousands of people from the academic, research and teaching world found themselves suddenly confined from one day to the next without always having access to the technological and scientific means that would allow them to continue their work, teaching and other distance learning.

No less than five training sessions were organized online and offered in place of the classical sessions initially scheduled. At the same time, the RUS teams have been mobilized to maintain the production and dissemination of the thematic webinars that have forged the success of the RUS project for three years now.
In the framework of these events more than 300 secure work environments on the cloud (RUS virtual machines equipped with development and image processing tools) have been offered to our users allowing them to extend their activities and enrich their knowledge and experience in remote space sensing applications.

The impact of the Covid-19 virus on our environment is an emerging and recurrent subject that has raised the interest of a large number of users during this period of health crisis and in particular the subject regarding  the monitoring and evolution of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide emissions particularly in industrial areas through the use of Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite images.

The experience gained by the RUS team during the Covid-19 period has contributed to propose new remote solutions for virtual classroom courses, tested during events like the European Commission Copernicus Roadshow. In the coming weeks, the RUS training teams, led by CS GROUP and Serco, will in fact supply 5 more events in the format of webinars and virtual classrooms, during which participants, assisted by the trainers, are empowered with a RUS Virtual Machine to carry-out from home, a data processing exercise.
All the RUS training events are largely promoted on the RUS portal and on our social media and dedicated websites. Stay tuned and follow RUS on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the RUS project:
The Copernicus Research and User Support (RUS) Service (funded by the EC and managed by ESA) began operations in October 2017 andand facilitates the exploitation of data related to the monitoring of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. The service is operated by CS GROUP and its partners: Serco SPA, Noveltis, Along-Track. To overcome physical issues such as downloading, storing and processing, the RUS Service exploits Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Platform as a Service (PaaS).

Press relations:
Barbara GOARANT – Phone: +33 (0)1 41 28 46 94