‘The integration of Earth observation data into the production of official statistics has enormous potential. Climate change and the growing focus on sustainability boost a constant demand for innovative yet reliable data sources for informed decision-making and more precise tracking of economic trends and environmental change’, emphasised Raimonds Lapiņš, Director General of the Central Statistical Bureau, at the online event Copernicus for National Statistics on 20 January 2025.
The CSB’s strategy for strengthening its capacity in the use of satellite data includes new partnerships and collaboration projects that grant access to new data sources for environmental and economic statistics. Use of the Earth observation data will enable the CSB to produce statistics that cannot be derived from traditional data sources (surveys, administrative registers, etc.) and yet are crucial for addressing environmental and social issues at both national and international levels. These data have the potential to become official statistics, supporting policymaking as well as decision-making in both public and private sectors.
Best practices of using Earth observation data in Latvia
Latvia has developed several good practices in the use of Earth observation data.
- A successful example of collaboration between the CSB and the Rural Support Service is leveraging satellite data for grassland analysis.
- Initiatives by the Riga Forests Ltd. include monitoring, mapping, and assessing damage caused by wind, insect infestations, and wildfires.
- The State Environmental Service oversees the use of satellite data to monitor mineral extraction activities.
- The latest development supported by the European COSMOS agency involves testing and demonstrating satellite data for detecting illegal construction and irregularities remotely.
Looking ahead: collaboration and integration for the future
The main challenge today is to find the ways of transforming data from alternative sources into reliable, high-quality data that meet official statistics needs. Through ongoing partnerships and technological advances, Latvia can take the lead in offering innovative yet sustainable long-term solutions.
The CSB prioritises the use of satellite data in collecting and compiling economic and environmental information for the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting. This involves integrating satellite, land and administrative data to develop an ecosystem classification. Future areas of focus include renewable energy, particularly the data related to household solar energy infrastructure.
*About Copernicus
Copernicus is the world's largest Earth observation programme, overseen by the European Commission and implemented by the European Union in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and other agencies. It provides accurate, timely, and easily accessible information to improve environmental management, understand and mitigate climate change effects, and ensure civil security.
Accordingly, the event held on 20 January 2025 aimed to facilitate an exchange of information between the European Commission and Baltic National Statistical Institutes and other national institutions responsible for national statistics on the potential applications of Earth observation data to enhance national statistics. It was jointly organised by the European Commission (DG DEFIS and Eurostat), the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia and the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia.