30.10.2014: Funding is approved for a new service that uses gravity field analysis for forecasting and mapping of hydrological extremes like draughts and flood events. GFZ sections 1.2 "Global Geomonitoring and Gravity Field", and 5.4 "Hydrology" are engaged in development and operation of the project, funded by the Horizon2020 Framework Program for Research and Innovation.

This new service named EGSIEM (European Gravity Service for Improved Emergency Management) will provide an improved forecast and mapping of hydrological extreme events, based on satellite generated gravity field data. Overall lead for this project, funded for 2015 to 2017, is by the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (CH). Other contributing partners besides GFZ are the German Aerospace Center (D), Universities of Graz (A), Luxembourg (LUX), and Hannover (D), the French Space Agency CNES (F), and Gode & Cie (F). Besides improving the forecast of weather and climate events, EGSIEM will generally improve the usability of gravity field data in Earth and Environmental science and their temporal resolution.

A test run is planned for a minimum of six months at DLR’s Center for Satellite Based Crisis Information. Data will mainly be provided by the satellites GRACE and GRACE-FO (Follow-on, starts in 2017) that are run in cooperation between GFZ, NASA, and DLR. Information on project background and stage were presented at the GRACE Science Team Meeting at GFZ in Potsdam, between 29th September and 1st October (see e.g. Jäggi et al., 2014 at A.1 "Analysis Techniques & Inter-comparisons").