The International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” initiative

Abstract The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through Authorized Users. Each partner agency (CNES, CSA and ESA currently member of the Charter) has decided to commit resources to support the provisions of the Charter and thus is helping to mitigate the effects of disasters on human life and property. The Charter was declared formally operational on November 1, 2000. An Authorized User (i.e. a Civil Protection Authority) can now call a single number to request the mobilization of the space and associated ground resources of the three agencies to obtain data and information on a disaster occurrence. Nine activations of the Charter covering four different types of disasters (earthquake, landslide, flooding and oil spill) over the first nine months of operation resulted in useful user feedback which allowed to improve Charter procedures and its implementation process.