Our Mission
and Vision
Our Mission
- To inspire environmental research and action through excellence in Earth data from space, remote sensing technologies and data-assisted models of our planet
- To underpin environmental research and action through long-term directed expertise in Earth data from space and remote sensing systems.
- To be the UK’s strategic capability for investigating (assessing) the Earth’s environmental systems through global space (satellite) data, supporting science and society.
Our mission is to harness the power of Earth Observation to generate new knowledge about the physical, chemical, and biological systems of planet Earth, advancing our understanding of current environments and how they may change in the future.
Our principal stakeholder is the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI). Its investments in NCEO ensure the UK has the long-term, national capability to deliver high quality, value-added EO data and develop the advanced mathematical techniques needed to interpret and integrate these observations with models to maximise their scientific and societal impact.
We also work closely with space agencies to deliver critical observations of the Earth. As well as excellent research, our work supports public policy and commercial enterprises.
Our Vision
- To be a globally outstanding research centre, harnessing the power of satellite and remote sensing data to empower science discovery whilst enabling and inspiring global and local actions
- To be a globally outstanding research centre, at the heart of novel and long-term satellite missions whose data transforms environmental analyses and models.
Our vision is to push the frontiers of Earth Observation and Earth System science, contributing key technical advance and scientific development that with appropriate action can aid delivery of a healthy, productive, and resilient environment for all.
Supported by our funders and the wider community, we focus our efforts on critical, policy relevant, science questions related to climate, environmental systems and hazards, focussing particularly on carbon, water and radiation balance. We play leading roles in multiple satellite missions designed to address these challenges, maximising the benefits of the significant investments made in us through our stakeholder and competitively-won research grants.
We strive to work within national and international partnerships to ensure the quality and impact of the informatiom delivered from these space missions, building partnerships and providing training and tools that supports the use of EO data and capabilities by science and policy communities and the wider public.
Our Values and Social Responsibility
We are committed to promoting responsible research and innovation practices in step with NERC and its parent body United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI). NCEO staff are expected to be responsible and accountable.
NCEO are dedicated to promoting social responsibility across all NCEO locations and all areas of our research and operations.