Satellite-Based Services for Disaster Risk Management Workshop

In recent years, Lithuania has experienced an increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including severe storms, heavy rainfall, flash floods, and localized tornadoes—such as the June 2026 storms that caused power outages, fallen trees, and infrastructure damage.

To address these challenges, this workshop explores how satellite-enabled services can strengthen national disaster management across all phases: risk assessment, team preparation, real-time monitoring, and post-disaster damage assessment. Participants will examine solutions offered by the EU Space Programme, including the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS), GOVSATCOM and IRIS² for secure emergency communications, and the Galileo Early Warning Satellite Service (EWSS).

• Raise Awareness: Inform decision-makers on satellite applications during all disaster management phases and daily workflow integration.

• Bridge European & National Perspectives: Discuss methods to improve satellite data accessibility and usability at the national level.

• Foster Ecosystem Collaboration: Connect local end-users with industry and scientific capabilities, enlarging Lithuania’s downstream space ecosystem and supporting tech development.

• Gather Feedback & Drive Policy: Collect end-user feedback to define national and institutional policy recommendations and build a roadmap for satellite service integration.

The introductory part of this workshop will provide a high-level address from national and European relevant policy and decision-makers. It will shed light on the national and European policy framework as well as future perspective on the field of risk assessment and management. In addition, a panel will address the EU space components contributions to disaster risk management, including Copernicus Emergency Management Service, Galileo Early Warning Satellite Service (EWSS) and GOVSATCOM.  

The first panel aims to raise awareness of satellite-based services for disaster risk management. It will focus mostly on the actual use and the integration of the information into daily workflows rather than on the technology.

The second panel will bring in the user perspective. The focus will be on gathering inputs and collecting feedback from different end-user communities relying on the services presented. The identified benefits, needs, challenges, and opportunities will form the basis to discuss the way forward to streamline the process of integrating satellite-based services in disaster risk management.