European Space Agency signs up CGI and OVHcloud to build storage for the
500PB of Earth observation data it expects to have by 2035

Date:
Wed, 30 Sep 2026 21:10:00 +0000

Digital EO will be capable of storing 500 petabytes of satellite data for scientists and researchers across Europe -- A huge new project to record Earth Observation data has been launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), with OVHcloud providing cloud storage and processing and project management courtesy of IT and business management firm CGI (via its France Dfense et Spatial subsidiary).

The ESA Earth Observation Information System, or Digital EO, aims to collect data about our planet from satellites and other observation hardware for use in studies and research. With initial deployment in Italy, France, and Germany, Digital EO will be able to extend to other European countries, as well as Canada. Despite leaving the European Union, the UK remains a member
of the European Space Agency and as such has access to Digital EO.

Determining that the growth in data collection from satellites and
other devices and hardware requires better management and wider access, the ESA has launched the Digital EO project as a decentralized system that relies on OVHclouds expertise.

Digital EO must allow us to take a new step forward in the way Earth Observation data is managed and used, said Nicolaus Hanowski, the ESAs Head
of EO Mission Management and Ground Segment Department.

With CGI and OVHcloud, we will build and operate a European innovative and sovereign system capable of supporting this ambition and of providing lasting support to the ESA and European Commission programs like Copernicus and DestinE.

OVHcloud will also support the evolution of the ESA Earth Observation Information System, potentially beyond the initial 30 month project, aiming
to ensure performance and meet the needs of Digital EOs users.

Digital EO backbone -- The ESA, which is overseen by the
European Commission, has a long history of relying on companies and
technology across the continent, rather than buying in solutions from the
USA, China, South Korea, or Japan.

French cloud technology firm OVHcloud is the ideal partner for the Digital EO project (OVHcloud state it is worth multi-million Euros). Its CEO and
Founder, Octave Klaba, noted that, Europe absolutely must have control over the infrastructure that runs its most strategic programs. With Digital EO, we are putting our sovereign cloud expertise at ESAs service so that it can
build innovative solutions to process, store and make the most of
ever-growing volumes of Earth Observation data for the benefit of research, industry and operational user communities.

OVHcloud aims to deliver performance, resilience and security says Klaba, adding that the ambition is to build a robust, sovereign European Digital EO able to evolve over time, in step with ESAs needs and ambitions.

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/european-space-agency-signs-up-cgi-and-ovhcloud- to-build-storage-for-the-500pb-of-earth-observation-data-it-expects-to-have-by -2035

$$
--- MultiMail/DOS
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * KY, USA (1:2320/107)