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Evolution in the Copernicus Space Component is foreseen in the mid-2020s to meet priority user needs not addressed by the existing infrastructure, and/or to reinforce existing services. In this context, the European Commission is intending to evaluate the overall potential utility of a complementary Copernicus hyperspectral mission to be added to the Copernicus Sentinels fleet. Hyperspectral imaging is a powerful remote sensing technology that, allowing the characterization and quantification of Earth surface materials, has the potential to deliver significant enhancements in quantitative value-added products. This study aims to illustrate the interaction methodology that was set up to collect and assess user-driven requirements in different thematic areas to demonstrate the potential benefit of a future Copernicus hyperspectral mission. Therefore, an ad hoc interaction matrix was circulated among several user communities to gather preferences about hyperspectral-based products and services. The results show how the involvement of several user communities strengthens the identification of these user requirements. Moreover, the requirement evaluation is used to identify potential opportunities of hyperspectral imaging in addressing operational needs associated with policy obligations at European, national, and local levels. The frequency distribution of spectral range classes and spatial and temporal resolutions are also derived from the preference expressed by the user communities in each thematic area investigated.

As climate change intensifies, adaptation is essential. This Perspective explores how space-based Earth Observation (EO) data can support tracking progress under the Paris Agreement's Global Goal on Adaptation. Focusing on agriculture, biodiversity, extreme events, and health, it highlights EO’s strengths and challenges. The paper offers recommendations for integrating EO in indicator development, drawing parallels with the Sustainable Development Goals and emphasising the need for standardised, operational EO-based adaptation indicators.

The imaging spectroscopy mission EnMAP aims to assess the state and evolution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, examine the multifaceted impacts of human activities, and support a sustainable use of natural resources. Once in operation (scheduled to launch in 2019), EnMAP will provide high-quality observations in the visible to near-infrared and shortwave-infrared spectral range. The scientific preparation of the mission comprises an extensive science program. This special issue presents a collection of research articles, demonstrating the potential of EnMAP for various applications along with overview articles on the mission and software tools developed within its scientific preparation.

Imaging spectroscopy in the visible-to-shortwave infrared wavelength range (VSWIR), or nowadays more commonly known as ‘hyperspectral imaging’, for terrestrial Earth Observation remote sensing, dates back to the early 1980s when its development started with mainly airborne demonstrations. From its initial use as a research tool, imaging spectroscopy encompassing the VSWIR spectral range has gradually evolved towards operational and commercial applications. Today, it is one of the fastest growing research areas in remote sensing owing to its diagnostic power by means of discrete spectral bands that are contiguously sampled over the spectral range with which a target is observed. The main principles of imaging spectroscopy rely on the exploitation of light dispersion technologies to split the incoming light through a telescope before being projected onto detector arrays. The light dispersion can be achieved by using prism or diffractive grating optical systems, perpetually aiming for improved performances in terms of efficiency, straylight rejection, and polarization sensitivity. The sensor technique has been first used in airborne imaging spectroscopy since the early 1980s and later in spaceborne hyperspectral missions from the end of the 1990s onwards. Currently, several hyperspectral spaceborne systems are under development and in preparation to be launched within the next few years. Through hyperspectral remote sensing, physical, chemical, and biological components of the observed matter can be separated and resolved thus providing a spectral ‘fingerprint’. The analyses of the spectral absorptions often give rise to quantitative retrievals of components of the observed target. The derived information is vital for the generation of a wide variety of new quantitative products and services in the domain of agriculture, food security, raw materials, soils, biodiversity, environmental degradation and hazards, inland and coastal waters, snow hydrology and forestry. Many of these are relevant to various international policies and conventions. Originally developed as a powerful detection and analysis tool for applications predominantly related to planetary exploration and non-renewable resources, imaging spectroscopy now covers many disciplines in atmospheric, terrestrial vegetation, cryosphere, and marine research and application fields. There is an increasing number of visible/near-infrared (VNIR) imaging spectrometers emerging also as small payloads on small satellites and cubesats, built and launched by small-medium enterprises. These are targeted to address commercial applications mainly in agriculture, resources and environmental management, and hazard observations.

Water is our most precious and arguably most undervalued natural resource. It is essential for life on our planet, for food production and economic development. Moreover, water plays a fundamental role in shaping weather and climate. However, with the growing global population, the planet’s water resources are constantly under threat from overuse and pollution. In addition, the effects of a changing climate are thought to be leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather causing floods, landslides and drought. The need to understand and monitor our environment and its resources, including advancing our knowledge of the hydrological cycle, has never been more important and apparent. The best approach to do so on a global scale is from space. This paper provides an overview of the major components of the hydrological cycle, the status of their observations from space and related data products and models for hydrological variable retrievals. It also lists the current and planned satellite missions contributing to advancing our understanding of the hydrological cycle on a global scale. Further details of the hydrological cycle are substantiated in several of the other papers in this Special Issue.

Imaging spectroscopy, also known as hyperspectral remote sensing, is based on the characterization of Earth surface materials and processes through spectrally-resolved measurements of the light interacting with matter. The potential of imaging spectroscopy for Earth remote sensing has been demonstrated since the 1980s. However, most of the developments and applications in imaging spectroscopy have largely relied on airborne spectrometers, as the amount and quality of space-based imaging spectroscopy data remain relatively low to date. The upcoming Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) German imaging spectroscopy mission is intended to fill this gap. An overview of the main characteristics and current status of the mission is provided in this contribution. The core payload of EnMAP consists of a dual-spectrometer instrument measuring in the optical spectral range between 420 and 2450 nm with a spectral sampling distance varying between 5 and 12 nm and a reference signal-to-noise ratio of 400:1 in the visible and near-infrared and 180:1 in the shortwave-infrared parts of the spectrum. EnMAP images will cover a 30 km-wide area in the across-track direction with a ground sampling distance of 30 m. An across-track tilted observation capability will enable a target revisit time of up to four days at the Equator and better at high latitudes. EnMAP will contribute to the development and exploitation of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy applications by making high-quality data freely available to scientific users worldwide.