The European Union's Copernicus satellite mapping service has been activated to assess burned areas on the Greek island of Skyros following a wildfire that broke out on Saturday, August 15, 2026.
Greece's Emergency Response Planning Directorate of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection requested the activation following an order from General Secretary for Civil Protection Nikos Papaeustathiou. The European Union accepted the request, initiating the rapid production of mapping products derived from satellite imagery.
Civil Protection officials said the initiative aims to map affected zones across the Municipality of Skyros, situated within the Euboea regional unit of the Region of Central Greece. The satellite data will assist municipal and regional authorities tasked with emergency response and disaster consequence management.
European satellite mapping for emergency response
Under the emergency deployment, all cartographic products and spatial data generated by the Copernicus Emergency Management Service will be distributed free of charge. The Emergency Response Planning Directorate will deliver the materials directly to participating operational bodies to streamline relief and recovery planning.
Role of Copernicus during natural disasters
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service is part of the European Union Earth observation programme, which uses satellite constellations to provide spatial information during natural hazards. Emergency mapping activations offer local authorities accurate delineations of burn scars, perimeter tracking, and damage assessments without requiring local ground survey infrastructure.
Greek emergency services expect the initial wave of satellite cartographic data to become available immediately. Local agencies will use the mapping resources to direct response crews, coordinate recovery operations, and evaluate environmental damage across the impacted island terrain.
