The Netherlands has a prominent open data policy since 2015. Open data stimulates cooperation and innovation. Open and free data and derived information should preferably be provided as a public good on a sustainable provision, not on a temporary project basis. Internationally, the Netherlands government supports several data initiatives advocated by amongst others GEO (Earth observations), GODAN (agriculture), and WMO (meteorology).

Since January 2024 the Netherlands Government has a long term agenda on space and Earth observation (EO). In 2025 different stakeholders in the EO-domain in The Netherlands will start working more actively together under the name GEO Netherlands, coordinated by the Netherlands Space Office.

The Netherlands actively stimulates the development and use of services based on satellite data, with the goal of bringing the benefits of space to society. For the Netherlands, the Netherlands Space Office operates an open portal that provides optical imagery with a resolution up to 30 centimetres for free for the public and businesses in The Netherlands. Radar imagery is also provided for free. The NSO has initiated various Pre Commercial Procurement / Innovation Impact Challenge activities over the last ten years.

Dutch organizations are contributing to GEO’s objectives especially in the following benefit areas: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

The Netherlands Space Office promotes the use of Earth observation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as follow-up on the exploratory study and discussion and consultation sessions with Dutch stakeholders on this subject. NSO supports via national and ESA programs innovation using EO data and stimulates the uptake of developed services for governmental, societal and commercial usage.

The ITC Faculty of the University of Twente, Wageningen University and Research and UNESCO-IHE Delft are contributing to the coordination of the capacity building activities associated with the acquisition, processing and use of Earth Observation data and information for policy and decision-making, educating students from around the world (SDG 4).

Contributing to SDGs 3, 11 and 13, the Dutch co-funded satellite instrument TROPOMI delivers image of air quality and atmospheric trace gases of every place on the world, already for seven years, every day. TROPOMI was launched on ESA satellite Sentinel-5P in 2017. Dutch organizations have been strongly involved in the instrument and application development and are currently making use of the data originating from the mission. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, KNMI, is the principal investigator institute of TROPOMI. TROPOMI data is included in the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). The Netherlands is continuing to improve on its legacy in atmospheric monitoring (SCIAMACHY, OMI, TROPOMI), by investing in new instruments. This includes the SPEXone instrument, launched with NASA on the PACE mission, and the forthcoming ESA Scout ‘TANGO’ mission, which will monitor GHG emissions at high resolution.

A major Dutch contribution to amongst others SDG 2, 6 and 15 was the Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) program: Space for Food Security. Through the G4AW program, commissioned by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and carried out by NSO, millions of smallholder food producers have been provided with advisory and/or financial services based on (a.o.) satellite information. Whereas GEO GEOGLAM informs governmental and institutional agencies on food security, G4AW services use Copernicus satellites and meteorological data to provide B2C solutions for smallholder food production. G4AW aims to support widespread adoption of digital agriculture solutions for achieving food security. Fulfilling this ambition requires value-chain actors to open new markets and enable scalable solutions around G4AW-like services. In G4AW, 25 partnerships 15 countries are contributing to improved food security with a total investment from public and private partners of over € 100 million. More than 4,5 million food producers were reached by the end of the program (dec. 2024). Service provision is continued and scaled. The legacy of the G4AW program is preserved on the NSO-G4AW website and the ITC Geoversity platform. NSO received an EO4SDG award in 2021 for its implementation of the G4AW Program.

In relation to improving its policy in improving water productivity in agriculture (SDG6), the Dutch government is funding since 2014 the Water Productivity Open-Access Portal (WaPOR), implemented and operated by FAO. The database provides information about water and land productivity that is openly available and for free. The data was initially made available for Africa and the MENA region at three different scales (at 250, 100 and 30 meter). In October 2023 WaPOR became available at global scale, and open scripts enable high-resolution implementation of this model at local scales. These data may be used in national reporting e.g. for the SDG indicator “water efficiency in agriculture”. Almost 100 uses cases are available on FAO WaPOR website. FAO WaPOR received an EO4SDG award in 2023.

In support of SDG6 and SDG16, the Dutch initiated Water, Peace and Security initiative, coordinated by IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, is designing innovative tools and services that can identify developing water-related security risks. These innovative tools and services are able to mobilize stakeholders and build capacity, facilitating action with developed comprehensive solutions through inclusive partnerships. This leads to evidence-based actions that allow risks to be addressed, and human insecurity prevented or mitigated.

Contributing SDG14 Deltares is contributing the GEO AquaWatch Initiative since 2017, advocating for Quality Water for All. GEO AquaWatch has been a leader in the water quality science community by advancing best practices in aquatic remote sensing techniques. Through GEO's inspiration the partnership provided space for an Early Career Society, promoted their activities, and invited co-equal leadership of early career members in all aspects of our governance structure. Through collaboration with other global partners (GEO Indigenous Alliance, IAGLR, and UNEP's World Water Quality Alliance the partnership embraced the inclusion of indigenous knowledge on water quality and built a thriving MAGIK network in Australia.

Via national and EC research projects Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and the ITC Faculty of the University of Twente and other organizations contribute(d) to amongst others GEOGLAM, GFOI and GEOBON initiatives for more than ten years. The following activities are in In support of SDG13 and SDG15.

WUR contributes to GFOI from its early start. Some recent examples are Pan-tropical operation of RADD deforestation alerts (open access), the Congo Basin logging road mapping, and a contribution to European forest monitoring with a radar deforestation component as part of the EU Forwards project.

Opengeohub as an independent not-for-profit research foundation promotes Open Source and Open Data solutions develops cutting-edge open geospatial data & services. There expertise lies in combining remote sensing with ground data for monitoring essential biodiversity variables at scale. In the EC project AI4SoilHealth they lead 18+ research and business partners in the production of harmonized EU-wide soil monitoring tools and services using the latest cutting-edge development in AI, remote/proximal sensing, and soil process modelling.

Earth observation data are fundamental to map soil properties and monitor soil conditions in different ecological conditions. ISRIC — World Soil Information , a not for profit foundation based in Wageningen, The Netherlands, is actively using Earth observations for many soil products globally with SoilGrids and continentally in European wide maps for forest soils (Holisoils project), collaboration with project ESA WORLDSOILS and the cup4soil in collaboration with DLR (German Aerospace Centre).

The Netherlands is involved in many GEO activities and is committed to continue its support to GEO.

Harm van de Wetering

GEO Principal for the Netherlands

Netherlands Space Office (NSO)