The GMES programme (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency that aims to build an independent European environment and security monitoring capability, to support European policies and the European Union’s international commitments. With Galileo, GMES is one of the two pillars of European space policy.
The programme intends to provide institutional stakeholders with information, surveillance, forecasting and decision-support services based on satellite Earth observation data, field data and models. 
GMES covers all aspects of the terrestrial (land use, urban development, forestry management, food security, etc.) and marine (ocean state, marine pollution, etc.) environments, hazard management (mitigation, crisis management, post-crisis response and reconstruction) and security (maritime surveillance, border and infrastructure security, humanitarian aid, etc.).