Following a year of intensive training and engagement with national and sub-national stakeholders, the Technical Assistance to the CopPhil programme is implementing a broad set of capacity-building activities supporting the use of Earth Observation (EO) and geospatial data in the Philippines, supporting the EU Global Gateway implementation in the country.
In addition to training sessions linked to the three services developed and supported by the CopPhil initiative, Benthic Monitoring, Land Cover, Forest & Crop Monitoring, and Ground Motion Monitoring, the Technical Assistance team offers further learning opportunities for Philippine experts at different levels. These include a series of thirteen training packages primarily designed for Local Government Units (LGUs), as well as two specialised training events for advanced users, mainly based in Manila.
The local-level training focuses on the fundamentals of EO and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the latter being a key tool for processing satellite data. The EU partnered with the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST), with technical support from the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), and delivered with the support of the CopPhil Technical Assistance team. Each four-day training typically brings together up to 25 participants from municipalities, cities, and other local offices, benefiting land-use planners, agricultural technicians, and personnel involved in disaster risk reduction, forestry, environmental management, and related fields.
This four-day, hands-on training provides participants with an introduction to EO concepts, guidance on how to find and access data, and practical experience in data processing, analysis, and visualisation for a broad range of applications.
The first LGU training event was held in Baguio City in July 2025 and was attended by representatives from the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, PhilSA, and DOST. Contributions were provided by Usec. Sancho A. Mabborang (DOST), Dr. Ariel Blanco (Director, PhilSA), and Ms. Maria Terron-Puig (Programme Manager at the European Union Delegation to the Philippines) who shared insights on the role of EO technologies in the Philippine context. The Baguio session was followed by training events in Iloilo and Puerto Princesa in October 2025. Upcoming sessions are scheduled to take place in Tuguegarao, Cebu City, and Tacloban in February and March 2026.
In parallel, the four-day Advanced Online Training on Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) for EO, delivered in October 2025, provided an intensive skills development programme focused on cutting-edge EO analytics. More than 40 participants from government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector took part in the virtual sessions, reflecting broad engagement across the EO community.
The training covered a progression from foundational AI/ML concepts to advanced deep learning methods, complemented by practical exercises using real-world datasets. Building on this first edition, a second advanced training will focus on the processing and use of radar EO data.
All CopPhil training activities will be progressively made available through the CopPhil digital campus.
Background Information
As a flagship and unique programme of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, CopPhil is designed to harness digital resources and space technology for sustainable development and to support innovations in research and business in close cooperation with government partners.
CopPhil is managed by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines. It is implemented by the European Space Agency (ESA) in partnership with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST). In addition to the development of the Earth Observation pilot services, the activities of CopPhil include the establishment of a Copernicus Data Centre and IT infrastructure as well as awareness-raising and knowledge and skills transfer related to Copernicus data and information.
