The CopPhil programme under the EU Global Gateway strategy continues to support women in STEM, investing in strengthening Earth Observation and geospatial expertise within the Philippine public institutions to pursue advanced academic training in Europe.
Judy Ann C. Mejorada-Wenceslao, a staff member of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Davao was awarded the first EU CopPhil Scholarship. She will pursue a Master’s degree in Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics at the Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences in Germany, starting in the summer semester of 2026. The scholarship was formally awarded during a ceremony held on 9 February 2026 in Davao City.
Judy Ann is a former scholar of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology. She currently works as a Mining Claims Examiner II at the MGB Regional Office XI, where she regularly applies geospatial tools such as Google Earth and ArcMap for mining tenement evaluation, compliance monitoring, and support to post-disaster geohazard assessments.
She is also actively engaged in regional policy development and has co-authored two policy papers; “Spatio-Temporal Monitoring of Active Nickel Mining Areas in CARAGA Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Geospatial Analyses” and “Empowering Government Regulators Towards Sustainable Small-Scale Mining: An Integrated Checklist-driven Approach as Monitoring Tool for Small-Scale Mining and Minahang Bayan Declaration.” These papers were presented at the 2018 and 2023 Annual MGB Technical Forum respectively, with the latter receiving the Best Policy Paper award.
This academic trajectory is reflected in her proposed Master’s research, with the working title of “Enhancing Spatio-Temporal Monitoring and Risk-Informed Assessment of Surface Nickel Mines in Davao Region Using Copernicus Satellite Data, UAV Photogrammetry, and Integrated Geospatial Analytics”. Building on her earlier policy work, the research aims to address gaps in the monitoring framework for surface nickel mines in the Philippines by integrating Copernicus satellite data, UAV photogrammetry, and geospatial analytics. Ultimately, the research seeks to support more sustainable and efficient mining regulation, rehabilitation monitoring, and geohazard‑informed mine planning.
The EU CopPhil Scholarship Programme forms part of the broader EU CopPhil capacity-building offer, which also includes research visits of Philippine scientists to Europe, a series of 13 training sessions for Local Government Units, and advanced training for expert users. As a flagship initiative of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, CopPhil continues to strengthen the uptake and operational use of Copernicus Earth Observation data in the Philippines through a wide spectrum of assistance.
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.
