The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) published a new report examining how Earth Observation technology can help national authorities manage the EU’s external borders, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency announced. “Earth Observation for Border Management” explores where satellite and airborne data add the most value for border surveillance, where gaps remain, and which trends will shape future capabilities.
Earth Observation gathers information about the planet’s surface, seas, and atmosphere using remote-sensing technologies like satellites. The data gets processed and analyzed to monitor environmental and human activity over large areas and long periods. Europe’s Copernicus program delivers satellite imagery that, combined with information from ground-based, air, and sea sensors, provides this kind of intelligence for public authorities.
The Frontex study looks at how EO can help border and coast guard authorities see and understand what’s happening at and beyond their borders. It describes the main EO sensors—including optical, radar, thermal, and radio-frequency monitoring—and platforms like satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, and high-altitude platforms, assessing their strengths and limitations for border work. Six detailed use cases show how EO is already being used in practice, from maritime surveillance and vessel detection to tracking cross-border crime, supporting land-border patrols, and monitoring irregular migration.
For each area, the report lays out user needs, examples from operations, and a SWOT analysis, helping readers understand where EO can realistically support patrols, investigations, and search-and-rescue efforts. As the security environment gets more complex—with organized crime adapting quickly, increasing migratory pressure on some routes, and growing risks of cyber-attacks and interference with information systems—the study also examines EO’s limitations and the challenges of integrating it with other intelligence sources. It highlights the importance of data protection, ethical use of space data, and resilience against hybrid threats, in line with EU and international law.
Dinesh Rempling, Director of the Capability Transformation Division at Frontex, said Earth observation will never replace officers on the ground or at sea, but it can give them a much better picture before they deploy. “This report is about helping national authorities understand where satellite and airborne data can genuinely support their operations—from detecting suspicious vessels and cross-border crime to planning search and rescue and protecting fundamental rights,” Rempling noted.
Frontex has been entrusted by the European Commission to provide and develop the Copernicus Border Surveillance Service, which uses Earth observation data to support EU member states in tackling irregular migration and cross-border crime. The findings draw on this operational experience and are intended to inform future evolutions of CBSS and related services. The study is aimed at border and coast guard authorities, policymakers, and researchers across the European Border and Coast Guard community and beyond, providing a common reference on the state of EO for border management today and outlining technological and policy trends that will influence how these capabilities develop over the coming years.
