About the Government Related Initiatives Program
The Government Related Initiatives Program (GRIP) fosters the use of Canada's space resources by the Government of Canada. The program focuses on developing government use of space-based land, ocean, and atmospheric observation systems and services. By providing technical guidance for the optimum use of space-based technologies supported by the Government of Canada, GRIP helps derive the maximum benefit from investment by Canada and the international Earth observation (EO) community.
Government of Canada decision makers and the Canadian public are better served through GRIP because it supports the analysis of EO data, and the integration of this data and derived environmental parameters into geospatial information products. This integration process helps create better predictive models of the land-ocean-atmosphere environmental system. GRIP also supports the use of satellite navigation and communications, as well Internet and terrestrial wireless communication technology, where these are required for the acquisition and distribution of EO information products.
Objectives
While the overall goal of GRIP is to optimize the government's of use of EO technologies and resources, some specific aims of the program are:
- To support the development and demonstration of new applications that increase the benefits and effectiveness of government services for Canadians through use of EO information sources
- To ensure efficient use of Canada's investment in EO for understanding, monitoring and predicting the state of our environment; resource management; and surveillance of our territory; this requires interdepartmental coordination of data acquisition, integration, modeling, research and development, and decision support activities
- To raise awareness within the Government of Canada of the uses and benefits of Canadian supported EO missions and related enabling technologies
- To encourage use of Canadian EO solutions by the Government of Canada in support of their international commitments regarding environmental monitoring and as part of Canada's assistance to developing nations.
Lead departments
In partnership with other Government of Canada departments and agencies, the GRIP mandate is to lead the research, development, demonstration and implementation of effective and efficient uses of EO technology.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Parks Canada, Montreal district
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Natural Resources Canada's Geological Survey Canada
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Thematic areas
Based on the Canadian Space-based EO Strategy and associated program plans, GRIP-funded projects mainly focus on three thematic areas of Government priority: environment, resource and land use management, and security and foreign policy.
Contact
Should you have any questions regarding the GRIP, contact us at info@asc-csa.gc.ca.