The objective of the project SWOS is to develop a monitoring and information service focussing on wetland ecosystems. Globally, wetlands are the ecosystems with the highest rate of loss. This is alarming, considering their significance as biodiversity hotspots and ecosystems with a central role in the water cycle, including improving water quality and reducing water scarcity, in climate regulation and the economic benefit gained from using their services.
A key limitation to their more effective conservation, sustainable management and restoration is the missing knowledge underpinning the consideration of wetlands in the implementation of key policy areas. Under the Biodiversity Strategy, Member States in Europe have committed to the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services (MAES); this provides a key instrument for an improved integration of wetlands in European policy.

SWOS is taking full advantage of the new and freely available data from the Sentinel satellites and integrating results from the ESA Globwetland and other projects. Production of maps and indicators, based on historical and current observations allows the assessment of biodiversity and monitoring of dynamic changes in an unmatched temporal and spatial resolution.

The SWOS Portal provides a unique entry point to locate, access and connect existing information. The SWOS Software toolbox GEOclassifier is an easy to use software toolbox to prepare maps and calculate indicators. With its Portal and toolbox SWOS contributes to establishing a Global Wetland Observing System (GWOS) (requested by Ramsar) by delivering the initial infrastructure.

User organisations working at all levels from local to global belong to the SWOS project team and build, together with external user organisations, the key user group of SWOS. User needs were captured through user requirements questionnaires and follow-up discussions and translated into technical requirements for the definition of SWOS products (maps and indicators).
The services that SWOS provides facilitate local and EU monitoring tasks and support international reporting obligations. SWOS positions Europe in a leading role within GEO, in particular via the new GEO-Wetlands initiative. SWOS took a leading role from the beginning and is the main contributor.
The Service Cases, developed in SWOS, put the SWOS into practice, test and validate the service and demonstrate how to use and benefit from it. The direct involvement of users ensures the usability and acceptance of the service, including harmonization with related activities, which provides a long-term impact.