COTESA, part of Grupo TECOPY, is reinforcing its leadership in applying Earth Observation and Artificial Intelligence to address urgent urban health and safety challenges. The company has recently been awarded the asbestos census monitoring project for the Diputación de Alicante, following successful implementations in Madrid, Salamanca, Oviedo, Bilbao, Vila-Real, Celdrá and across the Principality of Asturias.
The solution integrates very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery and four-band aerial photography with advanced AI models. What began as a robust Machine Learning approach has now evolved into state-of-the-art Transformer architectures, significantly boosting accuracy and scalability. These models automatically detect asbestos rooftops, generating centroids for each detected cover. To every centroid, GIS attributes from the building are attached– including Spain’s cadastral reference, height, area, year of construction, and whether it is a public building.
This enriched dataset allows COTESA to move beyond simple detection: each building receives a priority score for asbestos removal, depending on its use and risk profile. For instance, public buildings, schools or facilities with high daily attendance, or those located in central urban areas, are ranked as top priority. This directly supports municipalities in planning phased and evidence-based removal strategies.
With a multidisciplinary team of over 60 geospatial experts, COTESA’s Geospatial Analysis and Earth Observation (AGEO) department combines advanced remote sensing, Big Data and AI to automate large-scale cartography and monitoring. This capability has been demonstrated in collaborations with leading institutions such as the European Environment Agency, IGN, Naturgy, EDP and several major Spanish municipalities.
The Alicante project demonstrates the maturity of COTESA’s approach: a scalable, EObased solution that directly contributes to healthier, safer and more sustainable cities.
