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The Eradiate Workshop 2025 will gather the community of scientists and engineers working with the open-source 3D radiative transfer model Eradiate, to exchange on new developments, applications, and collaborative opportunities.
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The Eradiate Workshop 2025 will gather the community of scientists and engineers working with the open-source 3D radiative transfer model Eradiate, to exchange on new developments, applications, and collaborative opportunities.

Date: 16–17th October 2025
Location: ESA-ESRIN, Frascati, Italy

This event is organized jointly with ESA’s Sentinel-2 Validation Team Meeting #7.

Background and objectives

Eradiate is an open-source new-generation 3D radiative transfer model for the Earth observation community. Its primary focus is to deliver highly accurate radiometric simulations for remote sensing applications. It is designed to be a highly flexible radiative transfer simulation environment allowing for both classic 1D, as well as advanced 3D simulations.

This two-day event will introduce participants to Eradiate from a conceptual and practical point of view. An introductory seminar will present the fundamental principles and concepts underlying Eradiate’s design, and a hands-on tutorial will help participants get familiar with the modelling workflow, including an introduction to the simulation of Sentinel-2 images over 3D vegetated surfaces.

Participation

  • This is a physical-only event: no remote participation is foreseen.
  • This workshop is given in the English language.
  • The tutorial assumes some familiarity with the Python programming language.
  • Prior to the event, participants will have to set up their simulation environment. An online help desk will be organized two weeks prior to assist users in the setup process.
  • The number of participants is limited to 20. Participants registering after this limit is reached will be placed on a waiting list and called if a seat becomes available.
  • Participants are encouraged to communicate their use cases. Training can be adapted to address specific needs.

Registration

Places are limited. Registration is open on the Eradiate website. 

Deadlines

Deadline

Date

Registration deadline

3 Oct 2025

Setup help desk opening

6 Oct 2025

Workshop at ESRIN

16–17 Oct 2025

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The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC — Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) coordinates the Earth Observation Use Case Ideas Competition for the Private Sector. This initiative is framed within the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia promoted by the Government of Catalonia with the participation of the IEEC, the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) and the i2CAT Foundation. 

The goal of this competition is to obtain innovative proposals for Earth Observation use cases that the NewSpace ecosystem can offer to the Catalan private business sector. 

This article showcases the main results from the first edition. 

Among other requirements, the competition requested that all cases presented be based on satellite data, include data from the ‘Menut’ nanosatellite—the second satellite mission, and the first of Earth Observation, of the NewSpace Strategy—as a demonstrator, be applicable to the Catalan territory and include the active participation of the end user. 

The companies and proposals selected were: 

  • isardSAT with the project MARE: drought monitoring with high spatial resolution.
  • SPASCAT with the project MOT: Module for Earth Observation.

The two chosen use cases will serve to promote the use of satellite data and highlight the benefits companies can obtain by incorporating data from ‘Menut’ into their operations. Both cases were awarded a financial prize of 2,500 euros and were eligible for a subsequent service contract of 47,500 euros each. 

Discover MARE! A project to optimize water management using satellite technology

Earth Observation is a key tool in sectors such as agriculture, providing accurate information to optimize processes and support data-driven decision-making. 

The MARE project, developed by the company isardSAT, has created an innovative methodology using satellite data to deliver a comprehensive view of drought conditions and crop water needs. The project has focused on the irrigation communities of Aigßes Segarra-Garrigues and Terra Alta, with the aim of optimizing agricultural irrigation and ensuring efficient water resource management. 

Using data collected since 2015 by NASA’s SMAP and Landsat satellites, and new algorithms developed by isardSAT, MARE has created maps showing a new drought index and weekly estimates of soil moisture in agricultural areas. 

These maps, with an innovative resolution of 100 meters, make it possible to anticipate water availability for crops and assess soil moisture levels compared to the 10-year historical average (to determine whether it is drier or wetter), on a weekly basis. This information is essential for maximizing water use efficiency and supporting evidence-based decision-making. 

Enhanced resolution thanks to Menut

One of the project’s highlights has been the integration of data from Menut, Catalonia’s second nanosatellite, launched into orbit in January 2023 under the NewSpace Strategy. Menut’s data has been integrated with those from the Earth observation satellite Sentinel-3 —European Union’s Copernicus programme, which provides land surface temperature maps at a resolution of 1 km—, and with data from the SMOS (ESA) and SMAP (NASA) satellites —which provide soil moisture information—. 

The combination of these data, along with artificial intelligence techniques, has enabled the generation of soil temperature and moisture maps at a groundbreaking resolution of 5 meters (see image below). This enhancement provides a precise view of the water status at the plot scale, detecting moisture differences between cultivated fields and surrounding paths, in order to optimize water resource management.

Comparison of soil moisture maps at 100-meter resolution, using data from NASA’s SMAP and Landsat 7, 8, and 9 satellites (left); and at 5-meter resolution, using data from Menut, Sentinel-3 and SMOS/SMAP satellites (right), over specific plots in the Delta de l’Ebre (Catalonia). isardSAT

Projects like MARE demonstrate the potential of NewSpace technologies to open up new perspectives for drought monitoring and management, allowing farmers and water managers to adopt more efficient and sustainable solutions in the face of climate change challenges. 

MARE Explorer

The MARE project allows you to explore weekly drought data from April 2015 to 2023 here. 

Discover the project in this video 

Discover MOT! Optimising vineyard management with satellite technology

Earth Observation is becoming an essential tool for the winegrowing sector, providing valuable information to support more efficient and sustainable decision-making. 

The MOT project (‘Earth Observation Module for PixelSuite’), developed by the Catalan company SPASCAT, has created an innovative methodology using satellite data to optimise the management of vineyards and fruit orchards. 

The project has focused on plots at the Raimat estate, owned by the company Codorníu, in order to validate MOT’s functionalities on the ground and enhance the sustainability and quality of the crops. 

The application combines satellite data, aerial orthophotos, and ground measurements to provide a global and detailed view of the condition of the plots. Through vegetation index maps and the automatic definition of inspection points, MOT supports the work of

viticulture technicians and helps optimise the use of resources such as water, fertilisers, and plant protection products. 

The project has also involved the company Agropíxel, which collaborated with the application developed by SPASCAT to enhance its agronomic analysis and consulting activities. 

Enhanced resolution thanks to Menut 

One of the project’s highlights has been the integration of data from Menut, Catalonia’s second nanosatellite, launched into orbit in January 2023. 

The data from Menut has been integrated with that of Sentinel-2, an Earth observation satellite from the European Union’s Copernicus programme, which enables the calculation of various vegetation indices. The combination of the two satellites has increased the amount of available information thanks to a higher data frequency. Moreover, the use of Menut, which offers better resolution in the red edge band (NDRE index) — highly valuable in agriculture as it provides information on plant chlorophyll content — has made it possible to apply Earth observation technology to small plots of land. 

Thanks to projects like MOT and the synergies they generate, the innovation developed through NewSpace technologies becomes accessible to the ecosystem and has a direct impact on the viticulture and fruit-growing sectors in Catalonia. 

Discover the project in this video.

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Barcelona hosted a conference on the use of space technologies in disaster risk management, promoted by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the Eurisy network 

The IEEC and the Catalan Government have organised the conference in the framework of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, in collaboration with the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) and the Spanish Government 

Two live simulations have shown the potential of space technologies in emergency situations: one for maritime rescue in the Port of Barcelona and another for sending alerts to the population via satellite 

On 26 February 2025, stakeholders from public authorities, research institutions, civil society, the private sector and other potential stakeholders convened in Barcelona to address disaster risk management (DRM) challenges and the integration of satellite technologies. The workshop ‘Satellite-based Services for Disaster Risk Management’ has highlighted the potential of European Union satellite applications in enhancing the Member state response and risk reduction capacities amid rising risks from floods, wildfires, and earthquakes. 

This event, which is part of a national workshop series launched by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) aimed at raising awareness of the many possibilities offered by the EU Space Programme components for disaster risk management, was organised by EUSPA itself in collaboration with Eurisy, a European network dedicated to promoting the use of space technologies and satellite data in society, the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), the Secretariat for Digital Policies of the Government of Catalonia, and the Spanish Space Agency (AEE). The workshop was also supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Ministry of Defence. 

The session opened with remarks from Juan Carlos Cortés, Director of the Spanish Space Agency (AEE), who stated: “Disaster management presents a global challenge demanding equally global solutions. Space offers a unique perspective to tackle this, particularly given that a sense of security is a major concern for citizens today. The concept of security encompasses a broad spectrum of threats, ranging from climate change and the danger of asteroid impacts to volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and floods. The Spanish Space Agency aims to improve citizens’ lives through the application of space technology, and this congress undoubtedly aligns with that commendable mission. Spain, through space programmes such as SpainSat NG, the Atlantic Constellation, DRACO, SST, and PNT, among others, exemplifies its leadership in developing space technologies for security and disaster management.” 

The Secretary for Digital Policy of the Government of Catalonia, Maria Galindo, highlighted the role of the Catalan Government in positioning Catalonia in the application of satellite

technologies for the benefit of society: “Emergency management is a critical area where space technologies can provide a unique value. Events like this are essential to connect the space sector with end users and ensure that satellite-based solutions address real and specific needs. From the Catalan Government, through the NewSpace Strategy, we are working to promote this collaboration and position Catalonia as a benchmark in the application of innovative space technologies for the benefit of society,” she stated. 

The director of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC, Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya), Ignasi Ribas, stated that “Today’s event is a demonstration of the effort we are making from the IEEC and the Generalitat to promote cooperation at the state, European, and international levels, to drive the transformation of our society through the new space economy, and to address the climate emergency. The goal of this cooperation is to position Catalonia as an active player in the effort to improve services for citizens and industry through solutions provided by satellite infrastructures and the data and information they provide us.”

The IEEC director, Ignasi Ribas, during his presentation

Representing the EU Space Programme, Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of EUSPA, underlined “With more than 4 billion Galileo-enabled devices worldwide, EU space technology is now an essential tool in disaster risk management. The EU Space Programme provides critical support for emergency response, helping authorities make faster, data-driven decisions that save lives and protect communities. By leveraging Copernicus, GOVSATCOM and Galileo for precise positioning and emergency alerting, we are strengthening Europe’s resilience against natural and manmade disasters”.

The workshop also provided the opportunity to witness two demonstrations to showcase the real-time capabilities of space technology in providing a rapid response in emergency situations. The first demonstration was a Search And Rescue (SAR) exercise, in which SASEMAR (a sea search and rescue agency that operates in Spain), supported by the Mossos d’Esquadra and the fire brigade, deployed two boats and a rescue helicopter to simulate a real-time maritime assistance operation. The demonstration aimed to highlight the effectiveness and speed of Galileo SAR Service and its Return Link Service, the European Union’s satellite navigation and positioning system, as key tools in maritime rescue operations. 

The workshop included a simulation of a maritime assistance operation in real time.

Furthermore, the audience had the chance to experience the upcoming Galileo Emergency Warning Satellite Service (EWSS). This technology is in its testing phase and will become the future means of mass alert messaging to populations in areas threatened by natural or manmade disasters, improving current capabilities. As a satellite-based communication system using Galileo, the EWSS will represent a major transformation. Unlike current alerts, which rely on terrestrial phone networks, EWSS will send information, alerts and safety instructions to conventional phones, even in areas with no coverage, thus improving risk zone delineation and extending the reach of protected populations. By ensuring the distribution of alert messages and guidance, EWSS will enhance the connection between

users and space, increasing rescue capabilities in large-scale emergencies and safeguarding populations at threat. 

The workshop presented satellite-enabled capabilities, providing Spanish stakeholders insights into integrating space technologies across disaster management phases. Panel discussions explored Spanish cases involving wildfires, floods, and earthquakes, presenting national efforts and challenges in preparedness and response. The first thematic panel featured space companies showcasing practical applications of satellite data in support of the disaster management cycle and their integration into daily workflows. The second focused on emergency system users sharing experiences, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and opportunities to enhance satellite data accessibility. Discussions drew on Spanish case studies and best practices to outline actionable recommendations for policymakers and civil protection agencies, strengthening collaboration between service providers and end-users. 

Space-enabled services already play a prominent role in Spanish DRM activities. The most frequent type of disaster was wildfires, accounting for 75% of activations. The latest Copernicus activation occurred in response to a flood in Valencia in October 2024. In Spain last year, 42 activations of Galileo SAR RLS beacons led to 172 lives saved. 

One of the demonstrations of the workshop consisted of sending an alert message to the mobile phone using the future Galileo Emergency Warning Satellite Service (EWSS), which is currently in the testing phase.

In this context, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, announced in Valencia last January a call for projects to develop innovative space-based solutions addressing the challenges of climate events in the Mediterranean. This initiative, with a budget of €5 million, seeks collaboration between industry, academia, and public institutions, fostering the development of capabilities both upstream (new technologies) and downstream (application of existing technologies) 

You can discover more about this workshop in this video.

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The Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) is the official access point and cloud processing platform for Sentinel imagery. But not all stakeholders want a satellite image: for many users, data processing is out of reach, and they want direct quantitative results such as land cover or bio-physical quantities. The Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) delivers calibrated products for land management, such as soil moisture, temperature, water quality and vegetation characteristics. The global products of the CLMS are now available directly within CDSE using OData, STAC, and S3, but also for processing with the Sentinel Hub APIs and even for visualisation in the Copernicus Browser. This means that users who are not experts in analysing satellite imagery can request these datasets directly and create new products based on them. The OGC Services seem to be particularly popular for these datasets: CDSE can be used to integrate not only satellite images but also CLMS products directly into web maps, GIS software and client-facing applications.
 
The available datasets include:
 
  • Soil moisture and soil water index,
  • Snow cover and snow water equivalent,
  • Land surface temperature in hourly time steps (!) together with the Thermal Condition Index,
  • Vegetation properties including Fractional Cover, Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation and Leaf Area Index
  • Gross Primary Productivity, Net Primary Productivity and Dry Matter Productivity for vegetation
  • Land surface phenology based on yearly time series
  • NDVI and NDVI statistics
  • Burnt area maps
  • Water bodies extent and water quality
  • Lake river ice extent
We trust that these datasets will radically shorten the path from information to knowledge for many applications related to environmental monitoring, spatial planning or land management.
 
Dry Matter Productivity of Southern Europe and North Africa, visualized in a global 3D view. This scene is accessible here: https://link.dataspace.copernicus.eu/mne6

e-GEOS was recently awarded the leadership of an ambitious strategic project to build a digital twin of the entire Italian territory, with the aim of deepening morphological knowledge of the national land and supporting its management. This is one of many examples of how the company is developing innovative digital twin solutions to understand and protect territories, strengthening security, resilience and sustainability.
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Geoinformation-based technologies are today crucial tools for land management and monitoring. e-GEOS – a company owned by the Italian Space Agency (20%) and Telespazio (80%), part of the Leonardo Group – is involved in the development of innovative solutions capable of producing simulation scenarios of the physical dynamics of the territory, offering decision-makers solid and realistic scientific foundations.

The company recently was awarded a contract by the Department of Sustainable Development (DiSS) of the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to develop a Digital Twin of Italy's land, based on aerial LiDAR surveys and aerogravimetric data. The aim is to provide the country with complete and uniform LiDAR coverage and a new national gravimetric database, two fundamental tools for understanding, representing and managing the territory more effectively.

The digital model will cover the entire national territory, including major and minor islands. LiDAR data will enable the reproduction of the land's surface, infrastructure and vegetation with an unprecedented level of detail; aerogravimetric surveys will ensure the updating of the national geoid model, an essential reference for altimetry and geodetic analysis. When integrated, these data will offer the possibility of interpreting the territory not only on the surface, but also in its deeper dynamics.

The project has a wide range of potential applications: from improving slope stability to mapping flood-risk areas, from planning resilient infrastructure to enhancing positioning systems and subsurface analyses, up to identifying raw material deposits.
More Digital Twin projects by e-GEOS

For e-GEOS, this project is just the latest in a long series of innovative initiatives dedicated to Digital Twin development. The company is Prime Contractor of the European Space Agency’s “SURE” (Smart Urban Resilience Enhancement) project, which involves the development of digital models to simulate scenarios related to heat islands and flooding in urban areas. The initiative integrates multiplatform data, from both remote and close-range sensing, as well as in-situ measurements, with the goal of developing new technologies that provide advanced tools for understanding, simulation and decision-making support to mitigate the impacts of climate change in urban contexts.

Meanwhile, e-GEOS is also part of the consortium in charge of developing a Hydro-Meteo Digital Twin within the framework of the IRIDE Program, promoted by the Italian Government and managed by ESA and the Italian Space Agency. This digital model will provide data and simulation tools for different thematic areas, contributing in particular to hydrogeological risk management and air quality monitoring.


Discover how Naples-based Latitudo 40 is designing the future of EO and space data by integrating generative AI and Large Language Models by developing a fully functioning AI agent with the purpose to make geospatial insights open to the wider public.
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Latitudo 40 is redefining the future of climate innovation through space. At the European Space Agency’s Acceleration Days in Brussels, the Italian geospatial intelligence company unveiled a groundbreaking AI-powered solution that combines satellite Earth Observation, Large Language Models, and Generative AI to make climate mitigation strategies more accessible, actionable, and impactful for cities, institutions, and businesses.

Latitudo 40, Italian company expert in providing Earth Observation solutions for ESG strategies and decisions, unveiled its new revolutionary product during the European Space Agency’s Acceleration Days.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is the main institution in Europe dedicated to the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of humankind. Through its Acceleration Days, ESA promotes immersive multi-day innovation sprints where industry leaders in the space economy challenge themselves and share expertise to design new solutions that leverage space data and technologies.

For the 5-day innovation sprint hosted in Brussels from September 8th, 2025, to September 12th, 2025, the main goal was to accelerate the green transition for smart cities by unlocking the power of Large Language Models (LLM): advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems trained on vast amounts of text to understand, generate, and process human language.

In this scenario, Latitudo 40 stood out by delivering a fully functioning prototype of its brand-new AI Agent: a conversational chatbot programmed to understand human language and provide actionable geospatial insights without wrestling with complex actions, but just with intuitive, spontaneous conversations. This new technology acts as a true digital assistant for geospatial analysis, combining the power of Earth Observation, Large Language Models, and Generative AI.

The implications of this development are fundamental to making communities and institutions move toward a more sustainable dimension of innovation and growth. Thanks to the new AI agent, for example, urban planners can program climate mitigation interventions with just a simple ask-and-answer exchange. Or, in another scenario, corporate executives with limited expertise in geospatial data can better understand and manage ESG-oriented decisions and strategies, just by chatting.

This achievement — made possible only by Latitudo 40’s blend of high-level expertise, relentless passion, and unstoppable teamwork — is set to be a game-changer for sustainable and resilient economic development.

In the words of Gaetano Volpe, CEO at Latitudo 40, “Our team is creating powerful, customized assets for urban planners, city officers, and real estate developers, helping them make the most of satellite data in ways we’ve never seen before. This is the future of sustainable urban planning!”

An incredible achievement that is not only beneficial to the company itself, but for the whole Campania region. “I firmly believe this is the kind of innovation that can position Campania on the world map as a leader in the geospatial and downstream industries,” outlines Mr. Volpe. “Campania has the potential to be a hub for breakthrough solutions like this, driving sustainable climate resilience and making a real impact globally.”

As the prototyping phase of the new product successfully closed during ESA Acceleration Days, the product is now on its roadmap to reach the wider public for official release on Earth Data Insights, Latitudo 40’s soon-to-be-launched Geospatial Intelligence platform.
A Software as a Service (SaaS) based platform which, through the use of satellite imagery, data, and highly performant AI algorithms, provides climate change monitoring on relevant variables and actionable insights for future environmental interventions, estimating the impact of future “what if” scenarios.

“It’s not just about analyzing historical data; it’s about leveraging Earth Data Insights’ simulation tools to model and evaluate the best possible solutions, both economically and environmentally,” adds Mr. Volpe, before concluding with a hopeful wish: “We are designing the best tools to accelerate the green transition. Let’s shape a more sustainable future together!”

Watch the full demo for Latitudo 40’s AI agent on their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7372214904386301952 

About Latitudo 40
Latitudo 40 is an Italian geospatial intelligence company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Naples, Italy. The company specializes in transforming satellite imagery into actionable insights using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Latitudo 40 has established itself as a leading provider of cloud-based geospatial analytics, serving municipalities, government agencies, and enterprises across Europe. The company’s solutions address critical challenges in urban planning, climate risk management, infrastructure monitoring, and environmental compliance.

The SDGs-EYES project - a three-year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (January 2023 – January 2026) - has been actively working to deliver a portfolio of results aimed at strengthening Europe’s capacity to monitor the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via Copernicus services. By combining technical innovation, stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue, the project demonstrates how Earth Observation (EO) and data-driven services can support evidence-based decision making.
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The SDGs-EYES project – a three-year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (January 2023 – January 2026) –  has been actively working to deliver a portfolio of results aimed at strengthening Europe’s capacity to monitor the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via Copernicus services. By combining technical innovation, stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue, the project demonstrates how Earth Observation (EO) and data-driven services can support evidence-based decision making.

Between January and May 2025, SDGs-EYES hosted a series of User Uptake Webinars, following its co-design workshops and test-validation activities. These events allowed potential users to actively shape and evaluate services in the four EU and non-EU pilot areas – the North Sea, the City of Turin, the Province of Cosenza, and Romania, and the Sahel region. Moreover, to further promote project outcomes, two dissemination webinars showcased how SDGs-EYES services help raise awareness of the impacts of climate change, both to the environment and people.

The project’s dissemination and outreach activities have also included the publication of two policy briefs up to now: one introducing the FIRE-TRACE tool, which advances greenhouse gas monitoring to support climate-related SDG reporting, and another highlighting how EO-based solutions can fill critical data gaps for SDG 14 indicators (Life Below Water). Three other policy briefs on the services of Climate security, Extreme temperatures risk, and Forest cover and erosion will follow in October 2025. In addition, several scientific publications have been accepted, expanding the project’s knowledge base and visibility.

At the core of SDGs-EYES is the SDGs-EYES Platform, now publicly released. It features dedicated front-end prototypes shaped by stakeholder needs, demonstrating the innovative SDG indicators, and a JupyterLab environment for scientists and experts to create and test new indicators. A newly launched project video captures the platform’s capabilities and the impact of SDGs-EYES.

As the project enters its final phase, efforts focus on finalising services and promoting their uptake and integration into policy and operational frameworks. The final project event will take place on 26–27 November 2025 in Lecce, Italy, with hybrid participation available. This event will present the project’s key results, lessons learned and opportunities for the future exploitation and scaling of SDGs-EYES services.



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EOMAP’s web app for Satellite-Derived Bathymetry (SDB) offers a new feature for calibration and validation.

Hydrographic surveying often involves high risks, large financial budgets and qualified personnel. Since 2022, eoapp SDB-Online has been a highly efficient solution for targeted planning of survey campaigns, mapping remote or very large areas or filling data gaps. Within hours, users can process bathymetric data in a cloud environment, benefitting them with significant time and cost savings.

Now, eoapp SDB-Online offers a new feature, the integration of Satellite Lidar Bathymetry (SLB) Data. In general, users need no on-site data to obtain valid bathymetry data with eoapp SDB-Online. This is the beauty of EOMAP’s physics-based approach. 

However, they can upload own survey data for refinement and validation purposes. Users lacking these data, can now use Satellite Lidar Data from NASA’s ATLAS sensor IceSat-2. This independent validation and calibration data will be directly integrated into AOIs purchased within the eoapp.

eoapp SDB-Online is part of EOMAP’s series of online solutions for decision support leveraging high-quality satellite data. 

Discover eoapp SDB-Online

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Menut, a nanosatellite promoted by the Government of Catalonia and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) and launched over two years ago, was designed to capture Earth images, with a special focus on the Catalan region. Now, these images are officially accessible to the public through the Menut Viewer, enabling users to explore and download them for a wide range of applications. The IEEC has also just closed a call for the second edition of its ‘Earth Observation Use Case Ideas competition for the Private Sector’ which invites companies in the Catalan sector to propose innovative ways they can implement the use of Menut data into their operations. Winners of the competition can receive up to €50,000 in funding to support their projects.

Image rendered by OpenCosmos shows Menut orbiting Earth.

What is Menut?

On 3 January 2023, the Government of Catalonia launched its second nanosatellite from the Cape Canaveral space base in Florida, USA. This satellite was named Menut, which means ‘small’ in Catalan. The mission is managed by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) with the technical support from the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), and was awarded to Open Cosmos, the company responsible for its design, manufacturing, and operation.

NewSpace represents a disruption of the use and access of space, allowing start-ups, SMEs and large companies to look for new opportunities in the space sector through the new implementation of nanosatellites, allowing access to space to be cheaper and more manageable. Menut is the first Earth observation mission based on a small satellite developed within the framework of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia promoted by the Catalan Government. It is a nanosatellite based on a 6 CubeSat unit (6U) platform and weighing less than 10kg. It orbits the Earth at a distance of 538 km in a Sun synchronous orbit and with a speed of about 8 km/s, meaning it passes over Catalonia approximately every 5 days. Equipped with a state-of-the-art multispectral camera that operates in the visible and near infra-red spectrum range, Menut is able to acquire images from space with a spatial resolution of up to 5 meters of any location on Earth, while prioritising images from Catalonia. 

The IEEC designed and contracted this mission through a service provision framework and owns the Earth observation data over Catalonia. In turn, Open Cosmos retains the ability to commercialize the remaining satellite capacity. 

View of the northern region of Catalonia, obtained by the Menut nanosatellite. Credit: image of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), processed by the Cartographic and Geologic Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) and financed by the Government of Catalonia as part of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, under the license CC BY 4.0.

What does Menut do?

Menut’s main mission is the observation of the Earth with a special focus in the region of Catalonia, aimed at enhancing spatial planning and supporting efforts to monitor and mitigate the effects of climate change. The collected data is integrated into services that address critical challenges such as the climate emergency, energy crisis, and the management of natural resources and disasters. Menut also serves as a complementary source of data to larger missions, such as Sentinel-2, providing higher revisit times and added flexibility for regional monitoring needs.

Use cases

Menut was implemented into the first “Earth Observation Use Case Ideas Competition for the Private Sector”, an initiative coordinated by the IEEC and promoted by the Government of Catalonia. This competition aimed to enhance the competitiveness of private sector companies by incorporating satellite data technology, offering funding of up to €50,000. Two Earth-observation use cases applicable to the Catalan territory were selected and funded: the projects MARE (company isardSAT) and MOT (company SPASCAT).

On one hand, MARE aims to enhance drought monitoring capabilities in Catalonia through remote sensing-based soil moisture products at high spatial and temporal resolution. MOT, on the other hand, introduces an application designed for agricultural professionals without requiring specialized training. This tool automates field monitoring—specifically for tree and vineyard farms—by analyzing spectral data from satellites.

Recently, the second edition of the competition was launched, giving companies the opportunity to submit their proposals until 24 February 2025.

What can you do with Menut?

Examples of what can be done with the images acquired by the Menut nanosatellite. Algebra between spectral bands can be computed to estimate indices to monitor changes in water content or to quantify vegetation density, among other applications. Credit: images of the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), processed by the Cartographic and Geologic Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) and financed by the Government of Catalonia as part of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, under the license CC BY 4.0.

Recently, the images from Menut were officially made publicly and freely available to everyone on the Menut Viewer. This interactive tool allows users to visualise and download the images captured by Menut for all purposes, whether business, professional, academic or personal. It was developed by the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC), which has been working closely with the IEEC and Open Cosmos since Menut’s launch to ensure the regular provision of images with the established quality criteria.

Businesses can also benefit from these images by incorporating them into their operations and therefore enhancing their competitiveness in the sector. The use of these images are categorised into 6 different areas:

  1. Outreach: generation of content, news, and illustrations to promote the features, possibilities, and usefulness of this type of data.
  2. Training: creation of educational content to explain the main techniques and methodologies of Earth Observation and to develop teaching and training materials for analysing and processing this data.
  3. Interpretation: visual or digital analysis to determine or delimit landscape elements and identify objects or cover types.
  4. Spectral response analysis: analysis and differentiation of various cover types and the creation of spectral indices that help in understanding the territory and its condition.
  5. Biophysical variable determination: extraction of values for biophysical variables using information gathered from spectral bands. This information can later be validated with field data to establish segmentation of these variable values.
  6. Detection of temporal changes: using data sets taken at different times, changes in the territory can be analysed, both geometric (such as the shape or texture of elements studied) and radiometric.

You can access the viewer by clicking here.

Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC)
Esteve Terradas 1, Edifici RDIT, Oficina 212
Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia (PMT), Campus del Baix Llobregat - UPC
08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona)

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EOMAP’s web app for water quality monitoring convinced the jury and beat out 120 applications.

Global warming puts severe pressure on water bodies. This calls for efficient monitoring of water quality, for example to timely detect harmful algae blooms. Satellite sensors can provide these key parameters in a near-real time - so far for highly specialised analysts only.

With eoapp AQUA, authorities and industry can gain satellite-based information within few mouse clicks. The smart concept and user-friendly dashboards have convinced the jury of the German Innovation Prize 2025 to nominate the web app in the category “medium-sized enterprises”. On 27 March, the final winner will be announced at the award ceremony in Munich. The Prize is a renowned award involving the German business media “Wirtschaftswoche” and “Handelsblatt”. EOMAP is listed next to companies, such as SIEMENS Energy or Infineon.

Eoapp AQUA offers an unprecedented wealth of data and a comprehensive overview of many water bodies at a time. The cloud-based solution includes an intuitive data viewer, a long-term analysis tool (+35 years back) and an alert function. It supports applications, such as bathing waters surveillance, environmental impact monitoring or climate change studies. This leads to safer decision making and to significant time or cost savings.

eoapp AQUA is part of EOMAP’s series of online solutions for decision support leveraging high-quality satellite data.

Discover eoapp AQUA