In the high-stakes world of Space, we’ve spent decades playing a frustrating game of “wait and see” when it comes to Earth Observation (EO). You wait for the satellite to pass over, you wait for the clouds to clear, and you wait for the data to be processed into something actually useful. By the time you get your answer, the flood has usually already come and gone.
Enter RSS-Hydro. Based in the heart of Luxembourg’s booming space ecosystem, this geospatial analytics company isn't just processing data or running models; they are reimagining the very "recipe" of satellite intelligence. By 2026, their dual-threat strategy—the “multi-Sensor” and the “Pin” approach—is effectively flipping the EO market on its head.
Multi-Sensor Data: Moving Beyond the Single Ingredient
For years, the EO industry was siloed. You were either a "Radar person" (SAR) or an "Optical person." SAR could see through clouds but looked like grainy static to the untrained eye; Optical was beautiful and intuitive but useless the moment a storm rolled in.
RSS-Hydro’s multi-sensor or “data cocktail” approach treats these sensors not as rivals, but as ingredients. By using high-resolution SAR from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 missions as well as the rich spectral detail of Sentinel-2 with static hydrological layers from Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), and even satellite microwave data, they create a composite view that is greater than the sum of its parts.
This isn't just a simple overlay. Being able to deploy on various computing architectures, whether cloud or HPC supercomputers, RSS-Hydro employs a mix between signal processing and machine learning to fill in the gaps. The result? A clear, all-weather map that doesn't care if it's raining.
The ‘Pin’ Approach: Precision Where it Hits the Ground
If the multi-sensor is the what, the Pin approach is the where.
The traditional EO market sold "pixels" – large swaths of land without meaningful insights. But a city manager doesn't need a map of a province; they need to know if the water is going to hit the electrical substation on 5th Street.
The Pin approach "pins" satellite-derived (flood) intelligence to specific, high-value assets. It bridges the "last mile" of EO data by:
Localizing risk: Instead of broad area maps, it provides location-based (pinned) alerts for specific infrastructure using customizable parameters.
Integrating In-situ Sensors & Auxiliary Data: It can pull in data from IoT water-level sensors, from forecast simulations or even from citizen science-based collections to validate the satellite’s view in real-time.
Enabling LLMs to instantly interpret impacts: It converts large satellite imagery into lightweight, semantic "knowledge pins" either directly on a spacecraft or on the ground, enabling LLMs to instantly interpret impacts on specific assets or at specific locations through simple text-based data that can be processed on even the most resource-constrained platform or edge devices.
"The EO market is shifting from selling images to selling impact. We don't just tell you it's flooding; we pin the risk to your front door." — Insight into the RSS-Hydro Philosophy.
Why the Market is Shifting
The commercial impact of these approaches will be profound. First responders, emergency managers, Insurance, transportation and supply logistics companies, all need to move away from static models toward the dynamic "Pin" for real-time alerting and planning.
By breaking the "single-image" habit, RSS-Hydro has proved that the future of space isn't just about what we put into orbit - it’s about how we interpret the signals we’re already getting.
On 28th July of 2025 at night, a wildfire broke out near Mombeltrán (Ávila province, central Spain), rapidly spreading across the Sierra de Gredos and threatening nearby communities. OpenCosmos quickly activated its Hyper-500 product derived from hyperspectral Hammer satellite to capture imagery over the affected area. Within hours after the July 30th 15:13 UTC acquisition, the data was downloaded to the ground station, transferred, processed and analyzed, delineating the burn area and estimating the amount of hectares burned as of the image acquired during the event.
Early detection provides a crucial window of opportunity for rapid response, allowing firefighting teams to attack the fire while it is still small and manageable. This proactive approach significantly increases the chances of successful containment, preventing the fire from escalating into an uncontrollable megafire. It drastically reduces the overall cost of suppression, minimizes damage to ecosystems and property, and most importantly, saves lives by enabling timely evacuations and ensuring the safety of first responders.
The unique combination of the Hyper-500 constellation’s 32-band VNIR hyperspectral payload—delivering 5-meter resolution—and the OpenConstellation edge computing framework enables a paradigm shift in real-time intelligence. The satellites enable the deployment of algorithms directly to the spacecraft board, thus processing imagery on-board to generate low-latency insights. These 'lite' data products are then downlinked via Inter-Satellite Link (ISL) in a matter of minutes, effectively merging the company’s Earth Observation and telecommunications infrastructure into a single, high-speed backbone for rapid decision-making.
Active wildfire fronts can be precisely identified and monitored using optical multispectral and hyperspectral satellite imagery. While Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) and Thermal Infrared (TIR) bands are the primary domains for detecting thermal anomalies, hyperspectral data in the Visible and Near-Infrared (VNIR) range provides a unique chemical fingerprint of the combustion process. Specifically, it allows for the detection of narrow atomic emission peaks from elements like potassium (~766–770 nm), sodium (~819 nm), and calcium (~850–866 nm). Moreover, because longer wavelengths in the NIR and SWIR ranges penetrate smoke more effectively than visible light, these sensors can map the active flame front even when it is obscured by dense plumes.
The acquired imagery is limited to the VNIR (Visible and Near-Infrared) spectrum. While True Color (RGB) composites failed to penetrate the dense smoke plumes generated by the active wildfire, the upper Red-Edge and NIR bands demonstrate a superior capacity for smoke penetration. In cases where smoke is not excessively thick, these longer wavelengths are less affected by Mie scattering, allowing for a clearer observation of the active fire front and underlying terrain.
Figure 1: True Color Image in the affected area showing the smoke and False Color composite R, NIR, Blue
Building upon these spectral signatures, an empirical detection method was developed by leveraging the Hyper-500’s 32-band VNIR range through advanced band algebra. By specifically isolating the channels corresponding to the potassium (766–770 nm) and calcium (~850 nm) emission peaks, the algorithm can automatically distinguish active hotspots from solar reflectance. This logic transforms hyperspectral data into a high-value 'lite' insight—a precise fire front delineation—which is then prioritized for immediate downlink via Inter-Satellite Link. This workflow ensures that critical fire-mapping intelligence reaches ground segments within minutes of acquisition, bypassing the latency of traditional raw data processing.
Figure 2: Normalized Differential NIR - Red Edge, and two close ups of several delineated wildfire fronts
Some hyperspectral upper NIR and Red Edge bands have a peak of reflection that can differentiate the active fire front in comparison to other bands heavily influenced by chlorophyll scattering (Red Edge 2 and Red Edge 1) that doesn’t have the contribution of the peak of Potassium, Sodium or Calcium in the wildfire.
These bands can be combined and operated through different analytics to delineate the active fronts and the burned area.
Band
Name
Central wavelength
Spectral Range
FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum)
Overlapping Chemical fingerprint
HS20
RedEdge 2
739nm
712,13 - 765,87 nm
26.87nm
-
HS21
RedEdge 2
755nm
727,57 - 782,43 nm
27.43nm
Potassium (~766–770 nm)
HS22
RedEdge 3
770nm
742,05 - 797,95 nm
27.95nm
HS23
RedEdge 3
785nm
756,52 - 813,48
28.48nm
HS24
Near Infra-Red
799nm
770,03 - 827,97
28.97nm
Potassium (~766–770 nm) Sodium (~819 nm)
HS25 HS26
Near Infra-Red Near Infra-Red
814nm 830nm
787,51 - 843,49 nm 799,95 - 860,05
29.49nm 30.05nm
Sodium (~819 nm)
HS27
Near Infra-Red
844nm
813,46 - 874,54 nm
30.54nm
Sodium (~819 nm) Calcium (~850–866 nm)
HS28
Near Infra-Red
860nm
828,9 - 891,10 nm
31.10nm
Calcium (~850–866 nm)
HS29 HS30
Near Infra-Red Near Infra-Red
874nm 884nm
842,41 - 905,59 nm 852,06 - 915,94 nm
31.59nm 31.94nm
The normalized differential index between the NIR band 30 and Red Edge band 20 in addition to a proxy derived NDVI (Band HS25 NIR and Band HS15 Red) to discard false positives, generates an SNR high enough to discriminate these NIR peak detections from healthy vegetation.
Figure 3: Normalized Differential NIR - Red Edge, False Color HS30, HS20, HS01 and detection over VHR pre-fire condition
Figure 4: a) Normalized Differential NIR (HS30) - Red Edge (HS20), False Color HS30, HS20, HS01 and detection over VHR pre-fire condition.
A further investigation will be performed trying to correlate the peaks of reflectivity with the chemistry of combustion of Sodium, Calcium and Potassium and thus try to remove potential false positives and consolidate the approach. Moreover the technique will be refined lowering the threshold of detection and limiting the search only in close neighbour overlapping of 100-m buffer from the initial pixel detections.
The OpenCosmos Hyper-500 product offers high-resolution hyperspectral imagery, capturing 32 bands at under 5m resolution. The Technical Specifications of this constellation are detailed below:
● 2 satellites
● Ground Sampling Distance (GSD): 4.75m @ Nadir
● Swath Width: 19 km
● Bit Depth: 8, or 12 bits
● Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at 14:00 hours Local Time Descending Node (LTDN).
● Swath Resolution: 4096 pixels wide
● Edge Computing with AI-onboard
● IoT and Inter-Satellite-Link
Spectral Bands
The hyperspectral payload captures 32 channels in the visible and near infrared spectral range. The imager captures in linescan mode using a wedge filter. The 32 spectral bands central wavelengths can be chosen by the band start row, with the filter width being influenced by the number of dTDI stages in use. For simplicity, below the central wavelengths are listed at 1 dTDI stage with the nominal band start rows selected.
Healthy benthic habitats are key to sustaining biodiversity, protecting coastlines, and sustainable economic development. Accurate mapping of these benthic habitats is essential for effective conservation and informed decision-making, yet conventional mapping methods are often time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Within the ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) project SFC‑Online (Seafloor Classification Online), EOMAP – a Fugro company – addresses these challenges. By providing a cloud‑based software solution named ‘BENTHIQ’, EOMAP enables stakeholders to map and monitor benthic seafloor habitats efficiently and at scale.
The new service is designed to integrate Copernicus Sentinel‑2 data, very high‑resolution commercial satellite imagery, and underwater video data into a semi‑automatic workflow powered by machine learning.
This workflow empowers users to generate high‑quality seafloor habitat maps without requiring specialist expertise in Earth Observation or access to high‑performance local computing infrastructure. ‘BENTHIQ’ is developed in close collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the State Office for the Environment Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, who, in their role as pilot users, deliver training data and support the development of the web application with their expert knowledge.
The market opportunity for this online solution is substantial. By combining satellite with underwater video data in a self-enabled, cloud-based platform, ‘BENTHIQ’ addresses an unmet need for cost-efficient, scalable seafloor habitat monitoring. Leveraging EOMAP’s established technological leadership and global reach, the service supports more
frequent, reliable, and evidence-based marine management across governmental, research, and industry users.
The Greek national satellite space project: axis 3 land monitoring service aims to strengthen the country's capabilities in satellite technologies and applications while facilitating the exchange of satellite data. Its primary objective is to design, develop, launch, and pre-operate small satellites capable of hosting multipurpose payloads to address both national and European needs.
The initiative seeks to provide high-resolution imagery to various Greek civil, institutional, and governmental users, as well as potential European stakeholders within the frameworks of Copernicus and GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems).
Entirely funded by the European Union (EU) through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the project supports critical applications, including Land Use/Land Cover Mapping, Deformation Monitoring, and Urban Analytics Services.
Consortis Geospatial (https://consortis-geo.gr/en) has played a pivotal role in advancing geospatial technologies, particularly in change analysis. One of its key contributions is the development of a change analysis algorithm, designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of detecting and validating land surface transformations over time.
The main contribution of Consortis Geospatial was on land Cover Classification Change Detection for Environmental and Resource Management. In that respect, Consortis Geospatial led the:
✔ Development of high-accuracy land cover maps to support sustainable environmental monitoring and natural resource management.
✔ Monitoring land use and land cover (LULC) changes to ensure long-term environmental health and sustainability.
✔ Development of a dedicated, tailored, software for LULC change detection, precision assessment and validation with improved statistical metrics.
Such change detection maps can contribute, to e.g., Agricultural Planning and Sustainable Land Use through:
✔ Enhancing agricultural planning by distinguishing between vegetation types, optimizing crop rotation, and improving soil management.
✔ Promoting precision agriculture through detailed classification and mapping of farmland.
and to Disaster Risk Management and Early Warning Systems through:
✔ Utilizing land cover classification and feature extraction for early warning systems in detecting floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
✔ Providing real-time geospatial insights to mitigate disaster risks, protecting both lives and property.
This advanced Land Cover change service by Consortis Geospatial will be a critical tool for policymakers, land managers, urban planners, and researchers, enhancing land management, disaster resilience, and environmental sustainability across Greece and beyond.
“The project is being carried out under an ESA Contract in the frame of the Greek National Satellite Space Project. The Project: Small-Satellites (Measure ID 16855) is implemented by the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance with the European Space Agency (ESA) Assistance in the Management and Implementation. The project is part of the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan ‘Greece 2.0’, which is funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), core programme of the European Union-NextGenerationEU.
Views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union/European Commission/European Space Agency/ Greek Ministry of Digital Governance. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and the European Union/European Commission/European Space Agency/ Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”
GAF AG, an e-GEOS (Telespazio/ASI) company, has been awarded a World Bank-funded contract to modernise and expand Burkina Faso’s mining cadastre system eMC+ within the framework of the Support to Land and Mining Management Strengthening Project (PARGFM) at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Development. The system update of GAF AG’s computerised mining cadastre platform eMC+ aims to reinforce efficiency, digital governance and customer service, thereby ensuring information transparency and accessibility within EITI-standards, and fostering land and mining cadastre interoperability in Burkina Faso.
The Ministry of Economy, Finance and Development of Burkina Faso’s “Support to Land and Mining Management Strengthening Project” (“Projet d’Appui au Reinforcement de la Gestion du Foncier et des Mines,” PARGFM) is being funded by the World Bank. PARGFM has contracted GAF AG to upgrade eMC+ + for the Mining Cadastre Department at the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries to its latest version and implement additional modules of the cadastral platform, in order to ensure continuous operation and enhance transparency and the provision of rapid service by the Mining Cadastre General Directorate (DGCM).
The services being provided will be carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and Quarries and under the supervision of its IT Services Directorate, within the framework of its IT master plan. They will include the development of new key features, such as electronic fee payments, improved customer notifications and interactive online services, with the aim of streamlining administrative procedures for mineral title applicants and holders in accordance with the latest requirements.
By accelerating the processing of mining titles and improving public access to information, the new eMC+ version is expected to further strengthen investor confidence and increase revenues for Burkina Faso’s mining sector.
The eMC+ system, which GAF AG first implemented in Burkina Faso in 2015, is a flagship product of GAF AG. It supports mineral tenure administration and public information access in line with EITI (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) standards. The system has been operational in Burkina Faso since 2018 and has a central role in managing and regulating the country’s mining titles.
The modernisation is intended to not only ensure continuous operation of the cadastre system but also to transfer technical skills to the Directorate-General of Mining Cadastre (DGCM), thus enabling full in-country management and sustainability within the context of the Ministry’s broader IT master plan.
The contract reinforces a decade-long consulting collaboration between the DGCM and GAF AG, marking a successful continuation of efforts to support a digital transformation and good governance for Burkina Faso’s mineral resources management.
Kick-off meeting at the Mining Cadastre office with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, Mambagari COMBARI, the Director General of the Mining Cadastre, Mamadou SAGNON, and representatives of GAF AG.
GAF AG, an e-GEOS S.p.A. (Telespazio S.p.A. /ASI) company based in Munich and Neustrelitz, was founded in Munich in 1985 as the first German company with a focus on applied remote sensing. It is one of the leading commercial geoinformation service providers in Europe. As part of the e-GEOS S.p.A./Telespazio S.p.A. group of companies, GAF AG offers an extensive service portfolio that, in addition to the direct reception and distribution of satellite data, also includes highly developed analysis techniques, AI processes and the tailor-made development of geoinformation and software systems and platforms as well as comprehensive consulting solutions.The products and services in the sector of Advanced Air Mobility Solutions (drones) cover the entire value chain from data collection to system provision. The areas of thematic expertise for public and private clients worldwide include land monitoring, natural resource management, water and environmental monitoring, agriculture and forestry, mining, emergency management and infrastructure security. GAF AG is also one of the most experienced European service providers in the EU/ESA Copernicus programme, due to its many years of service implementation for the Copernicus land monitoring service, emergency management service and security and in-situ service components.
The European Space Agency will host StatEO26 – The EO for Official Statistics and Policy Indicators Reporting Conference at ESA-ESRIN on 5–7 May 2026. Co-organised with Eurostat (DG ESTAT), JRC, DG DEFIS, DG ENV, EARSC, EEA, OECD, UNSD, FAO, UNECE, the University of Hannover, and Biodiversity Alliance & CIAT, StatEO26 convenes national statistical offices, mapping and environmental agencies, EO providers, researchers and policy stakeholders to accelerate how satellite data feeds official statistics and policy reporting at national and international levels.
Why this conference matters
As governments scale up reporting on sustainability, environment and economy, Earth Observation (EO) offers consistent, timely and spatially rich evidence for indicators—supporting, for example, natural capital accounting, agricultural statistics, land-cover/use reporting, urban metrics, and GHG-related statistics. StatEO26 is designed to translate that promise into operational practice, focusing on methods, standards, uncertainty, and institutional uptake.
Call for abstracts (oral, poster & workshops)
The conference invites oral, poster, and workshop proposals. Submissions are especially welcome from teams demonstrating operational use in statistical production and from the Global South, highlighting capacity gaps and integration pathways with official systems. No special proceedings are foreseen. Submit via the conference portal. Key dates below.
Thematic oral sessions: Authors are encouraged to align with one of these tracks (each with a strong focus on methods, metadata and routes to official uptake):
Agriculture Statistics — crop type/area, yield, seasonal monitoring, change detection; integration with national crop tables and SDG/SEEA-related outputs.
Natural Capital Accounting — EO for SEEA ecosystem extent/condition/services; links to air, water, land and ocean accounts with traceable methods.
EO for SDGs & Environmental Policy Reporting — how EO supports national SDG and biodiversity reporting; processing chains and uncertainty handling.
Land Use / Land Cover (LULC) — operational classification & change detection; validation, INSPIRE links, reporting units (grid/NUTS), registries.
People & Urban Areas — population and settlement mapping, access to services, built-up area/green space per capita, heat-island, informal settlements.
Economy & Infrastructure — transport/industrial footprints, construction activity, night-time lights and other EO proxies for economic statistics.
Sustainability Indicators — forests, land degradation, biodiversity, emissions; validation, integration with national inventories and official outputs.
Interactive workshopsWorkshops are participatory (e.g., World Café/breakouts) and must deliver actionable recommendations. Propose one of the following:
Project Credible’s partners, together with invited experts, produced recently a series of reports on the challenges and solutions towards the adoption of carbon farming and regenerative agriculture across Europe. Some of the issues addressed are farmers’ perspectives, incentives to support the adoption of carbon farming, sustainability benefits, scales of governance, policy elements and synergies, proximal and remote sensing, and data sharing. These reports were then open for public consultation, receiving more than 40 comments with insightful ideas and suggestions. Have a look at the documents and the feedback received here (https://www.project-credible.eu/consultations)
The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) is delighted to announce its active participation as an Ecosystem Partner at the upcoming Smart City Expo World Congress, taking place 4–6 November 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. This leading global event on urban innovation gathers decision-makers, industry leaders, and innovators from across the world to shape the cities of tomorrow.
As an Ecosystem Partner, EARSC brings unique benefits to its community, ensuring enhanced visibility and opportunities for collaboration within the smart cities landscape. Learn how the EO community will be part of the event and how you can network with us throughout the week.
EARSC Sessions at Smart City Expo
EARSC will host three dedicated sessions highlighting how Earth Observation (EO) solutions can empower urban decision-makers, improve sustainability, and strengthen resilience:
Wednesday 5/11 (13:20–14:10, Agora Session) From Space to City: Smart Tools and Success Stories for Tomorrow’s Cities This flagship session will feature two EARSC members — CLS Group and Grupo COTESA — presenting EO-based success stories together with their end users: Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence and the City of Madrid. The session will showcase real-world examples of EO transforming city management and services.
Thursday 6/11 (09:30–11:30, Side Event) Accelerating SDG Action with User-Driven Earth Observation: The SDGsEYES Way Focusing on the SDGs EYES project, this session will explore how user-centric EO solutions can accelerate action on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Thursday 6/11 (13:00–15:00, Side Event) Driven Blue Cities: Coastal Resilience, Innovation & Ocean Insights Highlighting projects such as OCEANIDS and VALORADA, this session will bring attention to EO’s critical role in supporting coastal cities facing climate and resilience challenges.
EARSC Stand – Showcasing the EO Community
Beyond the sessions, EARSC will be present as an exhibitor with a dynamic booth, where 14 member companies will co-exhibit and demonstrate their innovative solutions. Participating companies include:
This shared space will offer a unique opportunity for networking, knowledge exchange, and direct interaction with the global smart city community.
To further promote Earth Observation’s potential for smart cities, EARSC is preparing a special booklet of services, showcasing the capabilities of its members and the broader EO sector in the urban domain. The booklet will be available on the EARSC website ahead of the event.
Connect With Us in Barcelona
If you plan to attend Smart City Expo and wish to network with EO innovators, connect with our members, or represent a user community eager to harness space-based solutions, we invite you to get in touch: weronika.borejko@earsc.org.
Join EARSC in Barcelona this November to explore how space-powered solutions are shaping the cities of the future.
Radiometric calibration plays a central role in ensuring that satellite sensors deliver accurate, reliable, and traceable Earth Observation data. Rayference has recently published a new article titled “Elaboration of Simulated Hyperspectral Calibration Reference over Pseudo-Invariant Calibration Reference“ in the journal MDPIAtmosphere, presenting a thorough methodology for calibration and validation across a wide range of sensors and missions. This work has been funded through the European Space Agency – ESA’s HyperPICS (QA4EO) and EUMETSAT’s RPV4PICS projects. Ensuring radiometric accuracy of Earth observation satellites is a critical challenge, especially when SItraceable references are unavailable. In this paper, we introduce a refined methodology to generate Radiometric Calibration References (RCRs) based on hyperspectral simulated reflectances over bright desert PICS like Libya4 and Gobabeb.
The methodology introduces several key advancements:
Improved surface reflectance modelling using the Rahman–Pinty–Verstraete (RPV) model combined with the CISAR algorithm, ensuring more realistic representation of surface–atmosphere interactions.
Enhanced atmospheric characterization through integration of multiple state-of-the-art datasets, reducing uncertainties linked to atmospheric variability.
Use of the Eradiate Monte Carlo-based radiative transfer model, allowing highly accurate simulations across the hyperspectral domain.
Together, these refinements reduce uncertainty in simulated top-of-atmosphere reflectance, achieving an accuracy within ±3% in high-transmittance spectral regions. Validation exercises against multispectral and hyperspectral missions — including EMIT, EnMAP, and PRISMA — confirm the robustness and reliability of the approach.
Beyond the publication itself, Rayference can offer RRCR products over key desert targets such as Libya (20 km resolution) and Gobabeb (2 km resolution) for any satellite acquisition in the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges, upon request (using this form or contacting us directly). These products provide users with traceable, high-fidelity calibration references to improve sensor accuracy and ensure the interoperability of EO datasets.
Coastal zone erosion poses a significant threat to the sustainability and development of the Region of Central Macedonia (RCM), Greece. Natural causes and human activities, combined with the effects of climate change, exacerbate the risk, while the absence of systematic data collection and analysis made it challenging to prevent and address the phenomenon effectively. Consortis Geospatial, on behalf of the RCM, developed an innovative Observatory System for mapping, forecasting, and managing coastal zone erosion.
The combined effects of climate change and human activities has increased the frequency and severity of natural disasters and hazards, resulting in negative impacts on the environment, economy, and human life. To address this issue, many institutions, organizations and stakeholder authorities are shifting their focus from emergency response to disaster risk reduction, planning and mitigation. In this sense, to address the issue of coastal erosion, the Managing Authority of the Central Macedonia Region has funded a project for the creation of a digital Observatory the serves as a source of vital information on the state of coastal erosion within the region.
Consortis, through the project employed advanced geospatial, data processing and erosion vunerabiity algorithms, developed dedicated models, exploited Earth Observation and in-situ data with the aim to enhance knowledge on hazardassessment and vulnerability. The methodology used in this project involved three thematic phases. Phase A focused on designing a web GIS system to host the observatory, its services, and the resulting datasets. Phase B involved creating algorithms and tools to calculate the necessary indicators, and Phase C focused on evaluating the current state of the coastal area and propose alternatives for risk management. Throughout the project, the spatial databases were continuously re-evaluated to accommodate the digital products created by applying specialized algorithms. These algorithms referred to the automated pre- and post-processing of optical images from Sentinel-2 to create timeseries of multiple indeces anf KPIs referring to the land/sea buondary and the marine environment. Sentinel-1 SAR data have been also used to infer land deformation, derive bathymetry estimates and create a time-series, along with Sentinel-2 data, of coastine spatiotemporal variations. Finally, satellite altimetry observations from the Cryosat-2, Jason1/2/3, SARAL and the Sentinel-3a/3b missions were used to monitor Sea Level Anomalies and variations in Sea Surface Temperature. In-situ observations of the coastal area were also conducted, utilizing techniques such as GNSS, UAV mapping, and echo sounding to calculate high-resolution models of the topography and bathymetry.
The indexes and products obtained are frequently updated to display the most recent information about the environmental parameters of the area, creating a digital replica that accurately represents it. To assess the vulnerability of the coastal area due to sea level forcing, simulations have been conducted for both a 50- and 100-year period. Additionally, a tool has been developed that can determine flood mapping passively for four different sea level rise scenarios. These scenarios, which are based on the vulnerability and flooding assessments, are already in use to aid local authorities in making decisions and evaluating alternative strategies for the development of the coastal zone.
