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.
Digital Twin of the physical assets (land use, soil moisture, crops’ irrigation, etc.) for optimal water management at basin level, aimed at supporting the water balance.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60EC) requires Member States to use their River Basin Management Plans and Programmes of Measures to protect and restore water bodies. At National level, the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies established a database of water volumes used for irrigation. The Regions, on their end, must fulfil the validation of such data, and the quantification and update of water volumes.
Digital Twin of the physical assets (land use, soil moisture, crops’ irrigation, etc.) for optimal water management at basin level, aimed at supporting the water balance.
The Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60EC) requires Member States to use their River Basin Management Plans and Programmes of Measures to protect and restore water bodies. At National level, the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies established a database of water volumes used for irrigation. The Regions, on their end, must fulfil the validation of such data, and the quantification and update of water volumes.
Water Digital Twin (WADIT) is an ongoing project started in 2023 coordinated by the Apulian Aerospace Technology District (DTA) in partnership with Planetek Italia, Sitael, the National Research Council (CNR), and the University of Bari Aldo Moro. Wadit project is co-funded by Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy through the program “Accordi per l’innovazione”.
The WADIT project objective is to create a Digital Twin of the physical assets (land use, soil moisture, frequency and date of crops’ irrigation, irrigation techniques, etc.) for water management at basin level, aimed at supporting the water balance. WADIT focuses on analyzing water needs related to water use in agriculture to obtain a reliable estimate of actual water consumption in the cultivated fields.
The models to be studied, designed and implemented experimentally will allow Big Data (multi-platform remotely sensed data, data from agro-meteorological stations, core data from Copernicus services, commercial data, census data) to be processed using artificial intelligence techniques.
The system resulting from the engineering of the studied models, fine-tuned and integrated, will be able to provide, at district/basin level, the estimate of irrigation needs/consumption, periodically updated on the basis of the data acquired and processed in near real time on the area of interest.
WADIT provides:
The production of dynamic land use maps;
The identification of the location and extension of irrigated areas;
The identification, through the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, of irrigated areas with a high probability of unauthorised water use;
The production of KC crop coefficient libraries for different types of crops in different agro-ecological contexts;
The use of weather and climate data, provided by the European Copernicus programme, to feed the models for calculating irrigation requirements;
The creation of a digital infrastructure, the digital twin, to automate the process of processing, analysing and returning summary reports and analytical indicators.
Three study areas of 100 square km have been planned in the Apulia region, Italy: Salento, Northern Barese and Capitanata, in order to represent the different characteristics of the Apulian territory (crops, farm structure, availability of irrigation sources, services and quality of irrigation water). After setting up the models for the three test areas, the system will be applied to the entire regional territory. The digital twin will be able to create scenarios for short term estimation (12 months to take into account the variability of the herbaceous species) or for the simulation of land transformations that lead to radical changes in requirements in the long term (10/20 years as in the case of planting).
Users:
Public and private bodies responsible for water management, which must estimate and evaluate seasonal irrigation needs and consumption at basin/district/region level and, based on availability, plan use;
Irrigation water service management bodies (public and private) as a tool for monitoring and controlling irrigation withdrawals at company level;
Farmers and operators in the agricultural sector for planning investments in the cultivation of agricultural areas, both in the short term for annual crops and in the medium term for tree crops (times of 20/50 years).
Benefits:
The main benefits for those responsible for managing water resources in using WADIT:
Have updated and homogeneous data on the entire territory of interest for dynamic management of the water resource;
Reduce the time for producing the reports required by legislation on the management of water resources;
Carry out estimates and simulations by preparing different scenarios of use and availability of the water resource;
Evaluate the territory’s ability to support crop transformations based on the availability of irrigation resources to direct investments by private operators;
Identify sites with a high probability of unauthorized use of water resources to implement water protection policies.
VIDEO
Watch WADIT presentation at “EO for Agriculture under Pressure” Workshop organized by ESA, WFP, FAO, GEOGLAM.
Tracasa Global, public company of the Government of Navarre, in Spain, and member of the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) since 2024, is having a major impact in one project of the European 2024 Defence Fund call.
Tracasa Global, public company of the Government of Navarre, in Spain, and member of the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) since 2024, is having a major impact in one project of the European 2024 Defence Fund call.
Recently, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Defence Industry and Space has selected a consortium coordinated by the Tracasa corporate environment, made up of 13 entities from 9 different countries. The consortium, with the name of Argos, will receive 5 million euros in funding and will carry out its work over the next 4 years.
Argos has the aim to improve the defence capabilities of the European Union through the development of solutions based on Artificial Intelligence and satellite images, both optical and radar.
Specifically, Argos participates, together with three other consortia, in a technological challenge in which the groups of participants will have to design, develop and present AI models that solve specific challenges in the field of security and defense, using European assets at all times and contributing, ultimately, to the strengthening of the European Union’s operational autonomy.
Tracasa Global and Tracasa Instrumental, leaders in the processing of satellite images and in the development of solutions with Artificial Intelligence, will tackle different technological challenges until 2029, together with the rest of the entities included in the consortium, with the aim of responding to specific aspects of security and defense challenges, such as target analysis, monitoring, searches, mapping and damage assessment.
Together with Tracasa Instrumental and Tracasa Global, the following entities are part of Argos: Centrum Badan Kosmicznych (Poland), Cubert GMBH (Germany), Evenflow (Belgium), Gisat (Czech Republic), Gmatics (Italy), Indra Espacio (Spain), Joanneum Research (Austria), Metasensing (Netherlands), Planetek Hellas (Greece), Rina Consulting (Italy) and the Universita di Napoli Federico II (Italy).
The work of Tracasa Instrumental and Tracasa Global in the field of security and defense has as its most relevant precedent the IntSen2 project, also led by Tracasa Instrumental, with participation by Tracasa Global. This initiative, promoted by the European Commission, received 3.28 million euros in support from the European Defence Fund 2021, and laid the foundations for the creation of a strategic European security and monitoring service based on satellite images and Artificial Intelligence.
IntSen2: automatic image intelligence powered by Artificial Intelligence exploiting European space assets uses images from the European Union's Sentinel satellites and AI techniques - in which Tracasa Instrumental and Tracasa Global boast recognized experience - to develop a concept for the application of image intelligence.
The project managed to develop a proactive strategic surveillance tool capable of continuous and automated monitoring of areas of interest (air and naval bases), based on AI technology and Sentinel 1 and 2 images. The tool generates a fully automated workflow and is designed to integrate with existing analytics platforms at intelligence services, thereby optimizing the detection and processing of critical information at the strategic level. To achieve its purpose, the project based the research and proposed solutions exclusively on European space assets, with the ultimate goal of supporting and strengthening the European Union’s operational autonomy in defence and security.
Among all the work carried out by Tracasa in the remote sensing field, of special note is all its activity linked to the European Commission’s Copernicus program, being present in most of the services developed, such as atmospheric monitoring, ground surveillance, security, and emergency management. In this area, work has been completed for the Joint Research Center in Ispra, the European Environment Agency, the Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment, SATCEN, and ECMWF.
In this area Tracasa Global currently boasts its own R&D team specialized in advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence applied to geospatial information (GeoAI), with extensive experience in image analytics. This team has managed to emerge, in collaboration with research centers and universities, as an international leader in the field of remote sensing: the super-resolution of optical data and radar, object segmentation, crop classification and LiDAR point cloud classification.
COTESA has been awarded the asbestos census monitoring project for the province of
Alicante, extending a proven methodology already applied in multiple Spanish cities and
regions.
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.
As cities and territories across the globe grapple with unprecedented challenges—from climate resilience to efficient resource management—the need for smarter, faster, and more innovative solutions has never been greater. Urban growth and densification, for example, are leading to increased pressure on infrastructure, public services, and housing. This is often exacerbated by climate change, which manifests in rising temperatures, urban heat islands, more frequent flooding, and strained water resources. In the face of these threats, cities are expected to reduce their carbon footprints, manage resources efficiently, and implement sustainable solutions while fostering economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents.
The key challenge lies in the lack of real-time, actionable data. City planners, developers, and private companies often have to work with outdated or fragmented datasets, making it difficult to make informed decisions quickly. As urban spaces become more complex, predictive models and simulations that provide insights into future urban development scenarios are crucial. Without these tools, cities risk falling behind in managing their resources and meeting the demands of a changing environment.
Green infrastructure and sustainability initiatives are also difficult to measure and assess in real time. Cities want to understand the effectiveness of their interventions—whether it’s the cooling effects of new parks or the impact of tree canopies on air quality—but traditional data collection and analysis methods often fail to capture the full picture.
EarthDataPlace (EDP) is a cutting-edge marketplace designed to revolutionise how cities and urban planners manage their data and tackle pressing urban challenges. By leveraging satellite imagery, AI-powered analytics, and geospatial intelligence, EDP offers cities a comprehensive, easy-to-use solution for understanding and predicting urban dynamics.
The EDP marketplace provides access to a wide range of geospatial datasets and analytical tools, enabling users to purchase and download satellite data for urban planning,
environmental monitoring, and decision-making processes. Users can explore and customise their data searches, ensuring they find relevant information for their projects. The platform’s ability to cover both vast geographical regions and specific local areas ensures that it meets the unique needs of its users.
A key feature of EDP is the combination of tasking and archive access. Tasking allows users to commission satellites to capture fresh, high-resolution imagery of any location at a specific moment in the future. This real-time data is crucial for decision-making, whether it’s monitoring urban development, tracking deforestation, or responding to natural disasters. On the other hand, access to an extensive archive of past satellite imagery offers a historical perspective, allowing users to analyse long-term trends. This combination of real-time and retrospective data enables cities to gain insights into how urban areas have developed and how land use has transformed over time.
Latitudo 40’s EarthDataPlace provides access to a variety of high-resolution datasets:
● For instance, Land Surface Temperature (LST) allows cities to monitor and manage urban heat islands more effectively. Rising temperatures, exacerbated by urbanisation, are not just environmental issues but also directly impact energy consumption, public health, and infrastructure. With LST data, city planners can identify areas most affected by heat and strategize on how to reduce its impacts through interventions such as increasing green spaces or using heat-reflective materials in buildings.
● The Urban Heat Island (UHI) Analysis layer builds on this by offering deeper insights into how heat is distributed across different areas of a city. This is particularly important for cities looking to balance development with sustainability. By knowing where heat is most concentrated, officials can target areas for intervention, thereby reducing energy costs and improving the quality of life for residents, particularly during heatwaves.
● Another crucial aspect of urban sustainability is Tree Cover Density, which EDP tracks to help cities manage their green infrastructure. Trees play an essential role in mitigating urban heat, improving air quality, and enhancing the aesthetic value of
cities. With this layer, cities can monitor changes in their green spaces and ensure they are adequately maintained, thus preserving their role in climate resilience. ● Meanwhile, Carbon Storage data provides cities with valuable insights into their carbon sequestration efforts, helping them meet sustainability targets. With many cities pledging to become carbon neutral, understanding how much carbon is stored within urban forests and green spaces is key to tracking progress.
● Flooding Risk Analysis is another essential layer offered by EDP. Cities worldwide are increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to extreme weather events and rising sea levels. EDP’s flood risk layer helps urban planners identify areas that are prone to flooding, allowing them to implement preventative measures and manage resources more effectively in response to natural disasters.
● For cities and urban planners concerned with long-term environmental sustainability, the Greenery Health Trend layer is particularly useful. By categorising vegetation into various health levels, cities can prioritise their green areas that are in need of care, ensuring the long-term sustainability of their green infrastructure. The degradation of green spaces can lead to higher temperatures, poorer air quality, and reduced biodiversity, making this layer indispensable for city planners focused on urban regeneration.
● Moreover, Multispectral Indexes provide comprehensive insights into a range of environmental factors, from vegetation health to water quality. This data is especially valuable for cities aiming to balance urban growth with agricultural sustainability or those looking to conserve vital water resources.
One of the standout features of EarthDataPlace is its ability to enhance satellite imagery using super-resolution technology. This advanced capability allows EDP to transform medium-resolution satellite images into high-resolution data at 1 metre spatial resolution, making it possible to capture finer details across urban landscapes. With super-resolution, cities and urban planners can gain access to much more precise and actionable insights—such as detailed analysis of urban infrastructure, vegetation coverage, and heat islands—without the high costs typically associated with acquiring ultra-high-resolution imagery. This technology empowers decision-makers to monitor developments, assess environmental impacts, and predict future scenarios with unparalleled clarity, helping to optimise urban planning, climate resilience strategies, and resource management.
Potential users and clients of EarthDataPlace span a wide range of sectors, as the platform’s geospatial datasets and analytical tools offer value across various industries. EDP is designed to cater to urban planners, government agencies, real estate developers, environmental consultants, and even private enterprises looking for actionable data to inform their projects and initiatives.
What sets EarthDataPlace apart from other geospatial data platforms is its unique combination of features that deliver unmatched flexibility, accessibility, and precision. Also, it is very important for our capability for open data, making it interoperable with other platforms and open source software, meaning that users can enhance their workflows by integrating EDP's high-resolution satellite data and insights with their preferred tools, streamlining the decision-making process.
EarthDataPlace equips urban planners, policymakers, and city developers with the data they need to make informed decisions that drive sustainability, reduce environmental impact, and enhance quality of life for residents. As cities continue to grow and face more complex environmental challenges, it stands as a vital tool to help them build resilient, future-proof urban landscapes.
Tree Cover Density of the City of Bolzano/Bozen, Italy, 2022
Starion Italia is developing a commercial downstream service for stakeholders affected by the need to preserve cultural heritage and archaeological sites whenever a public or private construction project is planned.
SmartDIG marks yet another step in the journey for Starion Italia, focusing on the provision of downstream commercial services to non-space end-users.
By applying artificial intelligence (AI) to Earth observation (EO) data, SmartDIG will provide faster, more comprehensive information than existing solutions to meet the needs of private and public sector organisations across the construction industry value chain.
Starion is drawing on its expertise in AI and EO to develop an innovative commercial solution for non-space organisations that need to spot, identify and classify cultural heritage sites that may be endangered by building construction and other public works. SmartDIG will support preventative and conservative archaeology needs by leveraging the latest developments in AI and applying them to multiple EO data sources to detect hidden archaeological features, enabling organisations to meet regional, national and European legal requirements and strategic objectives.
Public and private construction projects typically must take account of archaeological features during development, to avoid damaging or destroying cultural heritage sites and preserve historical artifacts. However, some archaeological sites are not visible at ground level, only becoming obvious when seen from above – and even then, the indicators may not be clearly visible or visible all year around.
Remote sensing archaeology using satellites, drones, aircrafts, etc. has enabled better detection of cultural heritage and archaeological sites over the last two decades. In particular, active remote sensing using radar and lidar (light detection and ranging) can be used to detect sites buried in deserts or hidden in forests. However, drone-based services only provide analysis for a specific area at a single point in time, which may not provide accurate detection if, for example, features are covered by seasonal vegetation.
The power of SmartDIG is that by using an innovative AI approach, it can quickly analyse EO imagery of the same spot in different seasons to find the best timeframe for detecting any features and confirm the presence of those features across the year. Also, the service can, if required, analyse locations anywhere in the world with no physical access constraints, unlike drone or aerial services.
By combining AI with traditional in-situ and remote sensing techniques, and using multiple sources of EO data, SmartDIG will provide an efficient, user-friendly tool that significantly speeds up access to the information required by developers, urban planners and government organisations. Data sources will include Copernicus Sentinel-1 and -2, and European Space Agency (ESA) Third-Party Missions including COSMO SkyMed and the ICEYE constellations, as well as other datasets from commercial providers, suitable for archaeological purposes.
Stefano Tatoni, Vice-President of Starion Italia, said: “The SmartDIG service is a brilliant example of the power of combining AI techniques with EO satellite data. It will make the whole identification process much more efficient, benefitting developers, builders and public agencies, and providing a societal benefit by helping to preserve cultural heritage sites and artefacts that historically might have been lost. It is also a clear example of downstream service exploitation in non-space sectors, a new endeavour and milestone for our company that we are eager to undertake. We’re very pleased to have ESA’s support for this initiative and thankful to ASI for granting the required funding, and look forward to providing the service as soon as possible.”
Emiliano Tondi, Legal Representative of POLEIS, an Italian planning consultancy that is supporting the definition and validation of the SmartDIG service, said: “The focus of this project, specifically related to the preventive archaeology procedure of collecting and analysing ground anomalies connected to the presence of underground ancient features in an automated manner, is of paramount interest. Such a service could significantly impact our current practices for space and non-space data collection and image analysis. We are keen to provide a ‘user need’ perspective to this useful tool.”
SmartDIG is being developed through the ESA InCubed Cultural and Natural Heritage Thematic Call, part of the Investing in Industrial Innovation (InCubed) programme. Michele Castorina, Head of the ESA Φ-lab Invest Office, explained: “InCubed is a public-private partnership co-funding programme run by the ESA Φ-lab, whose mission is to accelerate the future of Earth observation through innovations that completely transform or create entire industries via new technologies. As such, this Smart DIG service is a great example of a service that will exploit the value of EO imagery and datasets to benefit not only a specific sector – the construction industry value chain – but also society, through the preservation of important historical sites.”
The 18-month project will deliver a commercial service by 2026 that can be adapted to match regional and national laws and regulations, and could contribute to the implementation of the European Union’s strategic objectives for culture, such as the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage.
SmartDIG will be available as a customisable one-off or subscription service, or via a dedicated application programming interface (API) for integration into other commercial or customised applications.
Further information
This activity was carried out under a programme of and funded by the European Space Agency. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.
Tracasa Global is a leading company in the classification of point clouds obtained from aerial LiDAR sensors using Artificial Intelligence. Historically, the task of classifying point clouds to label various categories of elements (buildings, roads, trees, etc.) has been performed manually or semi-automatically. However, due to the vast amount of data, this methodology has become costly, inefficient, and, in some cases, unfeasible. Leveraging its expertise in artificial intelligence, Tracasa Global approaches this task with a supervised automatic focus to achieve a more competitive classification in terms of accuracy, efficiency, time, and cost.
In 2017, Tracasa Global conducted the first data capture in Europe using the SLP 100 (Single Photon LiDAR) sensor. The project involved capturing data from over 13,000 km² covering the entire province of Navarra (Spain) with an average density of more than 14 points per m². This massive amount of information (580 billion points) was impossible to process and classify using “traditional” methods, leading to the development of the first Machine Learning models. This project was executed for the Cartography Service of the Government of Navarra.
In 2020, Tracasa Global captured data from the metropolitan area of Pamplona (approximately 50 km²) using the CityMapper 2 hybrid sensor equipped with a LiDAR sensor, 4 oblique cameras, and a nadir camera. The resulting point cloud had a density of 50 points per m² and was classified using Machine Learning techniques. This work was funded by the Cartography Service of the Government of Navarra.
This allowed Tracasa Global’s Innovation and Production teams to continue advancing in this field of knowledge. In 2022, Deep Learning techniques were introduced into the classification models for the pilot project of classifying LiDAR data from the third coverage of the PNOA (National Aerial Orthophotography Plan) for the National Geographic Institute of Spain. This project was carried out in the community of Castilla y León and aimed to fine-tune the tools for classifying the third LiDAR coverage of the PNOA with a density of 5 points per m². It was a more ambitious project that sought to classify ground, low vegetation, medium/high vegetation, buildings, and a series of minor classes such as power towers, vehicles, power lines, and bridges. Additionally, this project confirmed that this technology allows for the massive classification of point clouds with AI with very good precision results.
In 2024, Tracasa Global was awarded a contract by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to classify LiDAR point clouds from the third LiDAR coverage of the PNOA, covering more than 20,000 km² of Aragón, Comunidad Valenciana, and Región de Murcia. This project has a more demanding legend, proposing the classification of 12 classes: ground, low vegetation, medium/high vegetation, buildings, bridges, railways, roads, vehicles, cars, transmission lines, power towers, and wind turbines.
This contract allows Tracasa Global to showcase the knowledge and specialization of two areas of the company: Territorial and Spatial Engineering and R&D+i, which in recent years has consolidated as a leading and internationally recognized team, with excellent results in various competitions organized in the field of artificial intelligence and land management.
