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.