With a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural population of about two million people, the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. Novi Sad, its administrative centre, is the second largest city in the country.

While Novi Sad is heading towards recognition as a regional leader in the IT industry, Vojvodina’s economy mainly relies on agriculture and agribusiness.

The challenge

The Vojvodina Province is particularly affected by the phenomenon of stubble burning, a common practice in cultivated fields in Serbia, which threatens the health and safety of the territory.

In 2019, around 19.000 open fires were recorded in Serbia. 14 people died because of them and 40 were injured. The fires burned low vegetation, but also damaged forests, meadows, orchards, cereals, and vineyards.

To discourage farmers from burning the remains of their crops, the province’s public authorities need precise and reliable information on the location of this practice.

The satellite solution

With the support of the BıoSense Instıtute, UNDP Serbia created a web GIS portal to detect open fıres usıng data from Sentınel-2 satellites.

By comparing two consecutive images, one before the fire occurrence and the other after the fire, an algorithm detects the areas where fires happened and the potentially burned areas. These spots are visualised on an interactive web map that is made openly and freely available to the public: the Portal for Mapping Harvest Residues (www.dim.rs/#/dashboard).

The map was funded by UNDP Serbia through the “Challenge call for innovative solutions to reduce air pollution in Serbia and improve air quality”.

The results

The portal is used by the UNDP, research institutes and local administrations to raise the awareness of people, farmers in the first place, about the threats posed by stubble burning. Moreover, the portal allows the government to detect stubble burning and to undertake evidence-based actions against this practice.

In the Vojvodina Province, the methodology used to develop the portal was tested during three months (from September to November 2020), spotting over 9.000 parcels that were subject to crop residue burning.

On dim.rs, fires are classified according to the dates on which they occurred and cadastral information. The webGIS portal also contains statistics on fire occurrence history that is available for download, and information for citizens on how to report illegal burnings.

Users can know which areas are the most affected by crop residue burning and in which periods of the year. Altogether, this information enables local administrations (such as police forces, firefighters and forest authorities, among others) to be better prepared to the occurrence of stubble burning, to target awareness raising campaigns, to better plan in-situ inspections, and to sustain law enforcement.

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The Environmental Protection Department of the City of Prague approves and implements the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and its Implementation Plans.

The Department designs, manages and finances adaptation projects and analyses of some selected data. For these tasks the Department is supported, among others, by the Prague Institute for Planning and Development, which manages the Prague Geoportal, making available a number of maps of Prague.

The challenge

Considering the conspicuous presence of paved spaces, built areas and industrial infrastructure, Prague is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat events.

To implement adaptive measures, the Environmental Protection Department sought to visualise heat vulnerability and the areas that are affected the most in Prague, especially nearby public transport stops, where two-thirds of the city’s population spend a considerable amount of time.

The satellite solution

To assess the effects of climate change on transport stops, the Department asked for the support of ECOTEN Urban Comfort, a local start-up specialised in urban and environmental engineering.

As a first step, the company defined the indices to be taken into account for a heat assessment.

Among such indices, thermal exposure, which indicates the distribution of heat over the city, was calculated by identifying the warmest areas of the city during the days in which temperatures exceeded 30 °C. These data were extracted from images acquired by the Landsat 8 satellite in the summers between 2015 and 2019.

Adaptive capacity, which is the ability of the urban ecosystem to be resilient to heat events, was assessed by mapping greeneries and water bodies around public transport stops. This index was calculated by summing up the Advanced Vegetation Index and the Normalised Differential Water Index, both measured through data from the European Sentinel-2A satellite.

Combing all the indices, ECOTEN was able to produce the Urban Heat Vulnerability Map of the City of Prague.

The results

The Map classifies bus and tram stops in five categories, according to their degree of vulnerability to high temperatures.

Based on the information provided by the map, the Environmental Protection Department is taking measures to make transport stops more resilient to heatwaves and hence more comfortable for residents and tourists.

For example, green lawns were placed on the roofs of the most affected stops, together with misting devices and drinkable water fountains.

“Thanks to the Copernicus satellites, we have reliable, objective and shareable data to act against climate change”. Tereza Líbová, Climate change adaptation specialist, Department of Environmental Protection, City of Prague

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D-ICE is a French SME working on technological solutions to diminish the impact of boats on the environment.

The company is based in Nantes, with a team of 26 people, and operates in the fields of routing, clean energy and safety at sea. D-ICE assists ship owners and operators to find solutions to diminish their impact on the environment. In particular, they work on assessing the interest of adding wind-assisted ship propulsion systems onboard merchant ships.

The challenge

More than 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to ocean-going vessels, which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from over 205 million cars. Moreover, boats powered by fuel also cause noise pollution that negatively affects marine life.

The carbon dioxide emissions of ships are directly proportional to fuel consumption and speed. To reduce their environmental impact and to align with the objectives of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the shipping industry is looking for solutions to reduce fuel consumption by using wind-assisted propulsion systems.

D-ICE decided to create systems to help ship operators to assess the interest of adding wind-assisted ship propulsion systems onboard their ships.

The satellite solution

Since 2020, D-ICE developed the SATORI software, an online service that estimates the fuel consumption of ships on specific routes. SATORI is particularly interesting to evaluate the performances of wind-assisted ship propulsion systems.

Initially funded by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), SATORI relies on data from Copernicus satellites to acquire information on weather, wind, waves and sea currents on sea routes. Those historical data are made freely available by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service through two products: the Global Waves Reanalysis Waverys and the Global Ocean Physics Reanalysis.

The data are used to calculate ships’ motions and interactions with the environment. Indeed, the evaluation of wind, waves and currents is necessary for the model to calculate the speed of ships and their engine power between two points at a specific time.

The results

SATORI is built for shipowners, naval architects and providers of propulsion systems. Customers access SATORI through a web portal, where they can enter the ships’ data and their potential speed according to different directions and winds.

Users can perform statistical weather routing studies on the online interface, choose a route and the time periods on which they wish to assess the ships’ average consumption, and then create their own data visualisation to obtain the required forecasts (environmental conditions to be encountered, fuel saving associated with wind-assisted propulsion, ship motions).

SATORI has been already used by some notable skippers. For example, Total and Z&B are today using the software on some of their ships, while AYRO and Chantiers de l’Atlantique rely on it to design wind-assisted ship propulsion systems.

The same algorithm which powers SATORI was used to perform a study for the design team of the new Banque Populaire trimaran after their boat capsized during the Route du Rhum yacht race in 2018.

In 2021, the boat Maître Coq won the greatest sailing race around the world, solo, non-stop and without assistance: the Vendée Globe. D-ICE provided the skipper, Yannick Bestaven, with a software that contained a database of historical routes.

This database was computed with the same algorithm as SATORI. This tool helped him to confirm his routes’ choices and to eventually win the race.

“Thanks to this new technology, the shipping community can now validate business models around the new targets of the International Maritime Organization and take action to reduce greenhouse gases emissions globally”. Sylvain Faguet, D-ICE
Engineering.

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Port-la-Nouvelle is a French town in the Occitanie region, in the south of France, on the Mediterranean coast.

The historic port of Port-la-Nouvelle extends over 2.5 kilometres, and it represents a major economic asset in the area. Owned by the Region, it includes a commercial port, a fishing harbour, and a marina. The Chamber of Commerce of Aude is responsible for its daily management. This commercial port has historically specialised in the import of oil and the export of cereals.

The challenge

In 2018, the Occitanie region decided to start important works to adapt the commercial port of Port-la-Nouvelle to new traffics and allow for the development of new sectors.

Notably, the regional plan foresees the installation of floating wind-turbines and the creation of a green hydrogen production plant as from 2024. These works are part of a regional policy that aims at combining the economic development of the region with the valorisation of its environment.

Carrying out the works around the harbour implied dredging, which could bring back to the surface sediments on the seafloor, hence endangering the marine environment and the natural areas nearby.

To guarantee that the port expansion works were carried out sustainably, the Directorate for the Sea needed a reliable water quality monitoring system in the area of the works.

The satellite solution

i-SEA- a company based in Aquitaine, supported the port authorities to monitor water turbidity nearby the works, by using data from the Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 Copernicus satellites. The satellites provided data on water turbidity in the past and the near future.

Before the works started, satellite imagery allowed I-SEA and the Region to better understand the hydro-sedimentary processes of the site of Port-la-Nouvelle. During the works, the data contributed to in-situ monitoring, by providing a big  picture of water turbidity levels and a forecast of the turbidity levels expected within the next three days.

The results

Thanks to the Copernicus data, it was possible to avoid damage to the nearby natural areas and to prevent the infiltration of a turbid plume in the nearby pond of Bages Sigean.

The predictive method provided the personnel responsible the works in the Region with daily objective tools to monitor the impact of the expansion of the port on water turbidity and to adapt the works according to the forecasted turbidity levels.

In 2024, the commercial harbour of Port-la-Nouvelle will welcome the first floating wind turbines in the Mediterranean Sea. This operation is part of a regional strategy to achieve sustainable development in the littoral by using technology to boost the local economy, while safeguarding the environment.

“We do our best efforts to ensure that economic development is based on the safeguard and valorisation of the region’s natural resources”. Benjamin Grente, Directorate for the Sea, Occitanie Region.

READ THE FULL STORY: Monitoring water turbidity in Port la Nouvelle

The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate

The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport – ILT) is the supervising authority of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Its mission is to enforce compliance with the law in multiple spheres of action, such as the use of high-risk materials and products, water, soil, and constructions, rail and road traffic, aviation, and shipping. Every year, ILT identifies possible risk areas where to intervene. Furthermore, the ILT Special Intelligence and Investigation Service can probe in case of criminal events that might endanger society, such as soil contamination or the use of hazardous substances.

The challenge

Every year, Dutch seaports handle over 550 million tons of goods, making the country a central shipping hub worldwide. Since 2020, the international regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) require seafaring vessels to meet lower emission standards. Indeed, shipping contributes heavily to air pollution, due to Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. Such emissions lead to a growing concentration of pollutants and particulate matter in the atmosphere. The ILT constantly monitors compliance with international rules for the Netherlands, especially observing emissions from ships. However, physically inspecting every ship coming to a Dutch port is practically impossible, and post-fact detection of noncompliant behavior outside of ports could be challenging.

The satellite solution

Since 2020, the ILT started to develop a monitoring system to track NOx emissions and identify incompliant ships. The first step was the implementation of a

study in cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) and the universities of Leiden and Wageningen. Both entities developed an algorithm to measure ship pollution, that integrates EO data from TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) with traditional monitoring means, as in-situ observations. The algorithm combined ship location information in the hours before and up to the time when the TROPOMI satellite pass over the area, with data on wind direction and speed in the high seas, and with satellite data on weather and air quality. Ship length and speed, together with EO data, helped the ILT in projecting the potential dispersion of pollutants by single ships.

The Inspectorate monitored over 185 ships, evaluating their nitrogen dioxide emissions during ideal weather conditions. This data was then combined with ship location information in the hours before and up to the TROPOMI satellite overpass, and with wind direction and speed in the high seas. Ship length and speed together with EO data can help in projecting the potential dispersion of pollutants by single ships. In this way, the NO2 data identified are then compared with real ships emissions to verify if they are adhering to the international shipping regulations or not.

The results

The study showed that through EO data, it was possible to identify a heavier plume of NO2 from big and fast ships. The results of the study opened a new way of spotting ship emissions and identifying uncompliant ships.

The integration of satellite data in the ILT daily job reduced the load of work of the inspectors. The use of EO technology allows ILT in saving time and targets its resources on ad hoc inspections on those ships that are potentially uncompliant. In this way, ILT contributes not only to ensuring the adherence of the Netherlands to international legislation about shipping emissions, but also to the global emissions monitoring.

The Institute of Oceanology- Polish Academy of Sciences

The Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences was founded in 1983. Its mission is to seek, understand and communicate the scientific understanding of the marine environment and the issues related to its preservation and sustainable use of marine resources. The main geographic areas of interest of the Institute are the Baltic Sea and the seas of the European Artic.

In its work, the Institute aims at carrying out innovative, high-level scientific and technological research by providing expertise and new technologies targeting both the broader public and public and private stakeholders. In particular, the Institute carries out research in the fields of climate change, changes to the coastal ecosystems and marine biotechnology.

The challenge

Each of the nine different countries located on the coasts of the Baltic Sea has different economic and security priorities. Actions taken on one side of the coast may cause damages also on the other side of the coast, like the spread of industrial pollutants or wastewater from agricultural activities into the sea. Having knowledge of the marine environment and of the changes taking place is vital for reconciling the needs of the public and private stakeholders from different countries operating on the Baltic Sea in the fields of shipping, fishing, extractive industry, sewage, energy, maritime construction, recreation, among others. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of the area is also fundamental to protect endangered species of marine plants and animals.

The satellite solution

In 2015 the Institute of Oceanology launched the the SatBałtyk system, a satellite-based platform for monitoring the Baltic Sea environment in near real-time retrievable online. The platform features satellite data from multiple sources covering a time span of 20 years, as well as data collected through in situ instruments, oceanographic databases, and mathematical models. The platform offers the users – from public authorities responsible for maritime affairs, environment, and trade to private entities and researchers – a set of information based on eight parameters (atmosphere and meteorology; hydrology; ocean optics; solar radiations; seawater components; phytoplankton; coastal zones; hazards). Such data are then available on the online tool in the form of coloured maps where each colours illustrate the distribution of values for different factors within the entire Baltic area. Examples of characteristics for which the maps are generated are water salinity, water temperature or the direction and velocity of sea currents in the Baltic Sea.

Since 2015, the platform has been providing reliable information to ensure the protection of marine resources and its sustainable use. The platform features satellite data from multiple sources covering a time span of 20 years, including Landsat 8, Pleiades-1B, TerraSar-X, Sentinel-3A, CryoSat-2, and Metop-B, as well as data collected through in situ instruments, oceanographic databases, and mathematical models.

The results

The SatBałtyk platform tool aims at providing public and private entities as well as researchers with data on the multiple characteristics of the Baltic Sea, such as information on sea water temperature, salinity, the blooms of poisonous algae, or the appearance of pollution spots, including oil stains.

The platform is available and retrievable for free. The data available on the platform as well as the cartographic representations are downloadable.  The tool has been created to facilitate the daily work of employees at national and local level responsible for the exploitation and protection of the Baltic area. In particular, the Polish Navy relies on the platform to collect information for the planning and execution of offshore activities. Widely retrieved by Polish authorities, such as the Ministry of State Assets or the Marine Office in Gdynia, in the period 2019-2021 over 120 thousand people used the tool and downloaded the digital maps.

The Department of Energy Planning of the City of Vienna

In 2019, The Economist ranked the City of Vienna, in Austria, as the city with the highest quality of life worldwide. Indeed, the City’s administration believes in the value of innovation to cope with climate change and reach excellence in the delivery of public services.

The Department of Energy Planning of the City of Vienna is responsible for implementing sustainable policies in the energy sector, allocating funds and testing innovative solutions to produce energy out of renewables, increase the use of waste heat and promote energy-efficient and climate-friendly mobility.

Among other tasks, the Department issues a periodical Energy Report aimed at raising residents’ awareness on the status of energy and climate-related issues in Vienna.

The challenge

Urban areas are generally warmer than their surrounding areas. This phenomenon, known as “urban heat island effect” can cause health risks and higher energy consumption in cities.

In the past years, the urban heat island effect in Vienna has been exacerbated by a growing population and an increase in urban development, which led to the loss of permeable open green spaces and to higher temperatures.

In 2003, the city experienced 44 heat wave days, which were responsible for 180 deaths. Forecasts predict that between 2021 and 2050, there will be an average of 19 heat days in Vienna, while the population is expected to increase from 1.8 million to 2 million by 2029.

To prevent health risks to the residents of Vienna, the Energy Planning Department was hence looking for ways to identify urban “hot spots” and take measures to mitigate the consequences of increasing temperatures in the city.

The satellite solution

In 2019, the Department asked ECOTEN Urban Comfort, a company based in Prague and specialised in urban and environmental engineering, to map heat islands in Vienna to help them identify where action was the most needed.

After assessing the needs of the Department, the company defined the relevant indices to assess the city’s vulnerability to heat waves. Exposure, which is the prevalence of high temperatures across the city, was calculated by looking at images from the Landsat 8 satellite from 2015 to 2019.

Sensitivity was measured based on the density of vulnerable people (younger than 14 and older than 65) with data derived from Vienna’s Open Data portal.

Finally, adaptive capacity, which represents the ability of the urban ecosystem to cope with heat events thanks to the presence of greenery and waterbodies, was calculated by using imagery from the Sentinel 2A European satellite, which carries information to estimate both the enhanced vegetation index of the city (the density of urban vegetation) and its normalised difference water index (measuring water-bodies).

The indices were then combined to create a Heat Vulnerability Map of the City of Vienna.

The map shows which areas in Vienna are more affected to heat (in orange and red), providing information about temperatures and vulnerable people in the 250 districts of the city. In total, ten heat vulnerable areas have been identified in Vienna.

The results

The map created by ECOTEN Urban Comfort on the basis of satellite data and released by the City of Vienna is meant to serve as an operational tool by the Department of Urban Planning and other city authorities to implement mitigating measures in the neighbourhoods that are more vulnerable to heat events.

Indeed, the map contains information on high temperatures in Vienna and on areas with low vegetation and waterbodies and with a high number of vulnerable people. Furthermore, the analysis carried out by Ecoten Urban Comfort showed that, if no action was taken, temperatures in Vienna would increase of 8°C by 2050.

The Urban Heat Vulnerability Map initiated a series of public reactions via social media and mainstream media which ultimately led to a political debate over initiatives that the city can take to protect its citizens from extreme heat and provide comfortable eco-friendly urban districts for urban dwellers that are most vulnerable to extreme heat.

Based on the Urban Heat Vulnerability Map, in 2019 the City of Vienna launched the “Coole Straßen” (Cool Streets) project, aimed at lowering temperatures in the three districts identified as the most vulnerable to heat. In these areas, the City authorities created open spaces with trees and brighter surfaces, which reflect less heat, and installed mist showers to cool the asphalt and humidify the pavement. In addition, parking was banned in selected streets.

“For the first time we have a map that shows us where cooling is urgent and allows us to take specific measures.” Birgit Hebein, Former Deputy Major, City of Vienna

Copenhagen Solutions Lab

Copenhagen Solutions Lab is an internal consultancy of the Technical and Environmental Department of the Municipality of Copenhagen, in Denmark. With a staff of eight people, Copenhagen Solutions Lab works on issues of transversal interest among the City’s departments by using innovative technologies to promote green urban strategies and policies.

The challenge

Air quality is an issue that concerns several municipal departments, including those responsible for adaptation to climate change, environmental protection, transport, biodiversity, water, economic development, and, — especially — health.

Indeed, even in a clean city like Copenhagen, air pollution is identified as one of the main causes of premature deaths and it is suspected of exacerbating illnesses such as cancers, cardiovascular, respiratory and lung diseases, and even neuro-logical disorders like autism, dementia, Parkinson’s, depressions, and more

Traditionally, air quality is monitored through sensors at static stations located around the city. These provide a generic representation of air quality, and in particular its annual average, which reveals long-term trends. Nevertheless, traditional measurements are not able to deliver precise information on where and when pollutants are most present during the day and people are exposed to it.

Copenhagen Solutions Lab was looking for ways to localise air pollution at the street level and to understand when specific city spots are particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon.

The satellite solution

In 2017, Google offered to support the efforts of Copenhagen Solutions Lab by using the methodology developed within their Air View Project, with the help of the University of Utrecht and the University of Aarhus.

Google equipped its Street View cars with air quality sensors and collected data on air quality in every street of Copenhagen. The measurements targeted the pollutants that are emitted in the city, especially nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon.

The cars logged one measurement per second, collecting very granular spatial data on air quality, which could be geolocated thanks to the Satellite Navigation systems embedded in the cars. These passed on every street at least six times during one and a half year, in order to get the seasonal distribution of air pollution. This was done until March 2020, when the city lockdown caused by the COVID-19 crisis was declared in Copenhagen.

The spatial accuracy of the information collected in such a way allows for the identification of correlations between human activities, infrastructure and air pollution, according to the time of the day and the season.

The results

In October 2019, a preliminary map of air quality in Copenhagen was published and presented by the City’s Deputy Mayor at the meeting of the mayors of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, that was taking place in Copenhagen.

In the same year, the project caught the attention of other local and international partners. Gehl Architects, a Copenhagen-based urban design agency, got interested in the map and decided to use it to understand how they could reduce the effects of air pollution on children by redesigning public spaces. This initiative, The Thrive Zone project, funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the ICLEI Action Fund, aims at designing urban solutions to increase air quality and reduce exposure to pollution, and at involving citizens in data collection, design and in behavioural changes.

In particular, Gehl mapped childcare institutions and interviewed care workers and care givers on children’ movements in two neighbourhoods, and crossed such data with the information they had on air quality to understand how air pollution impacts on them. Afterwards, Gehl produced a “Cleaner Air Network” map, indicating the areas where air quality is better and where children could spend more time, suggesting urban design interventions.

The final map of Copenhagen’s air quality was released openly in the Spring 2021, accessible to anyone. The map allows for the identification of the most polluted areas (major inroads, airport and the city centre) for the different pollutants, i.e. nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particulates and black carbon. The map aims at serving all departments of the City’s administration, by putting air quality at the core of city policies.

Copenhagen AirView NO2

The dataset and the model to use it are made available to support urban policies aimed at reducing the exposure to pollution, especially for the most vulnerable groups. Meanwhile, the Thrive Zone project continues to test how implementation can happen in existing urban areas and document effects in real life settings, e.g. by using bushes and trees to contrast fine particles, or by building spaces for children and the elderly where air quality is higher) and to make residents less exposed to pollution by changing their behaviour (i.e. by spending less time in polluted areas).

“By making scientific data available to citizens, we have the potential to make global challenges relevant at the local scale”, Rasmus Reeh, Copenhagen Solutions Lab

The Public Service of Wallonia

Wallonia is one of three regions of the federal state of Belgium, alongside Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region. Located in the southern part of the Country, Wallonia covers 55% of Belgium and hosts one third of the Country’s population.

The Public Service of Wallonia (PSW) is in charge of implementing the policy of the Walloon region and it is the primary interface between the regional institutions and the local administrations and citizens of Wallonia. The PSW employs around 10 000 people in its central department of Namur and the decentralised departments in Wallonia and Brussels.

The challenge

In recent years, most of the competences related to territorial management in Belgium have been delegated to the governments of the three regions. This means that a number of users of geospatial data are now situated at the regional, provincial and municipal levels.

For Wallonia, the Geomatics department of the PSW is in charge of harmonising territorial data collection and distribution, and of facilitating data acquisition and use by the region’s public and private institutions. To comply with the EU INSPIRE Directive, the Team needs to acquire precise, accurate and easily updatable information, including data on land cover (LC) and land use (LU). Indeed, such data are of paramount importance for Walloon administrations, which use them for climate reporting, flood mapping, land take monitoring, forest management, agriculture planning, and land visualisation, among others.

Until 2017, the existing land cover and land use (LCLU) map of Wallonia was derived from cadastral and agricultural information but did not allow users to distinguish information on LC from information on LU.

The satellite solution

In 2017, the Public Service of Wallonia launched a project to produce new maps of LCLU for the whole regional territory based on annual aerial photos and time series of satellite imagery. The maps were built within the framework of the WALOUS project (Wallonia Land Cover and Use) funded by the PSW and realised by three research units from the Free University of Brussels, the Catholic University of Louvain and the Scientific Institute of Public Service (ISSEP).

The WALOUS maps’ specifications resulted from a large consultation of the regional stakeholders (public administrations, universities, city administrations and some private companies).

The maps integrate the latest georeferenced data on the whole Walloon territory.  Manmade assets, such as buildings and infrastructure, are classified in the WALOUS land use map very precisely by using the sub-metric resolution of orthophotos, digital elevation models and other geodatabases, while vegetation and rural areas are better distinguished thanks to seasonal information from decametric satellite imagery (from the European satellites Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2). The algorithm producing the final maps integrates all data collected to characterise the different classes.

The benefits

The satellite-based maps produced within WALOUS are made available online and can be consulted by all interested organisations and individuals for free, offering a tool to better understand the regional territory.

View of the Semois river – On the left, the land use map. On the right, the land cover map. (Source: WALOUS storymap: https://geoportail.wallonie.be/walous, Powered by Esri)

The land cover (LC) map highlights the physical and biological coverage of the territory, allowing for the identification of natural features, such as trees, waters, shrubs, and grassland, as well as manmade assets, e.g. buildings, rails, routes, and infrastructure. The LC map provides information that can be used by public administrations and private actors to facilitate decision-making. As an example, the Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment of the PSW uses the map to support farmers in making their declarations, while the Walloon Air and Climate Agency (AWAC) uses the information to estimate greenhouse gas emissions.

The land use (LU) map details the uses of the regional territory. Indeed, a parcel occupied by trees can correspond to several purposes, for example a residential garden, a recreational area or a natural area. The WALOUS map classifies land uses under different categories: primary, secondary, or tertiary production, transport networks, logistics and public utility networks, residential use, natural areas and other uses. Sub-categories are also available to get more insights into land uses. The land use map is used by the Walloon administrations for several purposes, e.g. to update the regional flood hazard map and assess the potential damage associated with flooding and to manage and monitor the inventory of abandoned sites to be requalified.

According to the user survey, the required update frequency of the maps is every two years, and in 2020 a procurement process was carried out to perform a first update of the map to monitor changes in land cover.

“Combining aerial and satellite information and distinguishing land cover from land use in two different maps changed the use of LULC maps in Wallonia, while allowing the PSW to respond to the EU INSPIRE directive requirements. Moreover, the frequent revisit of input data allows the PSW to plan regular updates of the maps, which is required for statistical and decision-making purposes”. Nathalie Stephenne, Geomatics Department, Public Service of Wallonia

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The Directorate is the responsible authority for the protection and management of water resources in the region. It operates under the Decentralized Administration of Epirus and Western Macedonia. The area consists of about 8 Regional Units and 30 Municipalities. The authority has been created in 2011 as part of the Kallikratis Reform.

The Challenge

Monitoring the marine and coastal environment, and in particular, the water quality in coastal areas is crucial to identify potential threats and consequences on the economic activities developed along the European coasts. To harmonise and facilitate the monitoring across Europe, the EU laid the foundation for the definition of a legal framework on the water management and protection, safeguard and management of marine resources, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [1] and the EU Water Framework Directive [2]. The two Directives are transposed in the Greek legislation recognising the criteria defined by the EU as the main reference to ensure the correct management of coastal waters across the country.

The Water Directorate of Epirus and Western Macedonia is tasked to monitor coastal water phenomena like eutrophication. “Eutrophication is an enrichment of water by nutrient salts that causes structural changes to the ecosystem such as increased production of algae and aquatic plants, depletion of fish species, general deterioration of water quality and other effects that reduce and preclude use“. [3] This anomaly heavily impact the water ecosystem’s health and biodiversity while affecting consequently related economic activities.

The province of Thesprotia, the most North-Western part of Epirus, has an economy relying mostly on fishing and tourism. The Epirus aquaculture sector represents 15% of the Greek export. In this context, unruly eutrophication could represent a damaging threat, for this reason, coastal waters in the area require constant monitoring.

A set of parameters to measure the eutrophication have been defined, such as chlorophyll concentration, water temperature and turbidity. Traditionally, the techniques adopted to monitor water health include the collection of in situ data and samples. These solutions are often not cost-effective, time-consuming, and they usually lack in reliability and completeness.

Satellite Solution

In recent years, the traditional methods to monitor water quality have been upgraded integrating Copernicus satellite data and available through the dedicated marine service, Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS).

In the case of the region of Thesprotia, the set-up of a satellite-based service was necessary to meet the needs of the final users – aquafarmers, researchers, and citizens – to ensure the continuous monitoring of a vast area, reduce costs and provide reliable data. The result was a cloud-based geoinformation service, SAIMON (SAtellIte Near Real-Time MOnitoring Network of the Eutrophication Risk), included into Rheticus platform, developed by Planetek.

SAIMON is a Near Real-Time satellite-based monitoring network for coastal waters in Epirus and, specifically, for the province of Thesprotia. Planetek Hellas engaged into a series of discussions with the representatives of the Water Directorate and the Decentralized Administration, to customise the solution to better respond to specific needs.

SAIMON was developed in the framework of the IPA CBC Programme “Greece-Albania 2014-2020” approved by the European Commission, whose objective is to favour the cooperation between the two countries to capitalise on the advantages of the cross-border region.

The service relies on the Sentinel-3 constellation. The service automatically downloads the images captured by the satellites when a new image of the coastal area of the province of Thesprotia becomes available, and then processes them to extract and calculate relevant parameters.

The Results

The service helped Greek authorities to be compliant with the European Union directives on Waters and Marine Environment management and protection while fostering international cooperation between Greece and Albania

Through the use of SAIMON, the Epirus Water Administration provided aquafarmers, research centres, and citizens with reliable data concerning the quality of the water in coastal areas, making this data easily and widely accessible to the end users and public authorities. SAIMON, as well as the main reference platform Rheticus, represent innovative tools to address the need for detailed and up-to-date information on the production levels of mussels and other crustaceans.

[1] Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:164:0019:0040:EN:PDF

[2] Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02000L0060-20141120

[3] Eutrophication definition by the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/good-environmental-status/descriptor-5/index_en.htm#:~:text=Eutrophication%20is%20a%20process%20driven,organisms%3B%20and%20water%20quality%20degradation.