DSE-Data Science Experts is a company created in 2020 and focused on building products and solutions based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Based in Grenoble, France, the company today employs 11 people. The team’s vision is to help insurance companies to better support the agriculture sector in times of natural disasters.

The challenge

According to the World Meteorological Organization’s Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes, the number of disasters related to a weather, climate or water hazard has increased by a factor of five between 1970 and 2019 globally. Agrıculture is among the sectors that are affected the most by climate-related disasters.

To establish mechanisms, and in particular insurance schemes, to support the recovery of agricultural activities affected by disasters, there is a growing need for data and information to foresee and assess such damages.

The satellite solution

AIperion is a system, developed by DSE, that estimates the damage affecting agricultural fields, identifies the boundaries of flooded and burned areas, and detects the extent, impact and duration of droughts based on extreme weather events or natural disasters.

The system is based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to Earth observation images to identify and detect the boundaries of flooded and burned areas. It integrates meteorological data from the MSG mission (Meteosat Second Generation satellites) to detect the intensity and duration of extreme weather events.

AIPerion relies on data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 missions to calculate vegetation indices and estimate agricultural damage.

These analyses are combined to produce an assessment of the level of damage to the crops and of its causes. The results are provided to customers through a dashboard, in the form of maps and figures.

The results

By integrating Copernicus data into their software, DSE can provide precise information on the crops’ health and determine if the damage to crop reported by farmers is a consequence of natural disasters and not of fraud attempts.

Moreover, based on the information provided by DSE, insurance companies can determine the premium to be paid for crop losses caused by natural disasters.

Under the request of one insurance company, using this system DSE was able to map 80% of cultivated fields on the French territory to detect the growth status of vegetation. That was made possible thanks to the high temporal resolution of the Copernicus data and could not have been done by using in-situ surveying techniques.

Using free and open Copernicus data, DSE can provide its services at a much lower cost than the price that they would ask if they used other paying satellite data. As a result, after only one year of existence, the company can count some of the world’s biggest insurance companies among their customers.

In 2020, the AIPeiron system has been awarded the Copernicus Masters Prize for France.

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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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The Cyprus Audit Office

The Cyprus Audit Office is an independent State Authority of the Republic of Cyprus. It is responsible for auditing the accounts of the central government, ministries, local administrations, and national public organisations. The mission of the Office is to conduct quality financial, performance and compliance audits in the wider public sector for the purpose of public reporting, thus enhancing transparency and accountability. The Office contributes to the efficient and effective management of public resources, reducing the mismanagement of public funds and corruption.

The challenge

Cypriot coastline and beaches are the habitats of many animal and vegetal species, some of which are considered as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Every year, beaches bring millions of tourists to Cyprus. Indeed, tourism represents a vital source for the country’s economy, but its substantial increase, with the creation of new touristic infrastructures, could also pose threats to the island’s biodiversity.

In 2016, to ensure effective coastal management, the Office conducted an audit to evaluate the measures implemented by the competent authorities to protect the coastline and contain the effects of the potential threats related to mass tourism and illegal activities. The audit’s goal was to understand how coastal protection measures are implemented, to identify illegal structures in the national Coastal Protected Zone, and to detect activities that do not comply with the National Beach Usage Plan. To do this, the Audit Office needed reliable data that could help them in picturing the evolution of the coastline and assess the effects of tourism and man-made activities on the island.

The satellite solution

To realise the Audit, the Office submitted questionnaires to local authorities, realised visits to collect in-situ data, and interviewed public officers and non-governmental organisations. Moreover, the Cyprus Audit Office relied on GIS technology to obtain information on land ownership and protected coastal zones. This information was needed to assess the potential effects of illegal buildings and mass tourism on coastal erosion.

Satellite imagery from multiple sources, including Sentinel-2 images, Google Earth and orthophotos from the Department of Lands and Surveys, was used to map the entire island and to draw a temporal perspective of the evolution of the coastline. The satellite images used by the Audit Office were retrieved by the digitised cadastral maps developed by the Cyprus Department of Lands and Surveys and made freely available online through a dedicated portal.

The results

Thanks to the GIS technology, the Audit Office was able to assess the evolution of coastal erosion and of illegal building sprawl during         the  last years, and to estimate the potential economic impacts on the long run.

The use of satellite data provided the Audit Office with a broad vision of the geographic area surrounding the island, allowing it to perform a broad inspection of the coastline, while drastically reducing the time and costs dedicated to the audit. Indeed, in-situ observations were only necessary to validate contrasting data and information.

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

The expected results of the C3 initiative – that is, innovative applications relying on data and emerging from the collective intelligence of citizens, companies, start-ups, civil society, students – will feed into the COP21, the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

As far as initiatives of this kind go, C3 is exemplary in making climate change, but also innovation, everyone’s business.

C3’s federative qualities are obvious when looking at the impressive range of partners. These include Météo-France, CNES – the French Space Agency, IGN – the French National Geographic Institute, Etalab – owner and manager of data.gouv.fr on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, the Natural History National Museum (MNHN), as well as La Mêlée and Cap Digital – two French IT clusters. Many others – too many to mention – support the initiative.

What do these organisations have in common? Well, more than one could guess from a first glance. In particular, they all produce, exploit and manage Big Data: geographic data, satellite data, statistical data, in situ data… you get the picture. They also understand that none of them will be able to provide solutions to global challenges on their own. This is why they put Big Data and open innovation at the heart of C3: to stimulate the emergence of new solutions based on data in areas such as land planning, energy, health, the economy, biodiversity and others.

In practical terms, C3 consists of a series of workshops organised in Paris, Nantes, Toulouse and Lyon. In the first two stages – the Vision Camps and the Challenge Workshops – citizens, public institutions, companies, students, start-ups imagine together a vision for the future of climate change and what could challenge that vision.  The third and final stage – the Innovation Jams – are 48-hour marathons for start-ups to come up with useful applications, based on the good ideas emerging from that collective intelligence and relying on data ressources made available by the partners and not only. The results will be reported during the COP21 in Paris at the end of the year.

Henry Chesbrough, the “father” of the concept of Open Innovation, noted that “useful knowledge today is widely distributed, and no company, no matter how capable or how big, could innovate effectively on its own”. C3 has been admirable in harnessing the ideas “from the outside”, in mutualising Big Data – the gold of the knowledge society – and in making the most of the momentum of the COP21. We’re looking forward to seeing it bear fruit.

The Innovation Jams will kick off on 6 November 2015. To participate and for more information, go to c3challenge.com