NoR sponsored projects

ESA will organize a training course in Riga, Latvia, from 27 June – 1 July 2022, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, the Institute of Environmental Solutions, and Riga Technical University. Objective: The training is designed to promote and disseminate EO data and information-based solutions in various scientific and industrial fields. The program will provide theoretical information followed by practical computer exercises and feature the use of Copernicus Sentinel-1 data (SAR sensor) and Copernicus Sentinel-2 data (optical sensor). Audience: The course is intended for researchers, students, Ph.D. students, and young professionals who use EO technology within their research or work and want to improve their knowledge of remote sensing. Preference will be given to applicants from Latvia and other Baltic countries. Main topics: Introduction to ESA EO missions; SAR & optical data for land cover applications, including climate change impact; SAR & visual data for forestry, including climate change impact; SAR & optical data for agriculture, including climate change impact; InSAR data, including terrain motion due to gas; SAR for ship detection; Integrated applications.

This PhD research project aims to analyze land degradation in traditional and mechanically-constructed mountain terrace landscapes in Cyprus. Project objectives are:

1. To enhance existing models for evaluating the stability of terraced hillslopes.

2. To implement such models on large areas using GIS techniques.

3. To develop guidelines for the design and construction of new bench terraces. Those guidelines are expected to address the full spectrum of terrace design and construction (terrace geometry, land utilization, fill/cut percentages, dry-stone wall dimensions, vehicle access roads, field drainage, irrigation network, construction methodologies etc.) on a more practical view.

4. To develop models and methodologies for evaluating the stability of terraced hillslopes.

4DMED-Hydrology aims at developing an advanced, high-resolution, and consistent reconstruction of the Mediterranean terrestrial water cycle by using the latest developments of Earth Observation (EO) data as those derived from the ESA-Copernicus missions. In particular, by exploiting previous ESA initiatives, 4DMED-Hydrology intends: 1) to demonstrate how this EO capacity can help to describe the interactions between complex hydrological processes and anthropogenic pressure (often difficult to model) in synergy with model-based approaches; 2) to exploit synergies among EO data to maximize the retrieval of information of the different water cycle components (i.e., precipitation, soil moisture, evaporation, runoff, river discharge) to provide an accurate representation of our environment and advanced fit-for-purpose decision support systems in a changing climate for a more resilient society.

This study intends to estimate crustal deformation in the form of land subsidence from vertical displacement and velocity maps from SAR products and investigate sub-surface pro