Projects
| Project | Abstract | Prime Company | Domain | Tags | Full text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlpGlacier | The Glacier Science in the Alps project is part of the Alps Regional Initiative and is aimed at maximising the scientific return of European investments in EO specifically from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 specifically to provide first enhanced [...] | UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH (CH) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, cryosphere, Glaciers and Ice Sheets, hydrology science cluster, polar science cluster, science, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, snow and ice, water resources | The Glacier Science in the Alps project is part of the Alps Regional Initiative and is aimed at maximising the scientific return of European investments in EO specifically from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 specifically to provide first enhanced observation capacity for glaciers in the Alps beyond area to glacier velocity and end of season snow cover on a weekly-annual basis and second to provide a scientifically sound assessment of hazard state as a direct function of glacier change, specifically, lake size and slope movement around glaciers. This project attempts to provide a wall-to-wall coverage of glaciers in the Alps for the full Sentinel era and will analyse changes taking place in this time period and in contrast with earlier data from the EO archives. Discover more projects, activities and resources on the Alps regional initiative (EO4ALPS) page. |
| AlpLakes | The AlpLakes project aims at providing operational products based on a combination of remote sensing and hydrodynamic models. ALPLAKES is a continuation of the CORESIM (ESA SEOM S2-4Sci Land and Water) project based on the recommendations [...] | EAWAG (CH) | Applications | Alps, hydrology science cluster, lakes, Sentinel-2, water resources | The AlpLakes project aims at providing operational products based on a combination of remote sensing and hydrodynamic models. ALPLAKES is a continuation of the CORESIM (ESA SEOM S2-4Sci Land and Water) project based on the recommendations provided during the CORESIM roadmap. While many studies have focused on ecosystem variability over a latitudinal gradient (Woolway and Merchant, 2019), the response of the freshwater systems to climate changes over an altitudinal gradient is comparatively less understood. For this purpose, the project upscaled the web-based platform (see Meteolakes, http://meteolakes.ch/ as baseline) by integrating 11 lakes from ~60 m.a.s.l to 1800 m.a.s.l around the Alps with a 3D modelling approach. Sentinel-2 products are used to improve the quality of the hydrodynamic model by providing, in near real-time, information about light penetration. This parameter is essential for the distribution of the incoming solar radiation as it controls, together with the atmospheric forcing, the evolution of the lake’s thermal structure. Then, there will be an evaluation of the short time evolution of identified patterns from Sentinel-2 products by applying a particle-tracking technique. The final application will be openly available for in-depth analyses of specific events in a new web-based platform. |
| Alpsnow | The AlpSnow project will develop improved products for a number of snow parameters (area extent, albedo, grain size, depth, snow water equivalent, snow melt area and wetness). A dataset covering the entire Alps for 4 years will be produced, and [...] | ENVEO – ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH OBSERVATION GMBH (AT) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, hydrology science cluster, polar science cluster, science, snow and ice, water cycle and hydrology | The AlpSnow project will develop improved products for a number of snow parameters (area extent, albedo, grain size, depth, snow water equivalent, snow melt area and wetness). A dataset covering the entire Alps for 4 years will be produced, and its usefulness will be demonstrated through three science cases and three demonstration cases related to land surface modelling, hydrology, numerical weather forecasting and water management. Discover more projects, activities and resources on the Alps regional initiative (EO4ALPS) page. |
| Digital Twin Alps: Water Resource and Disaster Risk Management | As Europe’s most densely populated mountain range, the Alps face serious threats from hydrological and gravitational hazards, all of which are exacerbated by accelerating climate change. The Digital Twin Alps (DTA) is an ambitious project funded [...] | Sinergise Solution GmbH (AT) | Enterprise | Alps, regional initiatives, water resources | As Europe’s most densely populated mountain range, the Alps face serious threats from hydrological and gravitational hazards, all of which are exacerbated by accelerating climate change. The Digital Twin Alps (DTA) is an ambitious project funded under ESA’s Regional Initiative 3 programme dedicated to creating a digital representation of the major physical processes in the Alpine region, with an emphasis on managing water resources and mitigating disaster risks. The primary objective of DTA is to pave the way for a future Digital Twin Earth (DTE) instance specifically tailored to the Alpine context. Through the integration of advanced Earth Observation data, high-resolution simulations, and artificial intelligence, the demonstration platform functions as a powerful decision-support tool for a variety of stakeholders, providing insight into the use and future needs for a future DTE. The DTA focuses on two critical areas: Water Resource Management and Disaster Risk Management. In the water resource domain, the project provides essential information of snow cover, river discharge, and soil moisture / drought, through monitoring and forecasting services, but also scenario-based tools that enable hydropower companies, municipalities, and agricultural stakeholders to make informed choices based on water availability and usage patterns. In the disaster risk management domain, the project tackles issues including flooding, landslides, terrain movement, and glacier dynamics. By delivering predictive models and high-resolution mapping services, DTA supports early warning systems and risk assessments essential for public safety and infrastructure planning. Thanks to the collaboration of international partners from Switzerland (Terranum Sarl), France (SATT Conectus Alsace), Italy (CNR-IRPI, Waterjade Srl), Slovenia (Sinergise Solution d.o.o.) and Austria (Sinergise Solutions GmbH), the DTA represents a critical step towards understanding and adapting to environmental changes in mountain ecosystems by bringing together a holistic view of interconnected processes. Furthermore, the project sets a framework for future DTE applications in other mountainous regions. |
| Earth Observation for Air Quality and Health ‘AlpAirEO’ – Alps regional initiative | Recently, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) reported that air pollution contributed to 400.000 annual deaths in the EU. The Alps are special. They host 14 million people and attract many tourists and businesses. Due to the diverse [...] | DLR – GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER (DE) | Regional Initiatives | air quality, Alps, atmosphere science cluster, climate, health, regional initiatives, Sentinel-3, Sentinel-5P | Recently, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) reported that air pollution contributed to 400.000 annual deaths in the EU. The Alps are special. They host 14 million people and attract many tourists and businesses. Due to the diverse landscape and climate, pollution hotspots can develop in certain areas while pristine environments prevail throughout most of the high Alpine regions. As part of the “eo4alps” initiative ESA held a workshop in June 2018 with leading scientists to discuss the potential benefits of earth observation of the Alpine region. “Air quality & health” was identified as one of four priority actions. The project “AlpAirEO” will use state-of-the-art technology to deliver innovative science and information services to support expert and non-expert stakeholders and thereby help to improve the general quality of life in the Alps. By approach of co-design, the needs of the health community will be addressed. Satellites EO in conjunction with atmospheric models and surface observations can deliver the spatial coverage and quality needed. The project will look into the available data from operational instruments like MODIS and GOME-2 and especially the new Sentinel mission instruments starting with Sentinel 3 SLSTR for aerosols and Sentinel 5P TropOMI covering NO2. Additionally, the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) will provide important information on atmospheric constituents and climate indicators. For reference, surface-based data from observation networks for the Alpine region will also be taken into consideration. The unprecedented capabilities of the new Sentinels and the Copernicus services will be combined with available environmental information and demographic data, e.g. population density. By following the recommendations of WMO-CCI and WHO, the findings of epidemiological studies and evidence of regional health statistics, daily information on health risk due to environmental stress can be derived.Results will be made freely available based on the Bioclimatic Information System hosted by AlpEnDAC as part of the Virtual Alpine Observatory. Project lead: German Aerospace Center (DLR) Project Duration: 2020 – 2025 |
| Earth Observation for Alpine ecosystems ‘eco4alps’ – Alps regional initiative | The project is an Application element of EO4ALPS Regional Initiative. It will develop 6 EO services on ecosystem mapping and monitoring in the alpine region, addressing the specific requirements of national and regional stakeholders and being [...] | Solenix Schweiz GmbH (CH) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, ecosystems/vegetation, forestry, platforms, regional initiatives | The project is an Application element of EO4ALPS Regional Initiative. It will develop 6 EO services on ecosystem mapping and monitoring in the alpine region, addressing the specific requirements of national and regional stakeholders and being sufficiently large in scope and content to strengthen regional cooperation across alpine countries: ecosystem mapping, forest disturbance, forest phenology, forest fire recovery, grassland management and grassland abandonment. A 2nd objective of the project is to demonstrate the added value of an open and federated network of platforms to provide these services at regional scale. A proof of concept on a transboundary area of 50,000 km2 will demonstrate the adequacy and usefulness of the proposed services. Discover more projects, activities and resources on the Alps regional initiative (EO4ALPS) page. |
| Earth Observation for Landslides ‘eo4alps landslides’ – Alps regional initiative | The project focuses on implementing regional geoinformation services and products for landslide risk assessment over the Alpine mountain range. EO4ALPS-landslides will set the basis for the creation of harmonized and advanced landslide [...] | SATT CONECTUS ALSACE (FR) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, disaster risk, land, regional initiatives, thematic exploitation platform | The project focuses on implementing regional geoinformation services and products for landslide risk assessment over the Alpine mountain range. EO4ALPS-landslides will set the basis for the creation of harmonized and advanced landslide inventories and susceptibility/hazard maps based on EO ground motion services linked to advanced modelling capabilities all embedded in the user-driven GeoHazard Exploitation Platform (GEP). The project is user-driven with the engagement of more than 20 authorities and other stakeholders responsible for landslide disaster risk management involved in all project phases. An online survey was conducted among more than 100 potential end-users of the eo4alps-landslides geoinformation system. Fifty-four survey answers representing 49 stakeholders were collected. These respondents are mostly active at national or regional level with operational mandates in landslide hazard and risk management, monitoring, mapping, mitigation, disaster intervention and land-use planning. |
| Earth Observation for operational hydrology ‘eo4alps snow’ – Alps regional initiative | The project focuses on implementing a high-resolution quasi real-time snow monitoring to improve water resource management.
It is taking advantage of the recent developments in physically-based snow modelling and is based on high-resolution [...] |
Waterjade Srl (IT) | Regional Initiatives | Alps, regional initiatives, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, snow and ice, water cycle and hydrology | The project focuses on implementing a high-resolution quasi real-time snow monitoring to improve water resource management. It is taking advantage of the recent developments in physically-based snow modelling and is based on high-resolution optical and radar EO missions such as Sentinel-1 and 2. The core service is a snow water equivalent (SWE) product generated using a cloud based processing environment to be delivered over the entire Alpine arc region. The eo4alps team is planning to engage users from public and private sectors, such as public agencies, research centers, associations and hydropower companies. |
| HeatAdapt: Heat stress monitoring supporting Austrian climate change adaptation strategies | Most of the largest cities experience profound changes due to urbanization and hence, city administrations are facing challenges in order to safeguard high quality urban growth despite increasingly tight spatial resources. Modifications in the [...] | GeoVille (AT) | Enterprise | Alps, Ecosystems, generic platform service, regional initiatives, Sentinel-2 | Most of the largest cities experience profound changes due to urbanization and hence, city administrations are facing challenges in order to safeguard high quality urban growth despite increasingly tight spatial resources. Modifications in the built up environment increase the temperature of cities compared to their surroundings and are more prone to excess heat. Moreover, climate change in general and the increasing temperatures in particular pose a particular risk for mountainous areas affecting alpine communities and their economy. In July 2023, Europe experienced record breaking air temperatures, making it the hottest in the ERA5 data record, which goes back to 1940 (source: Copernicus Climate Change Service). This increase in temperature has far reaching consequences , with issues related to i.e.: Health Heat induces stress on the human body, particularly dangerous for infants and elders Urban planning : Urban heat island effect, Heat related health issues; energy systems strain (e.g. more air conditioning) Infrastructure : increased cost & environmental burden , street and pavement lifetime (cracks, softening, etc.) etc.), maintenance and repair Agriculture : Irrigation crop health issues ,act. Taking action in terms of adaptation is not only the focus of larger cities but also of any growing built up or settlement area as well as mountain region. Understanding how land use and climate trends lead to changes to the local climate is essential for decision makers to find optimally cost effective, evidence based, and consistent solutions for sustainable cities but also for communities in rural or mountainous areas. The project HeatAdapt combines Land use and Land Cover (LULC) and climate data to demonstrate the effect of urbanization or other LULC changes on ambient temperatures and supports the location of other heat related hotspot areas in rural and mountainous regions at high spatial resolution. Making use of regional clim ate model (RCM) based scenario data will further allow to assess future expected areas for which adaptation actions will be required (e.g., greening activities) allowing city administrations and municipalities to plan ahead (e.g., demonstrate effect of additional soil sealing). HeatAdapt uses artificial intelligence (AI) and multi sensor data fusion methodologies to develop a prototype algorithm for monitoring land surface temperature (LST). Further, climate scenarios are fused with the model, enabling AOI based scenario analysis factoring in LULC changes. HeadAdapt will provide statistical outputs of proposed indicators per administrative unit (province, district, municipalities, census units) and will allow for a statistical evaluation of relation between LULC composition and temperature indicators and potential demonstration of effects changing LULC composition . The project is part of the GTIF demonstrator (Green Transition Information Factory), focusing on Austria to explore Green Transition pathways. For further information, please contact sammer@geoville.com |