The conference is likely the most important in the field of remote sensing, with the participation of thousands of delegates from academics, research and industry. The theme for IGARSS 2017 is “International Cooperation for Global Awareness” which emphasizes the need, organizers stressed, to work together to address many challenges we are facing today.

The talk has been given by Fabio Del Frate (University of Rome Tor Vergata). Announcement of the call for expression of interest recently launched by the project to increase the number of the partners has been also given. “In fact, very high ranked European Universities expressed preliminary interest for the initiative”, says Del Frate.

At BIC Lazio facilities in Rome, with the cooperation of University of Rome Tor Vergata and Copernicus Relay italiano Lazio Connect, a four-days training is going to be a really sold-out event. From 8 to 26 of June, all people are attending a general but at the same time in-depth talks, introducing Earth Observation, Copernicus program and the possibility of using geo data and satellite data also for business ideas. And no seats are empty.

In the parterre there are students, engineers, entrepreneurs, architects, physicists, and firefighters too. This proves that the aim of FabSpace 2.0 project to involve people with no Remote Sensing background is going well. The Fab Space local training indeed is addressed to people that want to approach the theme, giving necessary competences for using satellite data and information. A basic free knowledge, to develop services and innovative digital ‘Earth observation based’ applications, useful to participate to fab space challenges.

The next 30 June in fact is the dead line for the Italian local challenge submission.

Topics of training (find here the program):

Introduction to Remote Sensing and Copernicus free data (Valerio Caroselli, Lazio Connect)

Introduction to Optic and Multispectral Remote Sensing (Fabio Del Frate, University of Rome Tor vergata)

Introduction to Microwave Remote Sensing (Fabio Del Frate, University of Rome Tor vergata)

Practical exercises about SAR, Optic and Multispectral Remote Sensing (Matteo Picchiani, University of Rome Tor Vergata)

The next 30 June is the dead line for the Italian local challenge submission: Improve the planning, operation and maintenance of transport infrastructures.

Transport is vital to the well-functioning of economic activities and a key to ensuring social well-being and cohesion of populations. Transport ensures everyday mobility of people and is crucial to the production and distribution of goods. Adequate transport infrastructure is a fundamental precondition for transport systems and is one of the most important factors for a country’s progress and competitiveness.

Since the mid-1990s, spending on transport infrastructure has increased significantly across Europe, reaching a peak in 2009. It has subsequently decreased each year. Despite these reductions, in 2014, the level of spending was 8 % higher than in 1995. Roads and rails, by far, attract most of the spending.

Infrastructure growth is slowing, so the maintenance, preservation, and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure are becoming increasingly more important. As public funding shifts from construction to maintenance, maintenance organizations become more accountable to administrators, politicians, and the public for a safe, convenient, and accessible transportation system. This shift in emphasis brings new governance and institutional issues.

Innovations in management systems, resources, materials, technology, equipment, and work methods help improve maintenance effectiveness and efficiency at the network and activity levels. Technology is changing the kinds of information that are available and must be maintained and, as a result, new maintenance procedures and different set of skills are being developed.

The present challenge is aimed at identifying innovative solutions that supports roads and rails planning, operation and maintenance by both transport infrastructure operators and Public Administrations that have policy and controlling roles.

The area of interest will be Italy and in particular Rome and its surroundings.

The remote sensing imagery provided comes from the Sentinel 1 and Sentinel 2 platforms.

Here the challenge announcement.

Find more info at BIC Lazio web site

All users can find on YouTube video contributes of the FabSpace Open Day, held at the University of Rome Tor Vergata on 9 th March.

The Atheneum YouTube Channel hosts also the speakers slides presentations.

Enjoy the videos!

Which are the climate change impacts on agriculture at global level? How can satellite Earth observations help in this contest? Dr. Hideki Kanamaru from FAO explained some of these issues at the workshop prof. Fabio Del Frate organized on April, 4 at the School of Engineering at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been actively working to contribute to national policy planning on climate change, agriculture, and food security – Dr. Kanamaru underlined -. We need to understand better how climate change will affect agriculture and food security. Without that information, countries cannot plan climate change adaptation strategically.

How this can be achieved? Students and researchers took part at the discussion keeping more and more interesting the event.

There are three pillars in climate smart agriculture: increase, in a sustainable manner, productivity and income growth in agriculture; support adaptation across the agricultural sectors to expected climatic changes and build resilience; reduce, where possible, the greenhouse gas emissions of production systems.

For these purposes future approaches would be focused on the use of remote sensing in addressing climate change impact assessments (Filling spatial gaps in observation; investigating on difficult-to-measure variables such as soil moisture or vegetation amounts and types)

The use of remote sensing data is basic for analysis of historical trend; monitoring of current condition; early warning of developing condition (e.g. drought, pests and diseases); nowcasting of rapidly developing extreme events (e.g. flooding, landslide); forecasting (today, tomorrow, 3-days, week, month, season, decades).

The presentation provided an overview of the global issue with a focus on impacts of climate variability on the agriculture sectors and adaptation planning in developing countries. Ideas for enhancing the use of innovative technologies and of datasets from remote sensing and other sources to fill the information gap in the most vulnerable parts of the world should be solicited.

Everywhere and every time!

The first FabSpace 2.0 Open Day in Italy was held on 9 of March at the School of Engineering of University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Everybody interested in business opportunity and innovation from Earth Obs and Geo data were welcomed by the FabSpace team of Rome Tor Vergata. Experts from national research institutes and from the European and Italian space agencies showed the applicative possibilities of those data: protection of territory and environment, infrastructure design and maintenance, agricultural practices, could be improved thanks to satellite data access and geo-referred information already available in open-data world. Have a look at the agenda.

“Nowadays that we live in an era where space platform provide constantly an enormous amount of data, FabSpace has to be a physical place, where solid tech-sci competences may conceive a new generation of services based on satellite data, or other geo-data – stresses prof. Fabio Del Frate, FabSpace 2.0 project responsible for Italy – The goal is to give and realize these services for young entrepreneurial realities to be launched. New enterprises can innovate productive procedures in strategic sectors such as agro-food, transportations, infrastructures, territory and urban areas management”.

FabSpace shop at University of Rome Tor Vergata has been inaugurated on 20 of February and already starts with its creative help desk duty for people interested in Geo-Data.

Find here opening times and how to reach.