First workshop on remote sensing applications for environmental monitoring

Ispra, Italy

  1. Workshop background

Remote Sensing (RS) techniques can provide an important contribution to monitoring and reporting on the state of the environment, providing assessments of large-scale and long-term conditions, over the regional to continental range, and over the entire seasonal cycle. In order to fully exploit the potential of this technique, RS data must undergo several levels of processing - requiring special facilities and expertises - to derive suitable indicators, before reaching the end-user.

A pilot programme for environmental assessments of the Eurasian macro-region, that would identify and map a key set of indicators derived from RS data, has been proposed in the framework of the WGEM. The programme - involving the co-operation of end-users, and including a set of complementary measures, such as an application demonstration exercise, an awareness campaign for potential end-users and a suitable set of training activities - would complement other actions aiming at reporting on the state of the environment, in relation to the Kiev Assessment. The present Workshop is a forerunner of the proposed complementary measures.

  2. Workshop objective

The Workshop is aimed at experts from countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), supported by TACIS project funds, and experts from other interested UNECE countries. The Workshop will review current RS application potential for environmental assessments at national, subregional and regional levels, as well as current country requirements and capabilities in this field, in view of drafting a comprehensive project proposal, possibly to be later submitted in the EU GMES framework.

  3. Workshop programme

On the first day, the Workshop will be opened by a series of 6 keynote presentations on environmental indicators available using RS techniques, based on the experience of the JRC about vegetation & climate, marine & coastal zones, land use & agriculture, as well on the experience of the REC, EEA, and the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring about the use of RS for environmental monitoring. The experts from the participating countries will then be called to deliver a series of short national contributions on the experience in the use of RS for environmental assessments in their respective countries or their specific interests in using RS results. These presentations will set the stage for the ensuing discussions, which will be conducted during the second day.

On the second day, a review will be given of the proposal on indicators identification and mapping, which was drafted by JRC on behalf of the WGEM. A plenary discussion will follow, to identify a key set of environmental indicators, regions & basins of interest to participating countries and to discuss specific indicators - concerning vegetation & climate, marine & coastal zones, and land use & agriculture - to be worked upon in participating countries over the following 6 months. A summary of the workshop outcome and future plans, including definition of scope, date and venue of the second workshop on RS, will close the workshop.

  4. Workshop speakers

  5. Workshop outcome

The Workshop participants will sketch a work plan to be executed by experts in their home countries in the following 6 months, in order to better outline the proposed project. In particular, it is foreseen that in each of participating countries an applied research group will be identified, to carry out an assessment of (1) environmental information requirements, in co-operation with the relevant a dministrative bodies, (2) available and missing resources, such as institutional framework, hardware and software infrastructures, personnel, as well as (3) their training needs, and the potential for some (4) preliminary data gathering and processing, for use in the proposing stage.

  6. Workshop follow-up

A second Workshop will be organized in the late fall 2003 to review the work done, to present and review all of the foreseen contributions, and to draft the final proposal.

  7. Workshop logistics

Guidelines for national presentations from country experts

Each expert from the participating countries will be called to provide a short contribution on the national experience with RS techniques and technologies for environmental monitoring and assessments in her/his country or their specific interests in using RS results.

In particular, the experts will be expected to deliver information about:

A 20-minute slot will be allowed for each presentation. Therefore, the speakers are advised to provide concise and factual contributions, following the present guidelines. This will allow optimal use of the limited time available, as well as a direct comparison of the situation in countries, and a precise evaluation of the work to be proposed in the planned follow-up activities.

Agenda