As global efforts to unify Global Earth Observation continue, more localised coordination must also be addressed. Professor Petros Patias from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki gives an overview of a collaborative project for the development of effi cient Earth Observation activities in the Balkan region

Balkan benefi ts

Could you begin by outlining the aims and objectives of your project?

The project is a Coordination Action with the vision of establishing a new Balkan Earth Observation (EO) community of multilevel stakeholders that will make use of technological developments, products and know-how from the existing European EO community and industry.

OBSERVE is promoting and encouraging active engagement through a series of activities such as workshops, conferences, informational seminars and virtual brokerage events.

Why is an effective level of coordination so essential for the Balkan region in particular?

In the Balkan region, space related activities such as Earth Observation and related programmes are coordinated no higher than at a national level. By promoting the synergy of Balkan countries under the framework of an international project we will be able to unlock the existing potential and create externalities which will eventually lead to our integration with European and international initiatives. The benefi t is mutual; regional actors will realise that cooperation is the right way to achieve competitiveness in this highly technological sector and the international

community will have access to new markets and human resources.

Many of the key Balkan nations, including Albania, Bulgaria and Boznia Herzegovina, are not yet members of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Has this adversely impacted progress in Earth observation in recent years, and to what extent are you advocating their membership through the work of OBSERVE?

Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are not members of GEO and this has thwarted the development of a cooperative culture in an international environment. Any coordination and capacity development action deployed in those countries, targeting the active involvement of national government offi cials, decision makers and local institutions can lead to their participation in GEO. Through its composition, Advisory Board and dissemination activities, OBSERVE promotes their participation in GEO as well as in other European and international organisations. We have already encouraged the participation of FYROM in the ISPRS (International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing).

Obtaining free and open access to data is a prerequisite for the true interoperability of Earth Observation systems. Has this been a challenge for Balkan countries?

Indeed access is a crucial issue, not only for the Balkan countries. There is a certain degree of fragmentation to large repositories of EO data and most of them are subjected to restriction policies. OBSERVE project attempts to gain an insight on the issue through deliverable D31: ‘Establishing common standards and requirements for EO Data management, access and sharing’.

What is the relationship between OBSERVE and BalkanGeoNet?

The two ‘sister’ projects are acting independently, but aiming at a similar objective. We conduct joint consortium meetings and organise common events in order

to maximise impact on our common audience. The merging of our common stakeholders’ database and survey is paramount.

How crucial is dissemination to the work of the consortium, and what feedback have you received from stakeholders?

The key objective of this work package (WP) is to ensure a European-wide dissemination of the project results focusing on the Balkan region. This includes EO and environmental decision makers, as well as national and regional government decision makers, the international research community, local stakeholders, the media and other valuable ‘multipliers’. Dissemination media include the OBSERVE Common Information Platform (CIP), project brochures and newsletters, reports and deliverables, conference presentations, press releases and scientifi c papers. Regional stakeholders have expressed a strong interest in our activities.

Could you describe how the project’s strategy of promoting cooperation in the fi elds of training and sharing of staff is manifested?

Our WP3 ‘Collaboration strengthening and capacity development’, will be the basic pillar of the development and strengthening of EO application in the Balkans. WP3 will put into force the devised action plan from WP2 deploying methods of strengthening collaborations through targeted capacity supporting and coordination services.

Are there any aspects to the Balkan region’s environment that make it uniquely susceptible to the impact of climate change?

Disaster management issues are particularly relevant to the region – forest fi res, river and lake fl oods, earthquakes and volcanoes have a major impact on Balkan area safety, health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the region is subject to health issues related to Sahara winds, bird movements or human migration from Africa and Asia. Many of these issues can be successfully tackled, predicted, modelled, monitored, managed and assessed by EO data and procedures.

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36 INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION

Strengthening BalkanEarth ObservationIntensifying the collaboration between Balkan countries in the fi eld of Earth Observation is paramount for the development and sustainability of the region. The EU-funded OBSERVE projectwill be instrumental in realising this coordination activity

THE GROUP ON Earth Observations (GEO) was launched in response to calls by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the G8 leading industrialised countries. Under GEO leadership, a great deal of work is currently being undertaken to deliver a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), the underlying precept of which is that observation based on international collaborations can support decision making in an increasingly complex and environmentally-stressed world. It offers great benefi ts to society by predicting, assessing and managing natural and human-induced disasters, protecting and conserving ecosystems and biodiversity, supporting sustainable agriculture and generally promoting and maintaining human health and wellbeing.

Balkan countries, however, do not yet have a coherent and continuous approach to implement integrated Earth Observation (EO) applications in environmental monitoring and management. With the exception of Greece and Romania, the Balkan countries are not ESA members. Moreover, Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are not members of the GEO either.

This shortcoming in the implementation of EO applications and their use in the environmental decision making in the Balkan region are manifested through the limited synergies among national and regional institutions, ineffective technological means and discontinuous record of participation to international organisations and committees. Space-related activities, including Earth Observation and related programmes, are coordinated only at a national level. The increasing importance of a common approach towards effective environmental monitoring practices, for the benefi t of the societal web of the broader Balkan region, calls for immediate action.

Inclusion of all Balkan countries into GEO and their contribution to GEOSS is of great importance, since a comprehensive EO framework can lead to a better understanding and more effi cient use of environmental resources, increased quality of life and faster economic development. The importance and benefi ts from participation in global EO initiatives have already been recognised by several Balkan countries.

OBSERVE fi lls this void for the Balkans states by aiming to establish a new EO community of multilevel stakeholders. OBSERVE is collecting and compiling all the necessary information

for delivering an integrated analysis on the current status of EO activities and networks in the Balkan region regarding environmental monitoring, with the prospect of creating a relevant permanent EO community in the broader region. Its ultimate goal is to raise awareness and establish fi rm links with regional decision-making bodies on the importance of a mutual and enhanced

EO application network on environmental monitoring according to the principles of GEO, ensuring a focused and strong dissemination strategy in the Balkan region.

The sister project, BalkanGEONet, is complementary to OBSERVE and aims at identifying existing EO data providers and users in the wider Balkan region, determining their status, potentials and needs, and coordinating EO stakeholders through interfaces and networking.

BALKANISE STRATEGIES

Balkan countries are traditionally interrelated in various aspects of life, ranging from business opportunities to interpersonal relations. Furthermore, they are relatively small in size. The same broader geographic regions with similar, if not the identical characteristics, are usually

The Balkan countries repeatedly

face drawbacks regarding

EO issues, which should be

specifi cally recognised in the

next EU Framework Programme

and be given special priority

OBSERVE

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38 INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION

INTELLIGENCE

OBSERVESTRENGTHENING AND DEVELOPMENT OF EARTH OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE BALKAN AREA

OBJECTIVES

To establish a new Balkan EO community of multilevel stakeholders that will make use of state-of-the-art technological developments, products and know-how from the existing European EO community and industry.

PARTNERS

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece • Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry - ETH Zurich, Switzerland • University of Ljubljana, Slovenia • GeoImaging Ltd, Cyprus • Infometria Ltd, Greece • Istanbul Technical University, Turkey • University of Haifa, Israel • University of Belgrade, Serbia • The University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Bulgaria • Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania • University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzogovina • GEOSAT Ltd, Croatia • The Remote Sensing Technology Institute - German Aerospace Center, Germany • GISDATA Ltd, Serbia • Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, FYROM

FUNDING

EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) – contract no. 265282

CONTACT

Professor Petros PatiasProject Coordinator

School of Rural & Surveying Engineering The Aristotle UniversityUniv. Box 473GR-541 24 ThessalonikiGreece

T +30 2310 99 6116F +30 2310 99 6128E patias@auth.grE patias@uowm.grE info@observe-fp7.eu

www.observe-fp7.eu

PETROS PATIAS received his PhD from the Department of Geodetic Sciences, The Ohio State University, USA in 1987. He is presently Professor of Cadastre, Photogrammetry and Cartography in the Department of Surveying Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

divided amongst many countries. Although it is now widely known that the entire Earth should be observed from a global point of view, there is still a need for local interaction amongst the parties involved and a necessity for cooperation and joint plans within locally observed areas.

Involving countries that are already GEO members will ensure that existing experience can be effi ciently used. This will speed up the process of the inclusion of non-member countries – not only regarding their promotion into full member status, but also their inclusion into the international circle of the EO community.

Due to cross-border geographic regions, the same areas are currently observed by organisations from different countries. The optimisation of EO efforts is only possible if a certain understanding of the distribution and dynamics of the system are observed. This is why it is imperative to maintain close dynamic relationships among observation systems, research programmes and EO communities.

OBSERVE’s main strategic objective is the build-up of a spatial database and web inventory with all existing dynamic elements related to the scope of the relevant analysis. Currently, the two web-based interactive elements have been fi nalised in terms of technical requirements and are both operational and ready to host valuable information. The tools hosted at the OBSERVE portal will provide an online extended registry of relevant stakeholders, institutes, data users, undergraduate and graduate university programmes, EO experts, national authorities, dataset providers, engineers and technicians – all industry actors that constitute the EO Balkan community.

OBSERVE aims at raising awareness on the need to harmonise policies and practices in the fi eld of Earth Observation applications in order to address the challenges described by the GEO societal benefi t areas; it will serve as an effi cient mechanism for recording, monitoring and infl uencing policy in Earth Observation, favouring exploitation and development of Earth Observation activities and ensuring the coordination of these activities for the benefi t of natural resources management. OBSERVE promotes cooperation and permanent institutional links between the Balkan states in environmental management through collaborative training and sharing of staff and knowledge in all aspects of Earth Observation. Finally, it helps to ensure free access of Balkan countries to new observation techniques and the associated advantages they bring.

A very important element and legacy of the OBSERVE project is that after the completion of the project, an indirect output will be the institutionalised formation of an EO-related community. As Professor Petros Patias stresses, some of the project’s impacts will be palpable in the immediate aftermath of the project: “This extended network of SMEs, university and research institution departments, experts, decision makers and EO data providers, through their participation in the OBSERVE project, will ultimately be able to capitalise upon the knowledge and resources acquired and will seek further participation in similar initiatives”.

THE CONSORTIUM AND ITS SUCCESSES

The project consortium consists of 15 institutions from 13 different countries, eight of which belong to the Balkan region, 10 universities or research organisations and fi ve from the private sector. The composition of the consortium covers all aspects and technological pillars of the environmental monitoring project, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry and Transport/Logistics.

The OBSERVE partners have extensive experience in the broader EO scientifi c fi eld. A lot of researchers are distinguished offi cers or delegates in national and international organisations such as ISPRS, FIG (International Federation of Surveyors), ICA (International Cartographic Association).

An important survey regarding the national status of the different parameters of EO (policies, stakeholders, capacities, dynamics, etc.) has been completed. The acquired data, along with the stakeholders’ database and the questionnaire survey’s results, will be used in a comprehensive Gap Analysis Report, which will be available by the end of November 2011. All information will be available on the project’s website.

Professor Patias is fully convinced that further action is needed: “The Balkan countries repeatedly face drawbacks regarding EO issues, which should be specifi cally recognised in the next EU Framework Programme and be given special priority. Balkan countries should be promoted and assisted in their participation in EO orientated R&D programmes,” he stresses. “Many examples of good practice exist, particularly in the context of Third countries, developed through EU projects. The knowledge from these examples can be transferred to the Balkans for achieving scale economies and the re-use of information.”