Project EWALD. HORIZON-MSCA-2021-SE-01, ID 101086250

Earth Observation for Early Warning of Land Degradation at European Frontier

Topic: HORIZON-MSCA-2021-SE-01,

Grant Agreement ID 101086250. (2022. – 2026)

On December 1, 2022, a significant and interesting project within the framework of the HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges program began. The name of the EWALD project is Earth Observation for Early Warning of Land Degradation at the European Frontier. The term of the project is calculated for 48 months.

The consortium, which conducts research, participates in the exchange of scientists, obtaining knowledge and experience of scientific research and consists of:

  • University of Lusofona, Portugal (ULHT/COFAC), working on big data management, intelligent computing and risk analysis,
  • Center for Remote Sensing of Land Surfaces of the University of Bonn, Germany (UBO), which uses its long-term research experience in LD,
  • The Scientific Center for Aerospace Research of the Earth, Kyiv, Ukraine (CASRE), which has accumulated and is developing in-depth knowledge on the development and application of advanced technologies based on remote Earth observation data,
  • ECOMM Co, Kyiv, Ukraine, implementing the latest geoinformation solutions,
  • University of Žilina, Slovakia (UNIZA), which has expertise in multi-state modeling for LD risk assessment and advanced cloud computing,
  • University of Marrakech, Morocco (UCAM), with many years of experience in assessing the threat and spread of land degradation (LD) and desertification processes using EO data,
  • Resource Engineering Company (RESING), implementing the developed EWS prototype, providing the necessary data and logistical support.

Praemonitus praemunitus,  being the world's greatest environmental challenge,  land degradation  (LD) is one of the most emerging problems that Europe shares with the  neighboring  countries, from  the Eastern European to the South Mediterranean and North Africa sides. LD aggravates economic, social, and environmental problems such as poverty, poor health, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, reduced resilience to climate change,  and forced migration. These enormous impacts strengthen the need for accurate, timely,  and spatially explicit monitoring and prediction of LD trends to help reduce associated hazards. Early detection of LD can prevent an overall decline in ecosystem productivity. Thus, it will facilitate achieving LD Neutrality established in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 15.3) as a new paradigm for managing LD.

The Early Warning System (EWS) has been recognized as a critical component of strategies to combat LD. Nowadays, EWSs are widely implemented in countries suffering from drought but are still not in practice in the European Union (EU) and neighboring countries. LD in the neighboring to EU countries has significant consequences threatening food and water security in Europe and beyond, resulting in lowering the standard of living and eventually leading to socio-economic tension at the EU frontier.

The overall goal of the Project is the development of a framework to provide Early Warning System and responses to Land Degradation threatening the European Union from its external frontier, based on multisource and multiscale Earth Observation (EO) data. This framework will be a remarkable economic, innovative, and reliable approach allowing an in-depth and objective evaluation of LD using remote sensing (RS) over the extensive territories of the countries with different socio-economic backgrounds. We use the examples of Ukraine and Morocco as the test regions (TRs). It will be a core engine for the future decision-making system aimed to prepare communities threatened by LD to act promptly and appropriately to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. To create the framework, the following specific objectives, targeted to the EU frontiers regions are planned:

  • Objective 1. To elaborate the Early Warning System (EWS) Prototype for land degradation, integrating earth observation data, novel remote sensing, and modeling techniques with risk knowledge. Such EWS will be universal, flexible, and realizable for vast territories by applying cloud computing. It will reflect the local geographical environment and will be scalable for novel optical and radar satellite systems.
  • Objective 2. To develop the necessary institutional environment and management system, including trained, skilled staff. Establish permanent research groups for land degradation early warning on test regions, conditioned and equipped with the EWS Prototype.
  • Objective 3. To provide recommendations on the EWS Prototype application to respond to land degradation threatens territories within the external frontier of the European Union, aiming at further extension of the recommendations to the end-users inside the European Union.
  • Objective 4. To establish the system of the complex training on the application of remote sensing techniques for land degradation early warning. The delocalization of training nodes over the Consortium sites, having complementary expertise in remote sensing will permit to fully realize the multi-disciplinary character of the training.
  • Objective 5. To organize the timely and specifically addressed dissemination and outreach of obtained results. The organization of conferences, workshops, meetings of/for stakeholders, and end-users. Promotion of the elaborated EWS Prototype in mass media and Internet/cloud services.