Sveučilište u Splitu - Fakultet građevinarstva, arhitekture i geodezije University of Split - Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy

https://web.archive.org/web/20140209134442/http://www.balkangeo.net/
https://web.archive.org/web/20150207071105/http://pnf.unist.hr/

Inclusion of all Balkan countries into GEO and their contribution to GEOSS is of great importance, since only a comprehensive EO framework can lead to better understanding and more intelligent utilization of the environmental resources, increased quality of life and faster economic development. The importance and benefits from participation in global EO initiatives have already been recognized by several Balkan countries. However, a great number of Balkan countries are still not members of GEO.

This project aims to identify existing EO-data providers and users in the wider Balkan region, to determine their status, potentials and needs, and to coordinate EO players by establishing proper interfaces and networking between them. A broad analysis of gaps and complementarities of EO activities within the region will be performed, with the emphasis on user needs in the specific context of the Balkan region.

The consortium has been carefully constituted to include key players both from EO-data provider and EO-data user communities, from all Balkan countries. Participants from other EU countries are also included to allow straightforward identification of mechanisms for leveraging, developing and coordinating EO capacity building initiatives in the region, and to ensure that the Project outcomes will be in line with the currently designed Shared Environmental Information System and with Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe.

Main outcomes of the Project will be the creation of a permanent web-based networking facility, and the design of roadmaps and recommendations for an active, coordinated and sustained participation of all Balkan countries in global EO initiatives. These outcomes will also present a contribution to GEO task CB-09-03 „Building Institutional Capacity to Use EO” and specifically to subtask CB-09-03b „Establishing Regional Capacity Building Networks“.

IASON Project has the ultimate goal to establish a permanent and sustainable Network of scientific and non-scientific institutions, stakeholders and private sector enterprises belonging in the EU and third countries located in two significant areas: The Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions. The main focal points of the project will be the usage and application of Earth Observation (EO) in the following topics:

• climate change
• resource efficiency
• raw materials management

IASON aims to build on the experiences gained by 5 FP7 funded projects, OBSERVE, enviroGRIDS, GEONETCab, EGIDA, and BalkanGEONet. All of the above projects focused on enhancing EO capacities, knowledge and technology in the EU and in neighborhood countries. During their execution time they managed to establish links with a critical mass of research institutions, organizations, public organizations, stakeholders, and policy makers in the Balkan region, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea Basin.

IASON intends to create the proper conditions for enhancing knowledge transfer capacity building, and market opportunities in using EO applications and mechanisms in specific research fields that are addressing climate actions resource efficiency and raw materials management.

In order to achieve its goal IASON will engage in:

• Visible and effective capacity building and knowledge transfer activities with Third countries' research institutes and organizations, stakeholders and policy makers through the organization of two training workshops (one in each region).
• Demonstration of market opportunities through uptake of results from three projects (PEGASO, enviroGRIDS, and IMPACTMIN), best case scenarios and success stories.
• Identification of projects and networks, using the regional partners’ contacts in the Third Countries, along with input from training workshops, and Advisory Board Members in the thematic fields that have potential for future cooperation.
• Liaise and coordinate dissemination activities with other projects dealing with research and innovation cooperation for the Societal Challenge 5 of Horizon 2020
• Creation of an innovative web based common information platform with information regarding clustering projects that demonstrate synergy potential, networking tools that will enhance communication between interesting parties.

In a disaster situation three things contribute to a success: having the right resource available in the shortest time, with the highest relevance and at the right location. Access to necessary information, communication with other rescuers and stakeholders as well as the availability of resources are key factors in minimizing damage and loss of life.

Large scale disasters and crisis situations increase the requirements on man and material exponentially.  Additional challenges, in particular in cross border events, include language barriers, knowhow and organizational barriers and technical barriers (communication and data exchange). To address this challenge it will be necessary to analyse three defining factors:

1. Past responses to critical events and disasters in terms of time and cost
2. The data and data management tool used by crisis managers and first responders
3. The organisational structures of the crisis managers and first responders

This analysis will enable the definition of a concept for a common information space.

A requirement for a successful pan European information space is the definition of a common taxonomy. The common information space, which implies an EU wide standardization activity, will widen the EU wide market for organization developing solutions and tools for crisis management.

The purpose of the EOPOWER project is to create conditions for sustainable economic development through the increased use of Earth observation products and services for environmental applications. This purpose serves the higher goal of effective use of Earth observation for decision making and management of economic and sustainable development processes.

This will be achieved through the following activities:

1. Roadshow activities to promote the increased use of EO products and services for environmental applications, including capacity building;
2. Portfolio of potential EO applications for economic development and environmental management;
3. Enhancement of the resource facility on capacity building in the GEO web portal;
4. Establishment of local focal points (nodes) that actively promote and provide capacity building on the use of EO for environmental applications effectively and at low-cost;
5. Explore the establishment of a high-level forum of stakeholders (resource providers, international organizations) that have an interest in EO for economic development and environmental applications;
6. Establishment of a central feedback node that digests and shares information on incubators, innovation, successes, experiences, visibility and provides brokerage and advice on resource mobilization.

This will result in the output presented below:

1. Opportunities created for economic development, in particular in developing countries;
2. Key international economic development processes identified that require environmental information and mechanisms to develop them in a sustainable fashion;
3. Local communities and authorities have received capacity building and are able to collaborate with international development programs, use environmental EO information and products, and engage resource providers;
4. Mechanism established to market and exploit EO applications for the creation of new innovative products and support services.

Clearing large civilian areas from anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions is a difficult problem because of the large diversity of hazardous areas and explosive contamination. A single solution does not exist and many mine action actors have asked for a toolbox from which they could choose the tools best fit to a given situation. Some have built their own toolboxes, usually specific to some precise tasks, such as clearance.

The TIRAMISU project aims at providing the foundation for a global toolbox that will cover the main mine action activities, from the survey of large areas to the actual disposal of explosive hazards, including mine risk education. The toolbox produced by the project will provide mine action actors with a large set of tools, grouped into thematic modules, that will help them do their job. These tools will have been designed with the help of end-users and validated by them in mine affected countries.

To reach the level of expertise needed the TIRAMISU team includes organisations that were involved in some of the most important European and international research projects in mine action of the last fifteen years. The TIRAMISU partners will build on their past experience of this topic, their long tradition to work with each other, and the strong links they have forged over the years with mine action centres and mine action authorities, demining companies and non-governmental organisations, to bring a toolbox that will represent a step forward in mine action by being the basis for a unifying, comprehensive and modular integrated solution to the clearing of large areas from explosive hazards.

The philosophy of the TIRAMISU project is to concentrate most of its efforts, not on already existing technology, but on the most mature technologies and methods that are still to be fielded and on promising and innovating solutions even if they may require more work to be fielded.