Space for cities: from innovation to operation. A talk about concrete uses of satellite data and services to support cities’ resilience and sustainability

Satellites offer reliable and objective information on soil, air, vegetation, and assets, which can be compared over time. This increases the amount and quality of data that city managers need to implement sustainable development strategies.

Satellite imagery allows for an integrated view of soil movements and land uses, allowing to plan and monitor infrastructure maintenance works. It also allows for a precise monitoring of air temperature and composition, so that city managers can monitor pollution peaks and urban heat islands. Moreover, satellite imagery carries information on solar radiation that can be used to build and monitor solar energy systems.

 

We all know that satellite navigation is crucial to provide real-time information on public and private transport in cities. And that it is also embedded in a number of apps that geolocate people, events and assets and that provide real-time communication channels with local administrations.

In addition to the many services based on satellite applications that already exist and are already exploited in cities, the space community, research institutes and private companies are working closely with local authorities to improve existing services and to propose solutions increasingly efficient, user-friendly and economically viable.

Despite the many successful examples of use of satellite-based services at the regional and local levels, and despite the programmes implemented at local and European scales to make available funds and to develop services that are increasingly sophisticated, satellite-based services are still considered as “innovation” rather than “practice”.

This workshop will present and discuss solutions to use satellite data and signals, which can make a real difference for public managers willing to increase cities’ sustainability and resilience to climate change and critical events.

The workshop aims at bringing together representatives of local administrations, SMEs, research centres and space organisations to discuss about the opportunities and challenges to the operational uptake of  satellite-based service in cities.

The solutions to be presented have been recently developed to improve services that already existed or to respond to emerging city challenges, such as climate change and the critical events.

Representatives from city authorities, SMEs, service providers and NGOs with an interest in satellite-based solutions for cities are invited to express their views on the relevance of the services presented with regard to their needs and to identify the barriers to the operational use of such services in cities.

• Presenting and discussing emerging satellite-based services that can help cities to improve their sustainability and resilience to climate change and critical events.
• Generating dialogue among stakeholders on the usefulness of the services presented, their sustainability over time, and their adaptability to cities’ needs and operations.

• Identifying the barriers and showstoppers to the exploitation of satellite-based services in cities.
• Stimulating connections and ideas to build upon the solutions presented and overcome the challenges identified.

• Solar energy
• Urban infrastructure
• Urban Health

• Local administrations dealing with infrastructure management, energy, air monitoring and health.
• NGOs, associations, private companies and research centres providing smart management solutions in cities.

• Decision-makers and policy-makers at all levels.
• Interested organisations and individuals