Description
The proposed project aims the implementation of a capacity for early detection of oil spills and illegal fishing in oceanic areas using satelitte (mainly Copernicus Sentinel imagery), down-linked in real time in the Santa Maria (SMA) Ground Sation, and non-satellite data. The expected results will be the operational availability of enduring oil spill and illegal fishing monitoring services and the delivery of all related documentation. This will contribute to solving two problems: man-made illegal discharges of oil spill at Sea and Illegal and Unreported (IUU) fisheries activity, both severe environmental and economical problems. These services answer to the priorities set in the Portuguese National Strategy for the Sea 2013-2020 and also to the initiatives under the European Commission "Horizon 2020" and ESA. The traget users of the proposed services are all Public National and Trans-national authorities with responsabilities in the Sea, Environmment, fisheries and other.
Summary of project results
The project was aimed at the implementation of a capacity for early detection of oil spills/discharges and illegal fishing activities in oceanic areas, by correlating satellite data (mainly Copernicus Sentinel imagery) with non-satellite data. Portuguese EEZ is one of the largest in Europe and therefore it is essential to have operational capabilities to perform regular monitoring activities. Sea pollution and maritime illegal activities are issues that have to be taken into account to ensure safety and security for Portuguese national waters. The project built on the upgrade of Santa Maria Ground Station to receive Copernicus data, enhancing the Portuguese ability to monitor and survey its EEZ. The specific objectives of the project are: Increase and enhancement of the detection and monitoring of oil spills; Improvement and increase of the detection and monitoring of illegal fisheries; Increase European (and consequently Portuguese) resilience to menaces and independence; Increasing Portuguese Industry capability and competitiveness; Contributing for Copernicus sustainability, the provision of operational state-of-the-art services that use the Copernicus assets is expected to foster a market and paying clients; Contribute to the rationalisation of the authorities resources, satellite-based pollution and fisheries monitoring services, used cleverly, rationally and complementary with the existing authorities resources promote a higher efficiency in the employment of the existing resources and a overall cost/benefit of the complete monitoring system more beneficial to the authorities mission; Take advantage of the results of previous R&D activities, by using these results to improve/operationalize the referred services The main output of the project was the upgrade of EDISOFT Earth Observation processing chain and analysis tools in order to support the generation of Sentinel-based services, such as oil spill detection, vessel detection and illegal fisheries monitoring. The upgrade included not only processing components but also the operator graphical interface. The output of the project was immediately exploited through the provision of oil spill and vessel detection services based on Sentinel-1. As of April 16th 2016, the EDISOFT started providing Sentinel-1A based services, after successfully passed all tests with EMSA. Since this date, and only in 2016, 157 oil spill detection services based on Sentinel-1 were delivered by EDISOFT. The provision of services based on Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites continued during the current year: 2017.
Summary of bilateral results