Workshop on Earth Observation and models

The workshop "Bridging the Gap: Satellite Data and Models for Local Impact", lead by Vasco Mantas, director of the Earth Observation Laboratory, promoted the use of Earth Observation data and models for regional applications relevant to users. Over two afternoons, a panel of 18 national and international experts, in a partnership with UT Austin Portugal, conducted a training program aimed at increasing knowledge about the use of satellite data, stimulating the effective use of existing resources and products such as Google Earth Engine, and their application in local contexts. The free participation allowed the involvement of over 200 participants from 40 countries, most of whom joined the working group announced during the initiative.

With a potential as vast as space itself, data collected from satellites enable us to understand and analyze the planet and inform decision-making. However, there are several challenges to using this data: how to discover and interpret it? How to use the data in designing responses that address global and local challenges? How to understand and leverage them more effectively, applying them in local contexts?

To address these questions, the UT Austin Portugal Program and the Earth Observation Laboratory (eoLab) of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Coimbra joined forces to launch a two-day training workshop. The goal is to unlock the potential of Earth observation and data modeling on a global scale, as this potential is a fundamental resource for addressing social needs and promoting scientific diplomacy.

"This is the second time we collaborate with Professor Vasco Mantas (University of Coimbra, EOLab) and Professor Yang (UT Austin, Jackson School of Geosciences) in organizing a workshop on Earth Observation. In addition to the unequivocal relevance of the workshop's theme for the Portuguese scientific and innovation community, the approach proposed by the two coordinators allows mobilizing high-level contributions not only from academia but also from interface centers, agencies, government entities, and companies operating in the so-called New Space Economy," says Andreia Passos.

According to the Executive Director of the UT Austin Portugal Program, the workshop program benefits not only from this joint coordination, bringing the Portuguese scientific ecosystem closer to UT Austin but also from the diversity of speakers from entities beyond the conventional geography of the Partnership. Representatives from the US Embassy, Portugal Space, ESA Space Solutions, and experts from ESA, NASA, VITO, or Waterloo University led various thematic sessions that make up the workshop.

"This workshop, which fits into the ongoing work in the Space-Earth Interactions area of the UT Austin Portugal Program, is another example of how cooperation between national institutions and UT Austin can benefit the Portuguese scientific and technological ecosystem. In this case, empowering it for more effective observation of Earth's space and contributing to accessing global products and resources that can be applied in local contexts," she adds.

Specifically, the workshop program will explore methodologies and opportunities for the use of global products, both based on satellites and models, for high-impact local applications. Vasco Mantas, scientific coordinator of the workshop, provides some examples of the topics to be addressed: precipitation measurements and analysis of extreme events, hydrological applications, ecosystem management, security, and urban planning. "This workshop will not be purely theoretical. We will have a practical component, including live demonstrations of cloud computing platforms, such as Google Earth Engine." Also, as a speaker at the event, the Invited Professor of the Department fo Earth Sciences, where the eoLab is hosted, Dr. Claude Duguay, addressed research related to the ESA Lake CCI program.