Space solutions for river deltas workshop

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Published: 
01 April 2016
European GNSS is having a substantial impact on the development and management of Europe’s river deltas: it provides interoperability and positioning, monitors land erosion and pollution, detects illegal discharge and tracks environmental emergencies.

On 3 June, the 2016 European Space Solutions event features a workshop on how river deltas and related areas can benefit from European satellite navigation and Earth observation information.

There’s a lot happening at the world’s busy river deltas. On the one hand, these areas are hotspots for trade, industry, agriculture and urbanisation. On the other hand, they often exhibit both a high level of biodiversity and a fragile ecosystem. As the sea and waterways continue to serve as a popular mode of transporting goods around the world, to accommodate this traffic river deltas are often characterised by rapid development that, because of their fragile ecosystems, leads to flooding, land subsidence and environmental degradation. Trying to balance the need to protect the environment while maintaining the utility of river deltas is an ongoing challenge.

Space solutions can play a significant role in addressing a number of these specific river delta challenges. From providing interoperability across navigational areas and corresponding positioning, to monitoring land erosion and pollution, detecting illegal discharge and tracking environmental emergencies such as floods or oil spills, European global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and Earth observation programmes, including Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigational Overlay Service (EGNOS) and Copernicus, are already having a substantial impact on the development and management of Europe’s river deltas.

An array of applications

When it comes to river deltas, space technology has the potential to have a substantial impact. Already, Earth observation and satellite navigation applications are aiding an array of activities happening in these unique areas. For example, the Horizon 2020-funded spyGLASS project is developing a Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) based on Galileo transmissions for maritime surveillance.  The use of existing transmissions for PBR applications is already becoming increasingly popular due to their low costs, covert operation and minimal level of pollution – benefits that will all be enhanced with the addition of Galileo. 

Likewise, the Mobile Underwater Positioning System (MUPS), winner of the DLR Special Prize at the 2015 European Satellite Navigation Competition, is using GNSS to explore the bottoms of lakes, seas and oceans. The system aids in discovering what is hidden in the depths of water reservoirs by supporting navigation and positioning. Based on GNSS signals and pseudolites with transmitters of modulated acoustic signals, MUPS makes it possible to determine the position of submerged objects. More so, unlike existing systems, MUPS is completely mobile, thus enabling users to change areas without any problem – an ideal feature for divers, environmentalists, archaeologists, marine engineers, researchers, submarines and anyone else working at the bottom of water reservoirs.

Register today!

As a significant share of the business and activities happening around Europe’s river deltas involves GNSS applications and services, such as the ones highlighted here, there is a huge opportunity for European businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs. To help European industry better understand – and access – this lucrative market, the European Commission and the European GNSS Agency (GSA), under the auspices of the Dutch Council Presidency, are organising a special session on GNSS and river deltas as part of the European Space Solutions Conference

The River Deltas Focus Session is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand about the role of GNSS within this dynamic sector. Topics include river observation, the latest in international waterway policy, using Earth observation to maintain large river deltas, case studies from the Netherlands and Venice, underwater positioning, river traffic surveillance and soil moisture observations – among others.

Users from both the public and private sectors will be present, including speakers from the European Union, national river and waterway agencies and organisations, the GSA, and a range of various research institutions and related businesses. The workshop will take place on 3 June 2016 as part of the European Space Solutions Conference in The Hague, The Netherlands. To ensure your business doesn’t miss out on this unique opportunity to get first-hand insights into how space offers real solutions to river deltas, secure your place by registering today.

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Updated: Dec 08, 2022