GIS-GEOLab News

GISGeoLab Researcher Wins Best Presentation Award at ICGDA 2024 (20th April 2024)


We are happy to announce that one of our PhD candidates, Rodrigo Cedeno, received the award for Best Presentation at the recent International Conference on Geoinformatics and Data Analysis (ICGDA) held in Paris on 20th April 2024. The presentation, titled "QGIS and Open Data Cube Applications for Local Climate Zones Analysis Leveraging PRISMA Hyperspectral Satellite Data," showcased innovative approaches in utilising advanced geospatial data for climate zone analysis, a project developed for the Italian Space Agency. This recognition was awarded in the session "Location-Based Information Communication and Surveying Technology". The work demonstrates the GISGeoLab's commitment to advancing the field of geoinformatics through cutting-edge technology and collaborative research. For more details on the conference outcomes, please visit: https://www.icgda.org/index.html.



LCZ-ODC workshop Milano




Seize the beauty of our Planet' contest win!


Lorenzo Amici, a Ph.D. student from our lab, has won the 4th edition of the 'Seize the beauty of our Planet' contest hosted by CloudFerro. This year's contest, titled 'Together for COOL Earth!', awarded the best satellite image depicting effects of global warming on our planet. His image showcases the aftermath of Hurricane Hilary over Death Valley, where an unprecedented amount of rain transformed the desert into a lake. You can see all the images of the contest here.




Landeslides GEOAI Challenge


Landslides pose a significant threat to infrastructure, property, and human life on a global scale. The Italian Alps, with their steep slopes and geological characteristics, are particularly vulnerable to such hazards. Thus, the aim of this challenge is to create a landslide susceptibility map for a specific watershed using geospatial environmental datasets and advanced machine learning models. The final output will provide a comprehensive visualisation of the spatial probability of an area being affected by a landslide. This information can greatly assist local authorities in implementing effective mitigation measures to prevent and minimise damages caused by landslides. This product will contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 13, which focus on creating sustainable and resilient cities and combating climate change effects, respectively. final event: 2023 ITU GeoAI Challenge Finale: Landslide Susceptibility Mapping" will take place on December 6th, 2023 at 11:00 Geneva time CE(S)T! The challenge is curated by GeoLab (Politecnico di Milano) https://www.gisgeolab.polimi.it/ The best teams from the 2023 competition will showcase their solutions be awarded​ during this session and receive certificates to recognize their outstanding performance.    Cash Prizes: The ITU GeoAI Challenge allocated 1000 CHF for this Challenge Schedule  11:00-11:05 Introductory remarks on the 2023 GeoAI Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (ITU)  11:05-11:15 Remarks from hosts of the 2023 Landslide Susceptibility Mapping (GeoLab, Politecnico di Milano )  11:15-11:45  Best solution pitches by Teams (Enigmatic, Luay,Zysy)11:45-11:55 Award announcements: prizes and certificates (GeoLab, Politecnico di Milano)  11:55-12:00 Outlook-The GeoAI Competition in 2024 (GeoLab, Politecnico di Milano, ITU)  Visit here https://neuralnetwork.aiforgood.itu.int/event/ai-for-good/register?registerAsParticipant=true&externalId=21428 to automatically add it to your AI for Good Neural Network agenda and receive notifications as the session gets closer. On December 6th, 2023 head to the "Stages" area to watch the session live, ask questions, and network with fellow attendees and the speakers after the session!


Challenge by ITU GeoAI4Good and Politecnico di Milano


At Challenge by ITU GeoAI4Good and Politecnico di Milano

The challenge by ITU GeoAI4Good and Politecnico di Milano is focused on leveraging machine learning to produce air pollution susceptibility maps in the city of Milan. The objective is to support decision-making for a more resilient and sustainable city, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 13. On Monday 4th of December the finale will take place, where the top participants will present their approaches, and the winners will be announced. It's an excellent opportunity to witness the power of AI in addressing real-world challenges.


Our workshop at FOSS4G 2023: Mapping with style to fight misinformation


At FOSS4G, Prizren (Kosovo) 2023, Rodrigo Cedeno from our lab and Dimitris Karakostis from the World Food Programme had the opportunity to present their workshop titled "Mapping with style to fight misinformation: creating neat maps with QGIS based on real data". See their after-workshop interview in the video below:


2nd ISDE International Lectures: The Digital Earth(s) of Citizens



Organized by the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), the 2nd ISDE International Lectures with the theme of "The Digital Earth(s) of Citizens" was successfully held on 9th February, 2023. More than 2,300 participants worldwide attended this event online.

We are glad to inform you that the videos and PPTs of the 2nd ISDE International Lectures can be accessed at the ISDE website.


ISDE 2nd InternationalLecture

GIS GEOLab present at the Fourth Expert Meeting of the Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information 


Genoa

The Fourth Expert Meeting of the Working Group on Marine Geospatial Information took place in the city of Genoa from January 30th to February 3rd, 2023. The Fourth Expert Meeting was held in conjunction with the Fourteenth meeting of the Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure Working Group of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Annual meeting of the Marine Domain Working Group of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The official website of the meeting can be seen here.

The event hosted international experts on Marine geospatial information from all around the world. Our member Juan Pablo Duque Ordoñez, Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Engineering, in representation of Politecnico di Milano and the GIS GEOLab, actively participated in the conversation by presenting the technological perspective on Marine Geospatial Information in Italy, mentioning the data available for Italy and Europe, the technological challenges of Marine Geospatial Information, and examples of Italian web platforms that integrate marine geospatial data, including the one developed by the GEOLab, the COPERNICUS - Coastal Web Viewer (COP-CW). The full presentation is freely available here.

The 2nd ISDE International Lectures


ISDE 2nd International Lectures Program

Read more...



Estimating Landslide Surface Displacement by Combining Low-Cost UAV Setup, Topographic Visualization and Computer Vision Techniques
drones_link

Authors: Vasil Yordanov, Quang Xuan Truong and Maria Antonia Brovelli

Many techniques are available for estimating landslide surface displacements, whether from the ground, air- or spaceborne. In recent years, Unmanned Areal Vehicles have also been applied in the domain of landslide hazards, and have been able to provide high resolution and precise datasets for better understanding and predicting landslide movements and mitigating their impacts. In this study, we propose an approach for monitoring and detecting landslide surface movements using a low-cost lightweight consumer-grade UAV setup and a Red Relief Image Map (a topographic visualization technique) to normalize the input datasets and mitigate unfavourable illumination conditions that may affect the further implementation of Lucas-Kanade optical flow for the final displacement estimation. The effectiveness of the proposed approach in this study was demonstrated by applying it to the Ruinon landslide, Northern Italy, using the products of surveys carried out in the period 2019-2021. Our results show that the combination of different techniques can accurately and effectively estimate landslide movements over time and at different magnitudes, from a few centimetres to more than several tens of meters. The method applied is shown to be very computationally efficient while yielding precise outputs. At the same time, the use of only free and open-source software allows its straightforward adaptation and modification for other case studies. The approach can potentially be used for monitoring and studying landslide behaviour in areas where no permanent monitoring solutions are present.
Read more...

Insights into the Effect of Urban Morphology and Land Cover on Land Surface and Air Temperatures in the Metropolitan City of Milan (Italy) Using Satellite Imagery and In Situ Measurements
MDPI

Authors: Mathilde Puche, Alberto Vavassori, and Maria Antonia Brovelli

With a concentration of people, activities, and infrastructures, urban areas are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. Among others, the intensification of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is leading to an increased impact on citizen health and the urban ecosystem. In this context, this study aims to investigate the effect of urban morphology and land cover composition—which are established by exploiting the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification system—on two urban climate indicators, i.e., Land Surface Temperature (LST) and air temperature. The study area is the Metropolitan City of Milan (northern Italy). LCZ and LST maps are derived by leveraging satellite imagery and building height datasets. Both authoritative and crowdsourced in situ measurements are used for the analysis of air temperature. Several experiments are run to investigate the mutual relation between LCZ, LST, and air temperature by measuring LST and air temperature patterns in different LCZs and periods. Besides a strong temporal correlation between LST and air temperature, results point out vegetation and natural areas as major mitigating factors of both variables. On the other hand, higher buildings turn out to increase local air temperature while buffering LST values. A way lower influence of building density is measured, with compact building areas experiencing slightly higher air temperature yet no significant differences in terms of LST. These outcomes provide valuable tools to urban planners and stakeholders for implementing evidence-based UHI mitigation strategies.
Read more...

Il Politecnico di Lecco capofila del progetto finanziato nell'ambito Interreg Italia Svizzera 2014 - 2020


LeccoNotizie

MILANO - Tenere sotto controllo e monitorare la qualità delle acque dei laghi Maggiore, di Como, Lugano e, dallo scorso settembre, anche del lago di Varese grazie al contributo dei cittadini e attraverso la tecnologia di sensori avanzati, satelliti e una piattaforma online.

E' giunto alla conclusione il progetto SIMILE - Sistema informativo per il monitoraggio integrato dei laghi insubrici e dei loro ecosistemi, finanziato nell'ambito del programma Interreg Italia Svizzera 2014 - 2020 che ha dato voce al territorio e ha puntato sulla gestione partecipata dell'ambiente in seguito a una nuova governance transfrontaliera che ha visto la collaborazione tra diversi partner: Politecnico di Milano - Polo di Lecco (capofila), SUPSI - Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana, Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, Regione Lombardia DG Ambiente e Clima, CNR - Istituto di Ricerca sulle Acque, Repubblica e Cantone Ticino - UPAAI.

Grazie a SIMILE - i cui risultati sono stati resi noti durante l'evento “Scienza, Tecnologia e cittadinanza attiva per la salvaguardia dei laghi” tenutosi al Politecnico di Milano - verranno messe in atto azioni di contenimento della diffusione degli inquinanti e innovazioni tecnologiche incentivando la collaborazione tra settori della ricerca e delle università e le pubbliche amministrazioni grazie al finanziamento del programma di cooperazione transfrontaliero.
Leggi più...

Un progetto immenso tra Como, Varese e Ticino: Insubriparks, 125 km di itinerari, 121 luoghi da scoprire per un turismo lento


LeccoNotizie

Natura e cultura nei parchi prealpini alla scoperta di un patrimonio transfrontaliero. Insubriparks, un esempio virtuoso per valorizzare identità e tradizioni, cinque parchi in rete, tre italiani e due svizzeri, 125 chilometri quadrati di itinerari e 121 punti di interesse mappati da scoprire. Il turismo lento e sostenibile sotto la lente di ingrandimento per la promozione del territorio: se ne parla il 25 gennaio 2023 a Palazzo Pirelli a Milano per presentare la nuova e vera esperienza turistica che mette a sistema cultura, storia e bellezze naturali. In Italia, nell'ultimo anno, il turismo slow è cresciuto del 27% e una persona su cinque sceglie destinazioni open air. Sono 25 i milioni di italiani (52%) che prenotano una vacanza, di questi uno su cinque pianifica una vacanza outdoor.
Leggi più...


Erasmus+ supported Climate change Adaptation using Digital geospatial twins and Earth Observation (CADEO) project for Capacity Building in Higher Education in Vietnam.

On the 15th of December was held a kick-off event for the Erasmus+ supported Climate change Adaptation using Digital geospatial twins and Earth Observation (CADEO) project for Capacity Building in Higher Education in Vietnam. The consortium includes two EU Higher Education Institutions (Politecnico di Milano, IT and Lund University, SE), four Vietnamese HEIs (Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Hue University, Vietnamese-German University and Phenikaa University) and one Vietnamese private company (VidaGis). The project's coordinator prof. Maria Antonia Brovelli (Politecnico di Milano) welcomed the participants and guests by introducing the project objective, envisaged activities and goals. CADEO project aims to improve climate resilience strategies by leveraging the most recent geospatial technologies to promote socially equitable development and civic participation which is vital for any country, including Vietnam.

The project consists of designing, implementing, and blending teaching of four new innovative courses, training of trainers in HEIs of Vietnam, development of required digital infrastructure for Vietnamese HEIs, and dissemination of the results to wider society. Courses for higher education programmes focusing on: Earth Observation (EO), Digital Twin Earth, Geospatial Web applications and Geospatial Intelligence. Deployment of cutting-edge eLearning systems, co-designed by different EU and Vietnam HEIs and an industry partner with the participation of key stakeholders. The EU project officer Alba Prieto Gonzalez also welcomed the partnering consortium.

ERASMUS-CADEO Participants

Condizioni climatiche e interventi dell'uomo sul territorio rendono la Pianura Padana una delle aree più inquinate d'Europa.

In cima agli agenti inquinanti più critici troviamo il particolato, le cosiddette “polverisottili” o, ancora più specifico, "polveri fini". L'esposizione a lungo termine a elevate concentrazioni di particolato aumenta la percentuale di patologie cardiovascolari e respiratorie. Industrie, traffico e riscaldamento domestico sono tra le principali cause di emissione di polveri sottili. Ma anche allevamenti intensivi e attività agricole possono diffondere questo inquinante.

Il progetto D-DUST (Data-driven moDelling of particUlate with Satellite Technology aid) vuole fornire, tramite la ricerca, importanti dati per indagare l'impatto che le emissioni derivanti da attività agricole e zootecniche hanno sulla nostra salute. Finanziato dal bando “Data Science for Science and Society” di Fondazione Cariplo, il Politecnico di Milano, con la nostra collaborazione e quella dell'Università degli Studi dell'Insubria. “Il progetto D-DUST sperimenta nuove procedure analitiche e predittive dei meccanismi di generazione e diffusione delle polveri sottili prodotte dal comparto agricolo” - precisa Maria Antonia Brovelli - Politecnico di Milano.

Che vantaggi porterà la ricerca? “La ricerca mira a potenziare la conoscenza a livello locale delle polveri sottili anche nelle aree non coperte dalla stazioni di misurazioni a terra, al fine di fornire stime e previsioni replicabili e spendibili nel monitoraggio e nell'analisi dell'esposizione della popolazioni a tale inquinante” continua la professoressa Brovelli.

Il progetto inoltre prevede la realizzazione di attività didattiche che coinvolgeranno gli studenti degli istituti medi-superiori agrari attraverso seminari di sensibilizzazione e partecipazione diretta alle campagne di monitoraggio.

Italia e Svizzera, insieme per rilanciare le aree verdi dall'Insubria al Ticino

Trasmesso su RAI 3 il video di presentazione del progetto Interreg IT-CH INSUBRIPARKS a cui il GEOlab partecipa nello sviluppo degli strumenti IT per la promozione del turismo nei parchi dell'area insubrica.

Broadcasted on RAI 3 the video presentation of the Interreg IT-CH INSUBRIPARKS project to which the GEOlab participates in developing IT tools for tourism promotion in Insubria region natural parks.

AGREEMENT WITH THE BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

A COOPERATION ON TEACHING AND RESEARCH The Politecnico di Milano and the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA) have signed a five-year cooperation agreement that strengthens the collaboration between the two universities for civil/environmental engineering and architecture-related discipline development, scientific research, and joint talent training. At the heart of the agreement, signed by Giuliano Noci, Vice Rector of the Politecnico di Milano, and Dayu Zhang, President of BUCEA, the creation of a Joint Lab for the sustainable development of technologies for the conservation of cultural heritage, in view of the similarities between the historical cities of Beijing and Milan. The agreement will also facilitate the introduction of joint training courses and exchange programs for students and teachers.

WHO Information Network for Epidemics x Vision for future surveillance (STAG-IH 2022)

Video of Prof. Maria A Brovelli speech at the "Future Surveillance: A Renewed Approach to Epidemics and Pandemics of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH) annual meeting October 2022
Licenza Attribuzione di Creative Commons (riutilizzo consentito)

State of the Map 2022 (21-Aug-2022)

In occasione di State of the Map 2022, che si è svolto a Firenze dal 19 al 21 agosto 2022, i volontari di OpenStreetMap raccontano cos'è il progetto e perché è importante coinvolgere e condividere idee con le comunità di tutto il mondo.

SOTTOTITOLI IN ITALIANO DISPONIBILI

Scopri il progetto OpenStreetMap: http://www.openstreetmap.org Scopri di più sulla comunità italiana di OpenStreetMap: https://osmit.it/

Musiche: Skinny Leonard di Audionautix è un brano concesso in uso tramite licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Mumford & Sons Inspired by Hyde - Free Instrumentals https://soundcloud.com/davidhydemusic Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Music provided by Music for Creators https://youtu.be/5shSBRjyeiI

Licenza Licenza Attribuzione di Creative Commons (riutilizzo consentito)