IMPRESSIVE project integrated data from Copernicus Sentinel 1-2-3 satellites and Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Services (CMEMS) with marine technologies based on unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs, ASVs), with downscaled ocean hydrodynamics, and with oil-spill / wastewaters models in a unique web and mobile platform in order to support port authorities, private sector industry and other important stakeholders for market exploitation in the field of environmental surveillance, risk assessment and emergency response.
IMPRESSIVE project addressed the development of an innovative platform that will regularly feed on free online available Copernicus data via DIAS, as well as data provided in-situ by autonomous vehicles, as a real-time operational system. Basic pursuit of IMPRESSIVE project was to complete the development of an user-centered Platform as a Service (PaaS), consisting of an integrated solution for monitoring, risk mapping and forecasting of oil spills and other polluting events just outside the European ports and in their vicinity, under real conditions and propose it to the European market and further.
The IMPRESSIVE product is consisting of an integrated operational service that relying on:
(1) A satellite monitoring service processing Sentinel 1, 2 and 3 satellite images and Copernicus Marine products to identify polluting events (oil spills, and waste-water discharges), to generate alerts and to provide their position and features in near real time.
(2) A software package that once an event is located provides forecast of its drift and fate, based on coupling between the pollutant fate and transport and the hydrodynamic numerical models, supporting decision making and the maneuvering of the Autonomous vehicles with advanced positioning technologies.
(3) A set of risk mapping product based on the integration of time series of remote sensing and models products. For the risk mapping a new methodology was used based on complex network theory, developing a new way to analyze Big Data for Risk monitoring, forecasting and management, in real-time when needed, using time series analytics-based network data analytics.
(4) A set of specifically designed Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) and a drone equipped with remote sensing instruments and a sampler device (on board of the ASVs) remotely operated from the Headquarter Control Post for operational monitoring missions and/or accidental/illegal oil spills and other polluting events. Once the problem is reported, they are deployed to target and support monitoring and sampling tasks on the ground. Also useful to couple/validate the output forecasts of the marine pollution model and the hydrodynamic numerical model.
(5) An action protocol tested and validated as an operational pilot (demo), in Puerto de la Luz (Gran Canaria) and Rafina Port (Greece).
(6) A local rapid-response integrated system of near real time satellite/ASVs/drone/model/Forecast/risk mapping survey information and products, to support/improve the decision-making process in any particular spilling event that may occur inside or outside the harbor or in a near coastal areas.
Although the oil industry and other industries (related to waste waters) are fully aware of the international laws and the risks connected with marine pollution, there is still ample evidence of numerous repeat offenders. It can be easily understood that identification of the discharge source, precise photographic documentation and valid estimation on its behavior are required quickly both for the legal prosecution and the prevention of environmental damage. The proposed approach and methodology can provide such information. Thus, IMPRESSIVE project gives to society a means to handle more efficiently the protection of maritime environment.
