O.L.K. S.A. submitted a proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the announcement of a project concerning marine pollution which is created (or enhanced) by human activities on land and along the coasts.
This project was due to start in the first quarter of 2021 and aims to utilize satellite data sent by the Copernicus satellite constellation.
The project aims to support the entire Mediterranean basin and its research data will contribute to both the characterization and monitoring of pollution for the areas of responsibility of O.L.K. S.A. The project is free of charge and, in addition to the Kavala Port Authority, the Alexandroupolis Port Authority and the Patras Port Authority participate.
The results of the project will provide the opportunity for its participants to engage with innovative technologies related to Earth observation from space with a focus on marine pollution management.
The main objective of this initiative is to record marine and coastal environmental data, with the ultimate aim of serving institutional and socio-economic actors (e.g. aquaculture, port authorities, etc.) through the utilization of satellite systems, Earth observation applications from space, and other complementary terrestrial applications.
In the first stage of the project, pilot demonstrations will be organized to determine the completeness of the existing systems or the need for their upgrade. During the second stage, the observation data will be open to users of the first stage and possibly open to new users.
Moreover, the mutual exchange of expertise (technical, scientific, operational) between the regions participating in the project can significantly contribute to the management of marine pollution in Greece, but also at a European level, while it is worth noting that the European constellation of Copernicus satellites ensures the free availability of data for the coming decades.
* Photo: Photographic depiction of water turbidity in the coastal part of the city of Kavala from the high-resolution multispectral camera of the Sentinel-2 satellite (20 May 2020). It is noted that water turbidity also reflects environmental pollution, through the analysis of appropriate scientific data.
