SMURBS/ERA-PLANET Newsletter
  ISSUE #1, February 2018

Editorial

SMURBS is a new project, launched on September 2017, under the ERA-NET-Cofund Grant agreement No: 689443. SMURBS will support the achievement of the goals and objectives of Strand-1 of ERA-PLANET, "Smart Cities & Resilient Societies", H2020-SC5-15-2015 - Strengthening the European Research Area in the domain of Earth Observation. Its Consortium is comprised of 19 partners from 12 European countries, including research institutes, space agencies and universities, all Earth Observation experts (in situ, satellite, modeling, smart sensors, Citizen Observatories) in several thematic areas.
SMURBS aspires to increase urban resilience targeting challenges with respect to air quality, urban growth, natural/manmade disasters and relevant impacts on health or more vulnerable populations. The way forward is to integrate empowering "smart city" methods with cutting-edge Earth Observation expertise to produce new data, information, tools and services, tailored to the needs of the citizens, authorities and policy makers, enabling informed decision making.
Key steps consist of: (i) mapping what is out there and understand what the user want, (ii) design, implement and create synergies among EO platforms to cover these needs (iii) create a portfolio of Smart Urban Solutions with SMURBS' products, services and tools (iv) deploy our solutions in pilot cities (v) replicate in  a dynamic network of follower cities.

This 1st Newsletter highlights our main activities over the past 5 months. We encourage you to follow SMURBS and we remain open to collaboration opportunities that may arise during its 36-month duration.
Best regards,
Evangelos Gerasopoulos
Research Director at the National Observatory of Athens, Greece
SMURBS/ ERA-PLANET Project Coordinator
News
SMURBS @
Outreach
Progress Dashboard
News
SMURBS online stakeholder survey launched on 6/2/2018
SMURBS online survey was launched to gather needs and wants, as well as to engage early on critical and competent stakeholders, in support of the late March stakeholder workshop to be held in Hamburg, and of the overall project planning.
If you are a competent stakeholder in urban growth, disasters, air quality, migration, health, please feel free to participate in our survey and help us get smarter!
SMURBS website launched on 12/1/2018
SMURBS official website- go ahead!
SMURBS @
21st European Forum on Eco-Innovation
SMURBS participated in the "21st European Forum on Eco-Innovation", held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 5-6 February 2018, presenting its approach on "Residential wood burning and the smart cities approach in mitigating its impacts", during an interactive session for energy and air quality.
Sentinel-2 Validation Team Meeting (S2VT) - ESA - ESRIN
SMURBS participated in the "Sentinel-2 Validation Team Meeting (S2VT) -ESA -ESRIN", held in  Frascati, Italy, on 29-31 January 2018. S2VT aimed at involving world-class expertise and activities, through shared benefit collaboration, that support the implementation of the Sentinel-2 validation activities and ensure the best possible outcomes for the Sentinel-2 mission.
SMURBS partner CNR-IIA, presented radiative closure studies as complementary methods for calibration and validation of Sentinel-2 data, especially those referred to ecosystem studies, serving SMURBS' objective of supporting the Copernicus programme.
 
Workshop of Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)
SMURBS participated in the "Workshop of Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)", held in Madrid, Spain, on 28 November 2017. The Copernicus workshop brought to SMURBS (via its partner CREAF) a unique opportunity to interact with private and public sector focusing on Green Growth and Smart City development, and identify CAMS services that fit to the urban perspective of SMURBS.
Workshop on CORINE Land Cover+
SMURBS participated in the "Workshop on CORINE Land Cover+", that was held in Brussels, Belgium, on 16 November 2017.
The target audience was mainly composed by Copernicus stakeholders community on land monitoring, NRC land cover, NRC land use and SMEs interested in the call.
The workshop was of technical nature, providing ample space for a constructive dialogue concerning the next generation core product for land monitoring in Europe, where SMURBS (CNR-IIA, ISPRA) interacted with EEA, ESA and Eagle group and declared its interest, among others, in the comparison of  Eagle and FAO taxonomies.

 
NOA info day on ENVIRONMENT, SPACE, NATURAL DISASTERS: Innovative tracking, recording, forecasting and risk assessment services
SMURBS was presented at "NOA info day in ENVIRONMENT, SPACE, NATURAL DISASTERS: Innovative tracking, recording, forecasting and risk assessment services", that was held in Athens-Greece, on 13 November 2017.
The coordinator of SMURBS had the opportunity to promote the smart city concept of the project and the vision and aspects of Athens as a smart city pilot, to national and regional stakeholders from all domains covered in the project (air quality, disasters, urban growth).
 
 
1st Conference of City Network-Sustainable City
SMURBS was presented in the "1st Conference of City Network-Sustainable City", that was held in the Town Hall of the Municipality of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, Attica, Greece, on 1 November 2017. Network actions, projects, innovative applications and solutions were presented during the conference.
The conference provided an excellent opportunity for SMURBS to liaise with mayors and other stakeholders of the City network association, comprised of 32 municipalities in Greece, to discuss on actual needs and wants and to promote its developing urban solutions.
 
24th meeting of the Council of the National Centre for Toxic Compounds
During the "24th meeting of the Council of the National Centre for Toxic Compounds" held in Prague, Czech Republic, Ministry of Environment, SMURBS health aspect were presented by RECETOX and a reference was included in the respective newsletter.
 
GEO-XIV Plenary, USA
ERA-PLANET participated in the GEO-XIV Plenary, on 23-27 October 2017, Washington DC, USA, presenting its four projects, in a prominent position at the center of the GEO exhibition. Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission, was informed on SMURBS by the ERA-PLANET coordinator Dr. Nicola Pirrone and SMURBS coordinator Dr. Evangelos Gerasopoulos.
ERA-PLANET Kick-off meeting 
The Kick-off meeting of SMURBS project was held in Rome, from 9 to 11 October 2017, with the consortium of ERA-PLANET in a quorum.
Outreach
SMURBS project activities and its vision for Athens and other pilot cities in Europe and overseas, was communicated to the public through the nation-wide Greek daily press:"KATHIMERINI " (19 October 2017), and "TA NEA"( 27 October 2017).
SMURBS project was hosted at SKAI channel, "Eco- News", on 19 October 2017
Our mailing address is:
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