Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS) project launch

The kick off meeting of Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS) project took place in Jena (Germany) on July 1-2nd, 2015. The Satellite-based Wetland Observation Service (SWOS) project is co-funded by Research and Innovation H2020 programme for 3 years and is involving 13 partners.

The main objective is to develop a monitoring and information service focussing on wetland ecosystems. The partners started working on the selection of test sites, their characterisation and products that will be derived from satellites data. A wide variety of wetlands areas will be studied in some cases in combination with the entire river basin to analyse the contribution of these areas to water management.

In the Mediterranean area, the coverage should include sites in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Montenegro/Albania, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. Service cases will be developed focusing on the key policy issues of each area.

The types of product foreseen are: land cover/land use (and their changes), inventory/delineation, soil moisture, land surface temperature, water quality and surface water dynamic. A strong focus will be on end-users engagement through dedicated workshops, field visits, training and direct access to the services.

Collaboration has been initiated with GEO BON (Biodiversity Observation Network) and with the 2nd project selected under the same H2020 call: EcoPotential. 

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SWOS Objectives