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Welcome to the European Space Agency's Earth Observation Best Practices (EOBP) for Road and Rail.

About the project

Earth Observation (EO) technology provides valuable tools for generating risk maps for physical hazards such as floods, extreme precipitation events, and ground instability, specifically for monitoring road and rail infrastructure. By offering broad spatial coverage, consistent monitoring, and access to historical data, EO enables the identification of areas with high exposure and long-term trends that may affect transport networks. Historical EO data can be used to analyse past events, such as flooding or ground deformation, to better understand patterns and predict future risks. This information supports the detection of surface deformation, land subsidence, and flood-prone regions, allowing infrastructure managers to assess risks, prioritise maintenance, and implement cost-effective, proactive strategies to enhance the resilience of road and rail systems.

We have selected three mature EO products to include within the service:

  1. Ground Movement Risk Maps

  2. Flood Risk Maps

  3. Extreme Rainfall Events Risk Maps

The service is offering broad spatial coverage to address a variety of challenges comprehensively. Additionally, hosting multiple risk products on a single platform ensures a streamlined approach for the industry, eliminating the need to seek separate solutions for each hazard. This integration saves time, simplifies decision-making, and promotes cost-effective risk management for road and rail infrastructure

EOBP Road and Rail

Geospatial Explorer EOBPs - Road and Rail (Railway)

The ESA APEX Geospatial Explorer is an interactive platform designed to support decision-making in the Road & Rail sector through advanced Earth Observation (EO) analytics. This tool integrates mature and validated EO products with sector-specific datasets to address high-priority geospatial requirements.

The current release focuses on three core services->

1. Flood Risk Maps: Maps flood-prone areas along Italy’s railway network using hydraulic models and satellite data to support risk management and infrastructure resilience.

2. Extreme Rainfall Events Risk Maps: Identifies regions vulnerable to intense rainfall events to help protect railway and road infrastructure from extreme weather impacts.

3. Ground Movement Risk Maps: Assesses landslide and subsidence risks using InSAR-based ground motion data to safeguard transport networks

Consortium

GMV main page
Nova Space main website
McKinsey & Company

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