The Innovation News Network Magazine #Issue 3 features the work of our partner "National Observatory of Athens" and their role in the H2020 project, e-shape.

Research Directors Evangelos Gerasopoulos and Charalampos (Haris) Kontoes discuss how the institution plan to coordinate earth observation in order to improve upon global sustainability and deliver robust environmental information.

The role of the National Observatory of Athens in e-shape

The National Observatory of Athens (NOA), as the first research institution created in Greece in 1842, performs research ranging from astronomy and astrophysics to remote sensing and environmental science and climatology. NOA has become a very active player in the EO arena during the last few decades, contributing substantially to both the research and the governance efforts of the EO community, via GEO, and the European Commission-led EuroGEO. NOA as a whole maintains several EO assets, which enable NOA to hold a strong role within the e-shape project specifically through two bodies: the Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry Group (APCG) and the BEYOND Centre of Excellence. APCG, a group within the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development (IERSD) at NOA, leads the Health Surveillance Air Quality Pilot further described below, employing novel EO technologies to enrich decision maker, citizen, and stakeholder knowledge of health risks related to air pollution in the urban setting.

The BEYOND Centre of Excellence, hosted by the Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing (IAASARS) of NOA, serves as the coordinator for the Disasters showcase within e-shape; and also leads two pilots, one focusing on resilient food/agriculture (ReSAgri) and the other on solar energy forecasting (nextSENSE).

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