EASTERN project: Earth observation models for weather event mitigation

Flooding is one of the most frequent natural disasters worldwide, resulting in substantial socioeconomic losses and public health threats. The EASTERN project proposes an innovative approach exploiting Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to combine data collected from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging and ground measurements for real-time flood risk assessment. Specifically, the goal is to focus on both immediate dangers associated with landslides and secondary risks resulting from the increased prevalence of disease vectors in affected regions. For the first use case, data from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technologies and interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture radar images (InSAR) will be combined to offer complementary insights into Earth’s surface deformation and identify susceptible locations prone to landslides. For the second use case, high-resolution SAR data will be exploited to predict whether a flooded area may become an ecological niche for arbovirosis vectors. The application of advanced AI technologies for these Earth Observation tasks will allow for a prompt response to flooding events and will become a valuable support in the decision-making process of preventing and mitigating the consequences of extreme weather events.