According to Eurostat, in 2022, road accounted for 72.2% of passenger and around 25% of freight transport in the EU. Whereas rail accounted for around 10% of passenger and 5.5% of freight transport. These numbers show that road and rail infrastructure are fundamental to socio-economic development, enhancing living standards and driving economic growth through improved connectivity.
Earth observation (EO) technologies can significantly contribute to the road and rail logistics industry by supporting site selection and design optimisation, monitoring traffic flow and usage trends, detecting vulnerabilities (e.g., flood risk, land movement, etc.), to decommissioning and repurposing. EO can help organisations across the industry by providing independent, spatially consistent, and scalable geospatial data that is regularly updated and covers large areas.
The ESA Best Practices “EO4Road&Rail” aims to identify pressing end-user needs across the road & rail industry’s business processes, and understand how the current capabilities of EO can address these challenges. By bringing together road & rail industry & EO experts, this project defines best practices for the road & rail users to integrate impactful EO products into their business processes.
Our host Geoff Sawyer (EARSC Strategic Advisor and former Secretary General) will be joined by Annekatrien Debien (Principal, Novaspace), Marius Kohmann (Consultant, Novaspace) and Enes Hisam (EO Project Manager, GMV) the key representatives involved in the EO4Road&Rail project. Together, they will explore the outcomes of the EO4Road&Rail project, key needs of the road and rail stakeholders, barriers for uptake of EO data in the sector and potential opportunities for the EO industry to get involved.
Some questions that could be addressed during this EOcafe include:
- What is the current status and role of EO in road and rail sector? What are the challenges for leveraging EO?
- What solutions can EO provide? What is the added value of EO?
- What are the challenges and barriers for EO companies to enter the market and integrate solutions into the specific business processes?
- Are there any successful EO applications already developed/deployed? What was a good example or best practice?
- What are the future needs for EO in the road and rail sector? What main gaps were identified?
- What measures/actions could be implemented to support the EO downstream services industry sector interact and support the road and rail sector?
- What are the next steps for the EO4Road&Rail project?
Registration: The webinar is open to all. Registration is free but compulsory.
Please note this is a virtual event!
EOcafe is part of a series of EARSC meetings that offer timely, relevant, and practical information on a broad variety of topics related to the EO sector. Join us every month to discuss and network while enjoying a cup of coffee with friends.
IMPORTANT NOTES!!!
- The use of a video camera is not mandatory but is encouraged to facilitate better interaction between the attendees and the guest speaker(s).
- The EOcafe will stay open after 17:00 in case our guests want to continue the discussion.
- By registering for this event, you accept the terms and conditions (https://earsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/EARSC_Events_GDPR.pdf).
If you have any questions, and/or you want to know more about the EOcafe, and/or you want to share an idea about a future EOcafe, please contact Tanya Walker (tanya.walker@earsc.org).