Ongoing Projects

Co-ReSyF is a strategic initiative funded by the European Commission, aiming to support the development of coastal research through satellite data. This will be achieved by creating na online platform to support research applications that use Earth Observation (EO) data for coastal water monitoring (e.g. bathymetry and coastal altimetry).

CyberParks’ main objective is to create a research platform on the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the production of public open spaces, and their relevance to sustainable urban development. The impacts of this relationship will be explored from social, ecological and urban design perspectives.

ICT is a driving force, media and tool, which operates as a mediator between users and their virtual and real worlds. Public spaces have multiple functions, including social gathering places where outdoor interactions between people can occur and communication and information exchange can take place. ICTs cause and enable innovative outdoor social practices, which challenge spatial and social experts to use them in policies, methodologies, design and research to produce responsive and inclusive urban places.

CyberParks deals with opportunities and risks ICTs offer to the user, via the appreciation, design and usage of public spaces. It exploits the benefits of interweaving a green experience with digital engagement via sharing knowledge, experiences and ideas, and analysing public spaces.

http://cyberparks-project.eu/agora/

http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/tud/TU1306

The number of accidental oil spills affecting the Atlantic coast of Europe in the last decades, has led to a growing concern regarding oil spill preparedness and response, and has motivated the development and implementation of different tools to be used in these emergency situations.
Close to shore, most damage occurs in sheltered bays and inlets, where oil becomes concentrated. In the last years different nationals and internationals administrations have promoted environmental directives aimed to the protection of these aquatic ecosystems (e.g. Water Framework Directive (2000/60/CE); Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)).
To fulfill the aforementioned legislation and to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills, two different approaches exist. On one hand, planning tools to promote an integrated and sustainable oil spill response capability in the regions are needed. On the other hand, operational oceanography systems that provide real-time forecast of oceanographic variables and oil spill trajectories are becoming a key element in oil spill response. Both approaches are usually based on monitoring and numerical (hydrodynamic and transport) models. In this sense, although noticeable advances have been done in modelling at a regional scale (O(km)), there is a lack of systems to be applied at local scales such as estuarine environments or ports (O(m)). More research is needed on solving small scale processes that affect the oil spill tr ansport and fate and on methodologies and techniques for developing downscaling methods to obtain local-scale atmospheric and oceanographic conditions from variables that are provided by regional-scale models.
The main aims of this project are, therefore, to: (i) develop a set of high resolution operational oceanographic systems in s everal estuaries or ports located in the Atlantic Area, and (ii) establish local oil spill response plans for these local areas based on risk as assessment.