Earth Observation-Supported Service Platform for the Development and Provision of Thematic Information on the Built Environment – the TEP-Urban Project

The Sentinel fleet will provide a so-far unique coverage with Earth observation data and therewith new opportunities for the implementation of methodologies to generate innovative geo-information products and services. It is here where the TEP Urban project is supposed to initiate a step change by providing an open and participatory platform based on modern ICT technologies and services that enables any interested user to easily exploit Earth observation data pools, in particular those of the Sentinel missions, and derive thematic information on the status and development of the built environment from these data. Key component of TEP Urban project is the implementation of a web-based platform employing distributed high-level computing infrastructures and providing key functionalities for i) high-performance access to satellite imagery and derived thematic data, ii) modular and generic state-of-the art pre-processing, analysis, and visualization techniques, iii) customized development and dissemination of algorithms, products and services, and iv) networking and communication. This contribution introduces the main facts about the TEP Urban project, including a description of the general objectives, the platform systems design and functionalities, and the preliminary portfolio products and services available at the TEP Urban platform

Urban Thematic Exploitation Platform – A Novel Concept for the Exploration of Earth Observation Data and Derived Thematic Information Products for Urban Studies

The upcoming suite of Sentinel satellites in combination with their free and open access data policy will open new perspectives for establishing a spatially and temporally detailed monitoring of the Earth’s surface. The Sentinel fleet will provide a so-far unique coverage with Earth observation (EO) data and new possibilities with respect to the implementation of innovative methodologies, techniques and geo-information products and services. However, the capability to effectively and efficiently access, process, analyze and distribute the mass data streams from the Sentinels and high-level information products derived from them poses a key challenge. This is also true with respect to the necessity of flexibly adapting the processing and analysis procedures to new or changing user requirements and technical developments. Hence, the implementation of operational, modular and highly automated processing chains, embedded in powerful hard- and software environments and linked with effective distribution functionalities, is of central importance. This contribution introduces the TEP Urban project that aims at the utilization of modern information technology functionalities and services to bridge the gap between the technology-driven EO sector and the information needs of environmental science, planning, and policy. Key components of such a system are currently developed in the TEP Urban project. This includes the implementation of an open, web-based platform employing distributed high-level computing infrastructures (Platform as a Service – PaaS) as well as providing key functionalities for i) high-performance access to thematic data (Information as a Service – InaaS), ii) modular and generic state-of-the art pre-processing, analysis, and visualization (Software as a Service – SaaS), iii) customized development and dissemination of algorithms, products and services, and iv) networking and communication. These services and functionalities are supposed to enable any interested user to easily exploit and generate thematic information on the status and development of the environment based on EO data and technologies. The TEP Urban platform is supposed to initiate a step change in the use of EO data by providing an open and participatory platform based on modern ICT technologies and services that enables any interested user to easily exploit and generate thematic information on the status and development of the built environment

Exploiting Earth observation data pools for urban analysis - The TEP URBAN project

Large amounts of Earth observation (EO) data have been collected to date, to increase even more rapidly with the upcoming Sentinel data. All this data contains unprecedented information, yet it is hard to retrieve, especially for non-remote sensing specialists. As we live in an urban era, with more than 50% of the world population living in cities, urban studies can especially benefit from the EO data. Information is needed for sustainable development of cities, for the understanding of urban growth patterns or for studying the threats of natural hazards or climate change. Bridging this gap between the technology-driven EO sector and the information needs of environmental science, planning, and policy is the driver behind the TEP-Urban project. Modern information technology functionalities and services are tested and implemented in the Urban Thematic Exploitation Platform (U-TEP). The platform enables interested users to easily exploit and generate thematic information on the status and development of the environment based on EO data and technologies. The beta version of the web platform contains value added basic earth observation data, global thematic data sets, and tools to derive user specific indicators and metrics. The code is open source and the architecture of the platform allows adding of new data sets and tools. These functionalities and concepts support the four basic use scenarios of the U-TEP platform: explore existing thematic content; task individual on-demand analyses; develop, deploy and offer your own content or application; and, learn more about innovative data sets and methods