Despite the many successful examples of use of satellite-based services at the regional and local levels, and despite the programmes implemented at local and European scales to make available funds and to develop services that are increasingly sophisticated, satellite-based services are still considered as “innovation” rather than “practice”.

This workshop will present and discuss solutions to use satellite data and signals, which can make a real difference for public managers willing to increase cities’ sustainability and resilience to climate change and critical events.

The workshop aims at bringing together representatives of local administrations, SMEs, research centres and space organisations to discuss about the opportunities and challenges to the operational uptake of mature satellite-based service in cities.

The solutions to be presented have been recently developed to improve services that already existed or to respond to emerging city challenges, such as climate change and the COVID-19 sanitarian crisis.

Representatives from city authorities, SMEs, service providers and NGOs with an interest in satellite-based solutions for cities are invited to express their views on the relevance of the services presented with regard to their needs and to identify the barriers to the operational use of such services in cities.

Objectives:

• Presenting and discussing emerging satellite-based services that can help cities to improve their sustainability and resilience to climate change and critical events.
• Generating dialogue among stakeholders on the usefulness of the services presented, their sustainability over time, and their adaptability to cities’ needs and operations.
• Identifying the barriers and showstoppers to the exploitation of satellite-based services in cities.
• Stimulating connections and ideas to build upon the solutions presented and overcome the challenges identified.

Themes

• Solar energy
• Urban infrastructure
• Air pollution
• COVID-19 response