CloudFerro, a provider of cloud computing services and the operator of the CREODIAS platform, has launched an EO4UA initiative (Earth Observation for Ukraine) which aims to support Ukrainian institutions and international organizations in assessing the environmental damage caused by military operations in Ukraine. The partners of the initiative are Kyiv Polytechnic University, AIRBUS Defence & Space, SatAgro, Center for Applied Geomatics of the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, and the Center of New Technologies of the University of Warsaw.
The war in Ukraine is causing a great damage to the environment and agriculture. Ukraine is an important producer and exporter of grains, oilseeds and sugar beets. Agricultural land in the country accounts for as much as 42 out of 60 million hectares. As a result of the ongoing war, goods from Ukraine will not be able to reach importers, most of which are listed as underdeveloped countries suffering from food shortages. The accompanying high inflation and an embargo on Russian goods (including fertilizers) will cause a rise of food prices and, in consequence, an increase of the number of undernourished people in the Asia-Pacific region, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa (according to FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
At the same time, the effects of the war will be evident in Europe, which consumes half of the Ukraine's sunflower oil production to produce many food products. They will also be visible in massive deforestation and wildfires caused by the military action.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine poses a huge threat to the global environment and food security. Therefore, the monitoring of the Ukrainian environment and crop production is very important for implementation of appropriate corrective actions. To assess the environmental losses and support the Ukrainian authorities and international organizations, CloudFerro, a cloud computing services provider, has started the EO4UA initiative.
EO4UA activities will be carried out in the CREODIAS cloud environment, which offers a high performance computing (HPC) power coupled with a large Earth Observation (EO) data repository of the satellite imagery. The repository will contain various data sets, such as satellite images from the European Sentinel satellites, crop classifications and field boundaries, and forest fires areas, which are indispensable for versatile environmental analyses. The repository will also store the results of end-user analyses along with the generated products, which will facilitate further research.
The EO4UA aims to:
- monitor Ukrainian environment, especially food production and forestry,
- help Ukrainian scientists continue their research work,bring together EO experts conducting research for Ukraine,
- provide CREODIAS cloud computing environment integrated with a large repository of Earth Observation (EO) data,
- support the future research for Ukraine by sharing the results of analyses previously conducted by EO4UA partners,
- provide the general public with information about the condition of Ukrainian environment and agriculture.
Members of the EO4UA Initiative include satellite data processing professionals from private, public and academic sectors, who wish to support Ukraine by providing expertise in EO data analysis and collaborating with Ukrainian scientists. The initiative is continuously open to new members who will make significant contribution to help Ukraine.
Fot. Satellite image: Capital City of Ukraine - Kiyv. Copernicus Sentinel 2 L2A, image captured on March 21st, 2022.
