Objectives of the service
Community resilience and adaptation to climate change are progressing too slowly, aligning with previously pessimistic scenarios. Most cities and regions, vital for development and investment, are unprepared for the rapid pace of climate change.
The CTAPP will be tailored to urban environments, addressing unique climate change challenges. Using the CICs (Climate Impact Chains) methodology (https://rdcu.be/dRjSs ), it will analyze and model the cascading effects of climate events in cities, enhancing understanding of impacts on infrastructure, populations, and economies. This approach works with a hazard, such as high temperatures, affects an (exposure) exposed sector or group, such as farmers in a particular region. This exposure leads to biophysical impacts, which then contribute to the overall risk (lower crop yields) Vulnerability factors (susceptibility, adaptive capacity) such as crop type, irrigation availability, etc., either amplify or reduce this risk.By utilizing EO (Earth Observatory) data, augmented with ground-based sensors and local meteorological information, the service will provide insights into urban vulnerability to climate disasters. This data will help cities anticipate, plan for, and mitigate extreme weather and climate-induced challenges.
The service will aid urban planning and development, enabling informed decisions on infrastructure, land use, and resource management to build resilience. Engaging local governments, urban planners, and community leaders will ensure the service meets urban needs and addresses unique challenges.
Users and their needs
CTAPP primarily targets municipalities, environmental advisors, and investment project supply chain teams across Europe. These users depend on advanced tools and data to enhance urban climate resilience and make informed decisions regarding climate adaptation and mitigation.
User Needs:
Overview of Possible Climate Impact Chains (CICs): Comprehensive understanding of potential climate impact scenarios for effective planning.
Data Management: Ability to save and display historical graphs, data, and outputs for trend analysis and decision-making.
Climate Risk Vulnerability Calculation: Tools to assess and visualize the vulnerability of different areas to climate risks.
Data Transparency: Display of both EO and non-EO data descriptions used in calculations and risk assessments.
Data Updates: Regular updates of specific data sets to maintain accuracy and relevance.
Climatic Event Prediction: Predictive tools for climatic events and associated risks.
Demonstration Use Cases: Examples and references to illustrate the solution’s effectiveness.
Technical Support: Continuous updates and robust technical support to ensure system functionality.
These needs address the core challenges faced by users in integrating diverse data sources, conducting detailed climate risk analyses, and utilizing predictive models for climate events. The targeted countries include Germany, the Czech Republic, and Finland, among others in Europe.
Service/ system concept
The CTAPP system is designed to provide users with outputs that are specifically tailored to their inputs and requirements, ensuring that each output is personalised. The primary output is presented as causal diagrams, known as Climate Impact Chains (CIC), which are custom-created and delivered through an interactive application. The nature of additional outputs varies depending on the type of CIC and the data supplied. For instance, if a user constructs a CIC focused on the health of individual trees, the output will include a map displaying the trees and their relative vulnerability. Users can also aggregate data for their chosen spatial units and receive maps representing those units.
Moreover, outputs are produced in the form of graphs, particularly for temporal data, and as numerical values, provided that all necessary variables are available (e.g., the number of people affected by negative impacts).
Users have the capability to construct custom CICs using the CTAPP interface. The application offers a list of climate hazards, and users can select the causal effects that are relevant to their specific scenario. Additionally, users can identify exposure agents and assess their adaptive capacity. Following these selections, users can develop a CIC that generates outputs in a format that best aligns with the requirements of their CIC.
Space Added Value
The CTAPP utilises remote sensing data primarily sourced from Earth observation missions under the Copernicus Programme, and from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). Specifically, we use data from the Copernicus Programme's Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-5p missions, along with NASA’s Landsat missions, including Landsat 5, 7, 8, and 9.The CTAPP utilises available remote sensing data primarily sourced from Earth observation missions conducted by the European Space Agency. These data sets are accessible and feature high temporal and relatively high spatial resolutions. The analysis of remote sensing data yields information on the effects of climate change on urban ecosystems. For example, it enables the monitoring and assessment of vegetation health and the impact of extreme weather events. Remote sensing data can be integrated with other databases, such as municipal data repositories or open databases, via Geographic Information Systems, thereby improving the scope of predictive and exploratory analysis. Furthermore, the availability of remote sensing data across the entire continent allows for consistent and comparative analysis across different case studies.
Current Status
We attended 2 conferences where we talked with city representatives and environmental consultants. We collected dozens of user needs and requirements through a questionnaire survey and discussion, and in August and September we will hold the first workshops with cities that have expressed interest in the application. We successfully refined our cash flow projections and conducted a thorough market analysis. Additionally, we analysed the competitive landscape to better understand our positioning and opportunities for growth. We are now starting to develop the first climate impact chains and the architecture of the app itself.
Prime Contractor(s)
Subcontractor(s)
