PROJECT TITLE: Balkan GEO Network – Towards Inclusion of Balkan Countries into Global Earth Observation Initiatives

Coordinator:

Partners: ROSA - Romanian Space Agency

Period:

Project Director:

Description: Inclusion of all Balkan countries into GEO and their contribution to GEOSS is of great importance, since only a comprehensive EO framework can lead to better understanding and more intelligent utilization of the environmental resources, increased quality of life and faster economic development. The importance and benefits from participation in global EO initiatives have already been recognized by several Balkan countries. This project aims to identify existing EO-data providers and users in the wider Balkan region, to determine their status, potentials and needs, and to coordinate EO players by establishing proper interfaces and networking between them. A broad analysis of gaps and complementarities of EO activities within the region will be performed, with the emphasis on user needs in the specific context of the Balkan region. The consortium has been carefully constituted to include key players both from EO-data provider and EO-data user communities, from all Balkan countries. Participants from other EU countries are also included to allow straightforward identification of mechanisms for leveraging, developing and coordinating EO capacity building initiatives in the region, and to ensure that the Project outcomes will be in line with the currently designed Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe.

Project objectives:

• The main objective of the Project is to identify and coordinate EO activities in the wider Balkan region and to pave
• the way for future full inclusion of all Balkan countries into GEO. To that end, several specific objectives of the
• project are defined as follows:
• To identify status, potentials and needs of existing EO data providers and end-users in the wider Balkan region;
• To identify, analyze and integrate results of previous European, regional and national efforts in the field of EO;
• To perform a broad and comprehensive analysis of gaps and complementarities of pertinent actors, institutions and initiatives within the region, with the emphasis on isolating end-user needs in the context which is specific to the Balkan region;
• To design a comprehensive strategy for full inclusion of Balkan countries into GEO, including a plan for EO capacity building in the region;
• To disseminate the acquired knowledge and experience to the entire EO-community and to raise government and public awareness;
• To harmonize all EO players in the region and to create an open permanent stakeholders interaction platform;
• To identify mechanisms for leveraging, development and coordination of EO capacity building initiatives in the region;
• To help Balkan countries to more effectively comply with the INSPIRE directive (e.g. Annex II, Landcover) and to be integrated into SEIS.

Activities:

WP1: Project management
WP2: Assessing status, potential and needs of EO communities in the wider Balkan region
WP3: Integrating outcomes of previous EU and regional initiatives
WP4: Analysis of gaps, complementarities and prospective contribution to GEO 
WP5: Scenario development, roadmap and recommendations
WP6: Stakeholders interaction
WP7: Dissemination.

Publications:

Project webpage: BalkanGEO