WP5 · New Space Portugal
Transforming Earth Observation data into geospatial services for climate, ocean, coastal zones, infrastructure and environmental monitoring.
FINAL EVENT 30 June 2026 · Lisbon ·New Space Portugal
The New Space Portugal Agenda, funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), supports the development of new products and applications based on Earth Observation services.
Among these capabilities is the Atlantic Constellation, a dual-use space infrastructure composed of very high-resolution satellites designed for global defence, security and sustainability markets.
Within this agenda, WP5 develops geospatial services to support decision-making in areas related to the ocean, climate, territory and infrastructure across the Atlantic region.
WP5
The Atlantic region faces challenges related to coastal hazards, climate change, maritime safety, pressure on infrastructure and environmental monitoring.
WP5 combines Earth Observation, artificial intelligence and complementary models to develop geospatial services capable of supporting monitoring, forecasting, planning and operational response.
The services were developed to address the concrete needs of public authorities, blue economy stakeholders, science and innovation organisations, and entities responsible for ocean and environmental conservation and infrastructure management.
The strength of WP5 lies in the integration of data, artificial intelligence and complementary models to transform observation into useful services for decision-making.
Each application addresses a specific challenge and demonstrates how geospatial services can support monitoring, planning and decision-making.
BLUE CARBON AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS
Challenge: Monitoring the condition of coastal ecosystems and identifying changes associated with biomass loss and reduced carbon sequestration capacity.
Users: Conservation managers, environmental authorities, blue carbon projects and research organisations.
Mangrove and coastal condition maps, environmental change indicators and preliminary carbon estimates to support monitoring and conservation.
MARITIME SAFETY
Challenge: Reducing the risk of collisions between vessels and cetaceans in areas of maritime activity.
Users: Maritime operators, authorities, route planning teams and marine conservation organisations.
AI-assisted detection, validated sighting databases and risk maps to support safer navigation and reduce whale-vessel collisions.
COASTAL RESILIENCE
Challenge: Forecasting coastal erosion, overtopping and flooding in vulnerable areas.
Users: Municipalities, civil protection authorities, coastal authorities, tourism operators, infrastructure managers and insurers.
Alerts, risk maps and impact scenarios to support coastal zone management, climate adaptation and operational management.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION
Challenge: Understanding how extreme heat, cold spells and other climate risks affect people, services and territory.
Users: Municipalities, civil protection authorities, public health organisations, urban planners and infrastructure managers.
A platform integrating forecasts, vulnerability indicators, urban heat island mapping and adaptation scenarios to support territorial decision-making.
OCEAN AND OFFSHORE ENERGY
Challenge: Identifying ocean internal waves that may affect maritime operations, offshore energy and subsea infrastructure.
Users: Offshore energy operators, submarine cable operators, underwater navigation services and oceanographic research organisations.
AI-assisted detection, validated datasets and interactive maps to support operational planning and ocean monitoring.
INFRASTRUCTURE MONITORING
Challenge: Monitoring distributed assets and projects without relying exclusively on on-site inspections.
Users: Infrastructure operators, energy companies, logistics, construction, environmental organisations and project management teams.
Monitoring of project progress, access routes, environmental compliance and site selection, reducing travel needs and increasing operational visibility.
USERS AND MARKETS
WP5 services were developed to respond to concrete monitoring, planning and decision-support needs across different sectors.
Municipalities, civil protection authorities, coastal authorities, environmental agencies and public health organisations requiring risk maps, alerts and planning scenarios.
Maritime operators, offshore energy companies, logistics and critical infrastructure operators benefiting from remote monitoring and operational risk reduction.
Universities, research centres, NGOs and ecosystem managers working on biodiversity, oceanography, blue carbon and climate adaptation.
Validation
WP5 organised several user engagement sessions that served as opportunities to demonstrate and validate the services, collect feedback, confirm interest and identify user needs.
With 42 participants, the first user engagement event demonstrated services related to maritime risk, internal waves and remote infrastructure monitoring.
With 52 participants, the second session focused on coastal risks, extreme heat and territorial decision-support through the Atlantic SENSE platform.
The feedback collected helped confirm update requirements, access formats and priority areas of interest related to environment, ocean, climate, energy and infrastructure.
Partners
The partners combine scientific knowledge, data operations, service development and engagement with user communities to transform space capabilities into practical applications.
The AIR Centre is an international organisation dedicated to research and innovation for the Atlantic, promoting the integration of Earth Observation, ocean, climate and digital technologies to support sustainable decision-making. Within WP5, the AIR Centre led the use cases related to ocean monitoring and maritime applications, including whale-vessel collision risk assessment and internal wave services. The AIR Centre also contributed to international validation activities, engagement with Atlantic user communities and the demonstration of applications related to the blue economy and ocean monitoring.
GEOSAT is a Portuguese company specialised in high and very high-resolution Earth observation data, satellite operations and geospatial service development. The company plays a central role in the operationalisation of the Atlantic Constellation and in the development of downstream capabilities associated with the Atlantic Data Hub. Within WP5, GEOSAT led the remote infrastructure monitoring service, while also contributing across the remaining services through satellite data provision, geospatial integration and operational information processing and distribution capabilities.
+ATLANTIC is a collaborative laboratory focused on applied science and innovation in the areas of ocean, climate, coastal zones and environment, developing digital information services for decision-support. Within WP5, +ATLANTIC led the use cases related to climate adaptation and coastal risk, including the development of the Atlantic SENSE platform. +ATLANTIC was responsible for developing territorial decision-support services integrating Earth observation data, environmental modelling and climate indicators for applications related to municipalities, civil protection and coastal planning.
Event
Public presentation of the services developed under NSP WP5 and the main conclusions of the user validation process.
PROGRAMME
Discussion on the adoption, operationalisation and sustainability of space services. Includes the use cases Remote Infrastructure Monitoring and Detection of ocean internal waves.
Flash Talks:
Round Table:
Discussion on climate and environmental hazards and risks in coastal regions. Includes the Coastal Risks and for Climate Resilience and Environmental Monitoring use cases.
Flash Talks:
Round Table:
Discussion on the challenges of marine management and ecosystem conservation. Includes the Blue Carbon and Maritime Safety use cases.
Flash Talks:
Apresentação:
A biodiversidade que se não pode observar do espaço – Ana Colaço (Okeanos – Universidade dos Açores)