Project Summary

The monitoring and management of natural and man-made disasters has been a great issue in the Adriatic-Ionian region, as justified in the programme document and also underlined in the relevant policies addressed (EUSAIR, Green Deal, S3, etc). More specifically, AINATURE will focus on the use of AI tools (and contemporary technologies) for the early detection and monitoring of two major challenges faced by ADRION countries: - Pollution of open surface water resources and warning/monitoring of floods: through the adjustment of the AI tool developed in aqua3S and Pathocert projects (H2020), the partners will be able to detect pollution and alterations in the water surface. - Wildfires and floods: through the adjustment of the AI tools developed in projects TREEADS and Silvanus (H2020, Horizon Europe). The AI tools will be based on images available through the free sources identified in the aforementioned projects, along with crowdsourced data that we will collect through the dedicated mobile app. Up to now, the projects implemented in the ADRION, covering the specific issues, were based on the information collected by sensors, drones, or other types of equipment, making the process costly and prone to the updates of technology, risking being outdated and, in many cases, not properly operated. AINATURE will offer AI tools that will exploit the free satellite images, thus also capitalising on already existing sources of data and ensuring the project’s sustainability supported by the long-term availability of data. These tools are developed through machine learning or deep learning approaches, during which they are trained on the normal/default values and the changes that may occur based on real data, to set the limits for event identification and warning. The project's main action will be the implementation of pilot actions for the use of a joint AI system based on existing tools and software, which have been already elaborated and tested in previous projects (H2020, Horizon Europe), allowing for early detection and effective management of natural crises. The technologies exploited in this effort will be based on: - AI tools, - BIG data extraction and analysis - Mobile application In this regard, the main outputs include: - The development of an AI early warning and monitoring system that consists of: 1. An AI tool for the detection of pollution and other alterations in the surface of open water sources, including seawater, lakes, and streams. 2. Two AI tools for the early detection and monitoring of floods and wildfires. 3. A mobile app, through which the citizens will be able to support the real time monitoring of a natural crisis. 4. A Platform that will include all tools, available for all partners to be informed, to compare conditions, to increase preparedness, and to improve the management of a crisis. - The adjustment of existing AI tools to the data and information (available and requested) of the ADRION partners - 6 Pilot cases on 3 different types of crises (fires, floods, and water pollution) - a Joint Action Plan on the exploitation of the project’s outputs supported by nature-based solutions, aiming to facilitate the inclusion of/replicability of other interested bodies. AINATURE aims to activate the 4Helix stakeholders' involvement through the inclusion of academic/research organisations, local authorities, NGOs, and private companies in tackling the problems faced in each of the pilot areas. The partners have a common focus on several transnational territorial challenges related to water pollution, forest fires and floods, as a natural crisis in one of these countries will directly affect the neighbouring countries as well. Additionally, developing a joint system will mean that the criteria for the identification of a crisis will be common in the areas involved, covering almost 80% of the eligible countries. The envisaged joint action plan will, then, contribute to a common management process based on the support of nature-based actions the partners will agree upon. AINATURE is also in line with the Green Deal’s goals of climate action, eliminating pollution, and research and development, as well as the approaches related to environmental sustainability and DNSH principle, as the solution proposed will be based solely on freely available images and data.