Earth Observation for Sustainable Development (EO4SD) is an ESA initiative which aims at increasing the uptake of EO-based information in regular development operations at national and international level.
Objectives
EO4SD-marine will work with a range of stakeholders to define and implement a large-scale demonstration of how EO-derived information can support sustainable development activities in marine and coastal environments. Specifically, we aim to demonstrate the use of EO to support, for example:
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Mapping of coastal bathymetry, coastline change, and changes in coastal land cover and land use
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Mapping the extent and status of benthic habitats such as coral reefs, macro-algae and seagrass beds
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Monitoring of water quality and marine pollution
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Assessments of coastal habitat extent and status
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Monitoring of coastal environments required for the planning, implementation and management of marine protected areas
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Surveillance of illegal and unreported fisheries
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Monitoring of economic activities such as aggregate extraction and dredging
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Marine spatial planning and the selection of suitable sites for aquaculture and other activities to develop blue economy activities such as tourism, transportation, and marine energy generation