Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
H2020Doctoral network2016–2020

TRuStEE · Training on Remote Sensing for Ecosystem modElling

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-10-01 → 2020-09-30
EU contribution
€3,062,364
Participants
13
Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Training on Remote Sensing for Ecosystem modElling

TRuStEE (Training on remote sensing for ecosystem modelling) is a pioneering innovative training network designed to provide multidisciplinary training for 12 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) on the use of the still under-exploited potential of novel remote and proximal sensing techniques to face grand societal challenges as the increasing pressure of environmental change on ecosystem functioning and land-atmosphere interactions. The innovative aspects of the TRuStEE network are hereafter summarized: i) to shape a new generation of scientists with combined, complementary and interdisciplinary skills in ecosystem modelling, plant physiology, remote sensing technologies and big data analysis; ii) to train young scientists to exploit the recent technological development in the field of proximal and remote sensing (e.g. drones, fluorescence sensors) and Earth Observation data from new satellite missions (e.g. ESA-FLEX, NASA-GEDI) for the description of the ecosystem functioning and the prediction of ecosystem services; iii) to improve the understanding and modelling of biosphere-atmosphere interactions and ecosystem services allowing the exploration of inter-linkages, synergies and feedbacks between ecosystem functional properties and plant traits measurable from remote observation. To address these challenging aims, the TRuStEE network is composed by 9 beneficiaries and 8 partner organisations well known internationally for their interdisciplinary and innovative research and activities. The academic partnership is complemented by the non-academic sector involving companies operating in the project topic. The integration of the interdisciplinary expertise of different consortium members creates a number of synergies within the network that benefits the young scientist’s training.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Understanding and predicting ecosystem functions remains a major challenge in evaluating ecosystem services and biophysical controls on biosphere-atmosphere interactions, as current dynamic vegetation models are still not capable of grasping the spatial and temporal variability in ecosystem processes. Remote sensing (RS) data at a range of scales from proximal observations to global extent sampling can detect essential changes in plant traits (PTs), biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, providing a method for scaling-up. However there are still methodological and technical constraints that hamper a systematic incorporation of RS in ecosystem models, including scalability and multi-source data integration issues. TRuStEE will train a new generation of scientists with complementary and interdisciplinary skills in ecosystem modelling, plant physiology, RS technologies and big data analysis, addressing the specific objectives: 1) to identify essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) and the link with PTs and ecosystem functional properties (EFPs), inferable from RS, 2) to investigate a completely new avenue for assessing vegetation photosynthetic efficiency from RS measurements of canopy fluorescence, 3) to assimilate diverse RS data streams with varying spatial and temporal resolution in dynamic ecosystem models and 4) to exploit new satellite missions (e.g. ESA-FLEX, ESA-Sentinels, NASA-GEDI) and EO products for the upscaling of PTs, EBVs and EFPs. The early stage researchers (ESRs) involved will strongly benefit from the network of internationally recognized scientists and private companies with relevant expertise in these topics. The cooperation program proposed will link academic and non-academic participants to allow the circulation of ESRs giving them the opportunity to become new research and innovation leaders in the most cutting edge sophisticated technologies in the field, increasing their employability in both academic and private sectors.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITA' DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA · MilanoCoordinatorItaly
  • AEROVISION BV · AMERSFOORTNetherlands
  • AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridSpain
  • CS Systèmes d'Information · Le Plessis RobinsonFrance
  • FONDAZIONE EDMUND MACH · San Michele All'AdigeItaly
  • FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JULICH GMBH · JULICHGermany
  • MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV · MUNCHENGermany
  • QUESTUAV LTD · AMBLECity levelUnited Kingdom
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH · EdinburghUnited Kingdom
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterUnited Kingdom
  • TRILOGIS SRL · RoveretoItaly
  • UNIVERSITEIT TWENTE · EnschedeNetherlands
  • VLAAMSE INSTELLING VOOR TECHNOLOGISCH ONDERZOEK N.V. · MolBelgium

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union