The Ka-band frequency (35 GHz) is becoming increasingly attractive for spaceborne remote sensing applications. Unlike other radar bands, the Ka-band enables the development of compact high resolution interferometric instruments and embarking the payloads on a single platform. This creates unique new opportunities in Earth observation science and civil security applications, for instance in monitoring the changing cryosphere, generating high resolution maps of ocean currents and ship and vehicle detection.

The overall goal of the TRACE project was to build a remote sensing based fully automated system for the detection and tracking of large marine litter and accumulation patches of smaller litter items in order to obtain precise and reliable data on floating macro-litter regarding their quantity, position, accumulation zones, material properties, floating depth, and sources. The tracking mechanism has been implemented by coupling the daily satellite-based detections with an oceanographic forecasting system and by a two-step object matching approach.

Monitoring areas closer to plastic marine litter sources that can be very well targeted, such as rivers and estuarine systems, has the potential to improve mitigation strategies, since they can be spatially focused and even clean-up activities can be more efficient. Recent studies showed that floating plastics emitted from the coast depict a much greater chance to rapidly return to land with most litter stranding within a short distance of the river mouth.

Ocean Scan is the first inclusive labeled global marine plastic database, designed to benefit remote sensing researchers. Ocean Scan brings together global in-situ observations and their matching Earth Observation data in one place, and offers additional features specifically designed to benefit remote sensing researchers.

• • Ship Detection: Reduce the processing time; ;

There is an urgent need to assess the levels of plastic pollution in the ocean, to allow for future monitoring and determine the efficacy of any remediation put into force. As a consequence, parallel to in situ observations, there is a growing interest in detecting marine debris using remote sensing satellite and UAV imagery. The Marine Remote Sensing Group (MRSG) at the University of the Aegean is one of the few groups worldwide with in-deep experience in developing artificial plastic debris target structures, in different configurations and polymer composition.

Optical high-resolution payloads require very high structural and thermal stability to work at their top performance. Performing a thermal analysis and being able to perform De-Risk activities is surely critical for what concerns optical payloads which is a highly competitive market.

Remote detection and mapping of floating marine plastic litter (FMPL) from space needs to operate in synergy with clean up actions. This implicates that an observation system is needed combining high revisit and high spatial resolution. Currently there is no single remote sensing technology with sufficient revisit capabilities and spatial/spectral resolution relevant to FMPL dynamics. Therefore a combination of small drones, satellites and High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) is anticipated to provide the long term sustainable technical solution.

The project “Novel estimation of shallow water bathymetry using ICESat-2 laser altimetry, signal processing and machine learning and Sentinel-2 optical data in a highly automated approach” was funded under the European Space Agencies’ Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP). The overall objective was to build a self-calibrating and efficient bathymetry mapping system by leveraging accurate and consistent ICESat-2 laser altimeter data as a calibration source for high-resolution Copernicus Sentinel-2 based water depth retrievals.