HERMOSA Bulletin: Building HERMOSA with Free and Open Source Software
Software is codified knowledge and in essence a text file with a number of commands. Whatever we do nowadays, making a phone call, driving a car, booking a hotel or restoring ecosystems would not be possible without software. The software landscape can be divided into two fundamental sections: proprietary and free software. Why is this […]
Copernicus – Europe’s eyes on Earth – at your fingertips
Today it is common practice for everyone to take pictures with digital cameras or mobile phones. When photographing people they are usually not more than a few meters away while landscape pictures might have a range of a few hundred meters or a couple of kilometers at the most. Given this scope of personal experience […]
HERMOSA Bulletin: Supporting the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
At least since Meadows et al. published the report ‘Limits to Growth’ in 1972 the world has been informed about the unsustainable path that humanity finds itself on. Now, almost 50 years after this widely acclaimed publication, the effects of deforestation, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution are beginning to be felt by the general […]
HERMOSA Feature-of-the-Week: Exchanging knowledge using the module “Learn & Share”
The sight of destroyed ecosystems is harrowing and when considering the scale of destruction humanity is facing one can be even more disheartened. This is especially true if one is involved in the restoration or conservation effort. One reassuring aspect in all this desolation is the fact: “You are not alone!” No matter where you […]
HERMOSA Bulletin: UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration SPECIAL
5 users per SDG get HERMOSA professional level for unbelievably low prices – hurry up, a one time offer!HERMOSA is an internet based platform accessible via https://hermosa.earth which supports the ecosystem restoration process through the use of geo and satellite data. It is the first of its kind to combine matchmaking between stakeholders, supporting the […]
HERMOSA Feature-of-the-Week: Keeping an eye on progress using the module “Monitor & Report”
Once an ecosystem restoration or protection project is underway, at least all partners but also many other stakeholders are wondering: “How is the project doing?” This very general question can be broken down into numerous other questions, like “which percentage of the project area has already been planted?”, “what is the impact of the project […]
HERMOSA Bulletin: Who needs HERMOSA ?
The answer to the question “Who needs HERMOSA?” is simple: Everyone involved in ecosystem restoration. And while the general public will not need the platform itself, the results from HERMOSA are of interest to it too. Let’s take a closer look. Ecosystem restoration is a multi-sectorial and multi-stakeholder effort taking place in a spatial context […]
Sendai: Flood mapping in Ecuador based on Sentinel-1 data
Flood events cause enormous damages and losses which are only poorly documented in many areas of the world. Because of this, the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction aims to establish a set of standardized indicators to represent the impact of natural disasters on a yearly basis. The VALE project (Development and VALidation of earth […]
HERMOSA Feature-of-the-Week: Project implementation support using the module “Organise & Implement”
When restoring ecosystems usually several stakeholders are involved. First of all the local community will be involved, often supported by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) who will assume management functions. The local or regional government will have a role to play, as well as some organisation – maybe a large corporation – providing the funding which […]
HERMOSA Bulletin: The evolution of the HERMOSA project
In 2016 the European Commission formulated a Space Strategy for Europe which prompted the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2017 to put out a tender requesting concepts to utilize space assets, i.e. data and services from navigation and earth observation satellites, to address food security issues in the context of the Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) […]