The Tunisian Space Association (TUNSA) operates with a mission to advance the utilisation of space technology for bolstering Tunisia’s economic, social, and environmental progress while promoting and enhancing the nation’s scientific and technological prowess. As a non-profit entity, TUNSA is a collaborative platform for diverse individuals and organisations interested in space endeavours, including scientists, engineers, educators, and students.
TUNSA’s multifaceted activities encompass several key areas. The association promotes space education initiatives to foster knowledge and interest in space-related disciplines. Additionally, TUNSA is pivotal in organising conferences and workshops, providing valuable discussion forums and knowledge sharing in space exploration and technology. The entity spearheads the development of research projects in collaboration with various partners and organisations.
Recently, the President of TUNSA, Ahmed El Fadhel, announced that the association was awarded EUR 1.057 Million as part of the Horizon Europe Space funding by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). This funding was acquired with the support of the consultancy firm “WEglobal” for the consortium set-up and proposal writing with the collaboration of international partners from the European Union (EU), Serbia and Turkey through the successful project proposal named UDENE – Urban Development Explorations using Natural Experiments.
Space in Africa had the privilege of interviewing Ahmed El Fadhel and his colleague, Mohamed Rajhi. During the conversation, they elaborated on the inspiration that fueled the project and milestones, challenges, technologies and plans.
What inspired the UDENE project proposal to use Copernicus data for urban development in Europe and North Africa?
Ahmed: Within the framework of Horizon Europe, specific calls are focused on space technology and applications initiated by the European Union Agency under the European Union Space Programme. These calls, created last year, include projects aimed at designing and developing space-based applications in collaboration with international partners. The African Union is among the international partners of the EU that have signed administrative cooperation arrangements on Copernicus data access and EO data exchange. We identified an opportunity to engage with European institutions in these space projects and joined a consortium led by WEGlobal, an Italian company.
This consortium comprises institutions from various countries, including Italy, France, Austria, Serbia, and Turkey, with our organisation from Tunisia. Our collaboration within this consortium involved crafting a proposal to benefit Europe and North Africa. We aim to enhance European development by leveraging satellite Earth observation data and other non-Earth observation information. This initiative aligns with our goal of using satellite data to impact both regions positively.
What are the specific goals and objectives of the UDENE project, and how do you envision it contributing to urban development in the target regions?
Mohamed: The primary aim of this project is centred on developing innovative solutions targeting the living conditions in urban areas. The project was inspired by the challenges related to city conditions, particularly in Europe and Africa, where the rapidly increasing population concentration has impacted urban environments. Thus, to address these challenges, the objective is to create a virtual laboratory that acts as a testing ground for urban planners. This laboratory enables urban planners to explore and assess developmental ideas visually using multi-dimensional models.
The critical function of this virtual laboratory is to grant urban planners access to test their concepts effectively. The proposed solution heavily relies on EO data, sourced primarily from Copernicus satellites and complemented by local data sources. The data is organised in a “data cube” format to facilitate rapid access to newly acquired data. By utilising this approach, the project aims to leverage satellite data alongside local data to create a platform supporting urban planners in testing and refining urban development ideas for improved city livability.
Ahmed: The essence of this project revolves around creating a software tool accessible to urban planners to support them when formulating urban development strategies. It enables them to access similar experiments and solutions implemented by other cities facing similar challenges. The tool utilises satellite data, which we analyse and organise into an operational format for practical use.
Through this software, urban planners gain access to a wealth of data and the capability to test novel ideas and strategies for urban development. These strategies consider various factors such as climate change and risks associated with natural disasters like earthquakes, pollution, and heat rays due to climate change. This innovative aspect of our project lies in its unique combination of EO and non-EO data. It incorporates experiences and insights from other cities needing more existing tools. This comprehensive approach aims to provide valuable insights to urban planners, allowing them to draw inspiration and learn from the experiences of other cities. They can understand what strategies have been successful and what has been less effective, enabling them to refine and enhance their urban development strategies in a more informed and effective manner.
Does this software serve as an early warning system for events like earthquakes and climate change, which alerts urban developers in advance?
Mohammed: No, it is a convergence of algorithms designed to aid decision-making by utilising diverse datasets. Unlike specific applications focused solely on climate change or earthquake-related data, these algorithms serve a broader purpose.
Ahmed: Certainly, this project is distinct from crisis operation systems or real-time crisis monitoring tools. It’s tailored for urban planners focusing on medium and long-term urban development strategies. This tool is not aimed at providing real-time risk monitoring or instant disaster updates. Instead, it aims to support urban planners in designing or modifying urban structures and layouts, considering potential risks like climate change or natural disasters. The goal is to enhance city resilience and mitigate the potential impacts of such events on the city’s quality of life. For instance, when planning new urban developments or architectural modifications, the tool incorporates data to raise awareness about potential risks, such as earthquakes. This allows urban planners to design buildings and cities in a way that minimises damage in the event of an earthquake.
Another aspect involves addressing urban heat waves. By collecting data on current heat patterns influenced by climate change, the tool proposes data-driven strategies to identify new urban areas that directly impact temperature regulation within cities. Moreover, the software also analyses road congestion and its impact on air quality, like in Serbia. Thus, using this information, the tool suggests the placement of new highways based on data-driven analysis and guides urban planners on where to position new infrastructures. It predicts such decisions’ potential impacts and advantages within a given city structure or location. This tool serves as a platform to assist urban planners in visualising the effects of their decisions, allowing them to assess the potential impacts of their choices in a simulated environment before implementation.
You announced that TUNSA was awarded EUR 1.057 Million. Can you discuss more on that? Can you mention the other parties that would be involved in the project?
Ahmed: The project is developed and led by WeGlobal (Italy) and will be implemented in partnership with Politecnico di Milano (Italy), EURISY (France), Sinergise Solutions GmbH (Austria), NiK System of NiK Insaat Ticaret Ltd (Turkey), InoSens Doo Novi Sad (Serbia), TOBB ETU (Turkey), BIOSENSE INSTITUTE (Serbia), and TUNSA (Tunisia). The Tunisian Space Association leads one of the essential work packages in this project. This package gathers EO data and non-EO data from three cities. These cities are located in Tunisia, Serbia, and Turkey. The aim is to collaborate closely with local partners, primarily municipalities and government institutions, with databases containing relevant data crucial for the project.
The local partnerships have two primary objectives: to collect institute and local datasets that complement the EO data and enhance the effectiveness of using such data for the project’s goals. Second, these partnerships will facilitate testing the tool developed through the project. The intention is to commercialise this tool later, making it accessible to local institutions. These institutions, especially those in densely populated urban areas, can use the tool for urban planning. The collaboration at the local level involves gathering essential data to enrich the project’s datasets and testing the developed tool.
You mentioned plans to commercialise these packages later. Have you determined a pricing structure for them yet?
Ahmed: This project’s primary objective is research and development. However, its framework aims to pave the way for the emergence of commercialised products. These products could benefit various authorities, particularly government organisations in non-European countries. Currently, products based on EO data from Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Programme, are utilised within European government agencies. However, their usage for operational purposes in non-European countries is limited. This initiative marks a novel approach within European satellite research programmes. While pricing details are not currently available, the primary idea is to first adapt the developed product to the specific requirements of North Africa, potentially expanding to other African countries, including sub-Saharan Africa. The aim is to cater to diverse needs, considering the differing urban development challenges faced by various African nations, such as Tunisia, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.
Affordability will be a key consideration if the project eventually moves towards commercialisation. It will be crucial to ensure that the service is offered at a reasonable and accessible price point, aligning with African countries’ economic conditions and requirements. This is why we are developing a matchmaking tool that will present existing satellite services to urban planners as related to their experiments. This tool is supposed to bring the price down. It is not an advertising tool but the listed companies and services may share the cost of keeping the service free. The objective is not solely focused on commercialisation; instead, the primary goal is to create something beneficial.
Could you elaborate on the expected outcomes and milestones the UDENE project aims to achieve regarding urban development and climate change resilience?
Mohammed: This project comprises five work packages. The initial focus is on the technical aspect, where the lead package involves building and operationalising a data cube. The process begins by collecting, designing, and developing the data cube format for the collected data. Subsequently, a phase will be dedicated to testing, evaluating, and refining the gathered data. Following this data compilation and structuring phase, the project will advance towards three specific case studies or use cases. The first case study will involve assessing air quality, specifically in Serbia. The second will analyse heat load and its expected variation if a linked park system is built in a Tunisian city, while the third case study will focus on estimating expected loss in case of earthquake in Turkey if a high-rise district is allowed. With the data, architectural framework, and use cases established, the next phase involves collaborating with project partners to promote the results and findings obtained. The project will then use these as examples and organise calls for other researchers to use the system innovatively. The best proposals for these calls will be awarded from the project to carry on their experiment with the idea of urban development. We hope to see Tunisian researchers join these calls, which are due next year. So keep your attention on our project.
Could you provide detailed timelines outlining the phases and milestones for completing these projects?
Ahmed: The project will span for two years, and the agreement and contract with the European Commission, along with all participating partners, have been recently finalised. The project will commence in January. To add to the information shared by Muhammad, the project will offer two distinct functionalities and services. It will provide an exploration tool allowing users to observe and access strategies developed by cities that share similarities with their own. This tool will facilitate learning from the experiences and strategies implemented by other similar cities, providing a platform for gaining insight through shared experiences. The second functionality will be a matchmaking tool to assist in strategy development. This tool will play a significant role in aiding users in identifying relevant Earth Observation services in Europe to help realise their strategies effectively.
Can you elaborate on the technologies and methodologies the UDENE project will use to analyse and effectively utilise satellite data?
Mohammed: The primary source of information is satellite data, and we gather this information from various sources, including the Copernicus platform developed by the European Space Agency and local data. Our analysis employs an algorithm specifically designed to process and interpret this data. The key aspect here revolves around organising and structuring these datasets into a “Data Cube”. To clarify, when we mention “cube data,” we’re discussing the concept of data cubes. These data cubes are structured formats, allowing flexible and efficient access to their information.
A data cube organises data, enabling easy retrieval based on temporal (time-related) and spatial (location-related) aspects. This structure allows us to arrange information to retrieve specific data, for instance, data from Tunisia during a particular time frame. By organising data in this way, we significantly enhance accessibility compared to other conventional tools. Thus, the technology or format of data cubes provides us with the necessary framework to efficiently handle and access large sets of information, making it a crucial component in our analytical processes.
Ahmed: When referring to data cubes, it is essential to note that they encompass various types of data, not just limited to satellite images. This includes diverse data sets such as temperature records, gas emissions data, and other related information. The primary goal is to organise these data types in a structured manner to facilitate their seamless utilisation. The initial phase revolves around structuring and managing these datasets and utilising the algorithms specifically tailored to analyse and prepare the data. These algorithms sift through complex data sets, extract relevant attributes, and organise them into a usable format.
Mohammed: Furthermore, once the collected data has been integrated into data cubes, our subsequent focus is exploring these compiled results. These results are the foundation for developing matchmaking tools that facilitate downstream products and services. The primary objective at this stage is to utilise this data to establish connections between various products, processes, and services. This linkage is a fundamental component ensuring the safety and effectiveness of these products and services, among other considerations.
Ahmed: We will incorporate automated reporting into the tool for urban planners. This feature allows them to explore new scenarios and strategies efficiently. Once they have selected a configuration, they can validate it and receive an automatically generated report detailing their choices. This report can be downloaded and shared with superiors and colleagues for decision validation. Ultimately, this tool is a decision support system tailored to specific operational situations.
How do you anticipate that this project’s insights or successful outcomes could positively impact other regions or similar initiatives globally?
Ahmed: Collaborating closely with European institutions presents a significant opportunity for an African organisation like the Tunisian Space Association. Securing funding for space research within the Horizon Europe Program marks a substantial responsibility for us as the first institution in Tunisia to achieve this milestone. Within this project framework, our primary goal is to acquire knowledge and cultivate effective collaboration methodologies with European institutions. We aim to develop solutions that will benefit the African region and European and African cities. Accommodating diverse needs presents a challenge, but our selection of use cases is geared towards aiding towns across Europe, Africa, and globally.
The main advantage lies in leveraging space data collaboratively with European institutions for mutual benefits and extending these solutions worldwide. This holds the potential to create a meaningful impact for communities, both in developing and developed nations. Our objective is to demonstrate successful collaboration in the space sector between Europe and Africa, as such partnerships are relatively scarce. Success in this endeavour would showcase the effectiveness of cooperation. Our ultimate goal is to ensure all parties benefit from the project’s outcomes. This collaborative effort seeks to bring about positive changes and advancements for communities across the globe, underscoring our primary objective in this venture.
What potential challenges or obstacles might be encountered during the implementation of this project, and how do you plan to address them?
Ahmed: Managing a project spanning more than five countries presents several challenges requiring optimised team management. Working remotely on a project with substantial expected impacts requires effective prioritisation of team management. Regular meetings and on-site gatherings involving researchers from each institution in the partner countries will be crucial to address this. This approach aims to maintain adherence to schedules and ensure consistent progress throughout the project. The project coordinator, WEglobal, is one of the top 3 companies in terms of EU projects and has the needed expertise to ensure the role of project management and coordination.
Furthermore, one of the significant challenges lies in accessing diverse data sources. While Earth observation data from Copernicus are well-structured and accessible, other data from local authorities in countries with varying environments and governance systems might pose difficulties. Overcoming this challenge will require establishing swift access to these datasets with the support of local partners. Despite the potential hurdles, we remain confident in our ability to succeed due to the extensive network of partnerships within the Tunisian government, spanning various ministries and receiving support from the country’s highest leaders.
Moreover, as an international initiative, Tunisia’s official representation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Horizon Europe program adds another layer of coordination. Collaboration with these ministries will be essential for project development and other related aspects. Despite these challenges, our confidence in our team, extensive network, and ambition fuel our determination to overcome obstacles and deliver meaningful outcomes by the project’s conclusion. We are committed to leveraging our connections and capabilities to ensure the successful realisation of this endeavour.
How does this funding award and the UDENE project align with the TUNSA’s overarching vision and long-term objectives of advancing space-related initiatives for societal development?
Ahmed: We maintain close collaborations with governmental institutions across several projects. As the Tunisia Space Association—an NGO operating primarily in Africa—we strive not only to advocate for the significance of space data and technology in socio-economic development but to showcase their benefits tangibly. While many acknowledge the potential advantages of space technology in Africa, there have been few projects with clear impacts on improving the lives of citizens in urban and rural areas.
Our primary objective is to translate advocacy into action by demonstrating the practical benefits of space technology. Through tangible demonstrations, we aim to underscore the significance of the space sector in a more concrete manner. We aspire not to work in isolation but to serve as an inspiration for other institutions and initiatives, encouraging them to follow suit and engage in demonstrative projects rather than confining efforts to discussions and seminars.
We aim to bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality, emphasising actions over mere words in promoting the space sector. We intend to transform how we encourage space endeavours through verbal advocacy and substantial actions that showcase their real-world impacts. In contributing to the development of the space sector and its socio-economic and environmental effects, our focus is on demonstrating the transformative potential of space technology through tangible, on-the-ground actions.
Credit:Spaceinafrica.com