Founded in 2020, WEO is a company built on the conviction that timely, accurate analytics are essential to tackling major environmental challenges and driving sustainable decision-making. WEO focuses on delivering environmental intelligence that is affordable, frequently updated, and scalable across the globe. Specialised in strengthening urban resilience, optimising vegetation management, and reducing environmental risk, WEO transforms satellite imagery into advanced analytics and leverages AI to produce clear, actionable insights.

The challenge

Many communities still rely on outdated, project-based environmental data, meaning they miss regular updates that reflect changing risks. Accessing current, high-resolution data over large areas is often too expensive or technically difficult.

The satellite solution

Satellite data offers regular, objective, and consistent observations over time. This top-down regional perspective becomes truly actionable when enriched with local datasets and expert knowledge: for example, revealing how vegetation structure shapes fire propagation toward homes or critical infrastructure. Because it provides continuous, unbiased, and often freely accessible information, satellite data is a powerful and inclusive resource for communities. By combining multiple satellite datasets, it delivers a more complete and robust picture of environmental conditions.

However, the spatial resolution of open-source satellite imagery can be too coarse to directly support decisions at the community or asset scale: WEO overcomes this limitation by fusing open-source satellite data with high-resolution local datasets, enhancing its precision and generating detailed, actionable insights at the scale communities need. WEO also enables community participation, integrating local knowledge and documenting measures taken on the ground to ensure that insights reflect real-world conditions.

The results

WEO’s solution empowers communities to understand and anticipate climate-related risks, enabling them to plan with greater confidence and immediately explore suitable mitigation options when threats are identified.

For example, WEO helps communities manage climate risks by identifying heat retention patterns, seasonal hot spots, and the effectiveness of mitigation measures; assessing vegetation for wildfire prevention and guiding land management; and detecting flood-prone areas to plan protective infrastructure. It also supports up-to-date risk documentation, clear communication with residents, and planning of evacuation zones integrating multiple risk factors.

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SOS Alarm is Sweden’s national emergency services operator, responsible for handling all 112 calls, coordinating police, fire, ambulance and public warnings across the country, as well as playing a role in civil defense. They hold a central role in national crisis preparedness, using situational analyses, extensive information flows and advanced technology to manage alarms and coordinate Sweden’s aid efforts during accidents, crises and societal disruptions. Their work aims to strengthen the Swedish safety chain while driving rapid incident response, crisis communication and safety innovation. They have an interest in space-related technologies to enhance both response times and nationwide public safety.

The challenge

The two most important information for SOS Alarm are what happened and where. Before 2019, the callers were located through Cell-ID from mobile operators, which had significant limitations: depending on density, the coverage area varied between 500 meters up to 2 kilometers, making precise positioning difficult. This slowed response times for 112 callers in accidents, incidents or when locating lost persons. In addition, Sweden’s vast rural, mountainous, and coastal regions often lacked mobile coverage, creating further challenges for situational awareness and rapid response. There was also no reliable redundancy in case of network outages, limiting the ability to communicate with people during emergencies.

The satellite solution

In 2019, SOS Alarm implemented Advanced Mobile Location (AML), which uses smartphones’ global navigation satellite system, Wi-Fi, and cell network data to provide precise caller locations. Its accuracy, within 15 to 65 meters, allows emergency services to locate incidents in real time, even without detailed information from the caller. This is particularly effective in road traffic accidents and outdoor emergencies.

Building on this, SOS Alarm will implement satellite-based communication for mobile phones in 2026, enabling text-based emergency messaging even when terrestrial networks fail due to power outages or network issues. This approach provides redundancy in remote areas and ensures that first responders and alert centers remain connected under extreme conditions.

The results

AML is used in approximately 82% of mobile calls where someone needs assistance. With the integration of AML and satellite-assisted communication, 112 callers can now be precisely located, reducing search areas from kilometers to just meters, and significantly improving response times. It also lowers caller stress, as they no longer need to describe their location, resulting in clearer communication and fewer errors during emergencies. This accuracy is especially valuable in remote areas, where it enables faster and more targeted emergency response.

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Earthpulse is a space-enabled risk intelligence platform that helps governments and institutions understand, anticipate and reduce the impacts of natural hazards. By combining satellite Earth Observation with local data, advanced modelling and on-the-ground knowledge, Earthpulse transforms fragmented information into clear, actionable insights for prevention, preparedness and resilience planning. 

The challenge

In the Dominican Republic, extreme events are becoming more frequent and severe, driven by recurrent Atlantic storms, steep terrain and highly variable rainfall. Yet despite decades of emergencies, the national understanding of flood and landslide risk remained fragmented, with no comprehensive flood history, incomplete landslide records, limited high-resolution rainfall data and scattered local datasets. This lack of a clear risk baseline has kept prevention largely reactive, making it difficult for authorities to anticipate where impacts will occur and to plan effective long-term resilience strategies.

The satellite solution

Earthpulse uses Earth Observation to provide governments with continuous, objective and country-wide visibility of risk, including during extreme weather and in hard-to-access areas. Radar satellites can see through clouds, which is critical during storms, while EO data allow authorities to reconstruct past events, monitor current conditions and anticipate future hazards by tracking changes in water, soil moisture, vegetation and terrain stability. When combined with local rainfall measurements, terrain models and socioeconomic data, this approach delivers a more complete and reliable picture of risk, reducing uncertainty and supporting better-targeted prevention efforts. 

In the Dominican Republic, this solution transformed fragmented and incomplete information into a coherent national risk baseline. Satellite data were used to build the country’s first flood and landslide inventories, develop risk maps for critical infrastructure, and model where future events are most likely to occur, including under climate change scenarios—laying the groundwork for an EO-enabled Early Warning System. 

The work was commissioned by the World Bank under ESA’s GDA Fast EO Co-Financing Facility, ensuring alignment with national priorities and coordination across institutions. ESA provided the Earth Observation framework, tools and data access, while International Financing Institutions such as the World Bank helped bridge EO innovation and national resilience planning. The solution was developed in two phases: first, rebuilding the missing baseline, and second, translating insights into operational, scalable risk tools the government can expand over time. 

The results

• Faster prevention: Authorities now see where risks concentrate before disasters hit.  

• Better planning: Infrastructure, housing, and emergency budgets can be prioritised transparently.  

• A living framework: Every new satellite image or rainfall event strengthens the national risk model.  

• Supports early warning: The foundation is now in place for alerts rooted in evidence, not guesswork.  

• Scalable region-wide: The same approach works for other Caribbean nations with similar pressures.  

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WASDI is a joint venture of FadeOut Software and LIST based in Luxembourg that provides a cloud-based platform for accessing, processing, and analysing Earth observation data. Their mission is to democratise the use of satellite information by enabling users — from experts to non-specialists — to easily transform raw data into actionable insights. By integrating advanced cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and geospatial technologies, WASDI supports applications related to environmental monitoring, disaster management, land and water resource assessment, and sustainable development. Their platform offers a collaborative environment where users can process data, develop and share applications, and deliver services without needing complex infrastructure.  

Luxembourg Red Cross 

The Luxembourg Red Cross is a humanitarian organisation dedicated to protecting and supporting people affected by crises, both in Luxembourg and internationally. Through its Humanitarian Aid unit, it provides rapid emergency assistance in situations of conflict, natural disasters, and population displacement, delivering essential services such as shelter, water and sanitation, medical support, and protection. Beyond immediate relief, the organisation strengthens community resilience through long-term recovery and development programmes. 

The challenge

The growing frequency and severity of disasters demands fast and informed responses. Yet, many crisis-affected areas remain hard to access and difficult to monitor. Limited observation in remote regions and the complexity of assessing natural hazards can delay critical decisions and intervention when time matters most. Humanitarian teams in the fields — often without satellite-data expertise — need simple, effective and friendly tools that turn data into clear, actionable information. 

At the same time, recurrent emergencies, lack of budget and challenging logistics continue to strain operational capacity. These realities have pushed the International Department of the Luxembourg Red Cross to invest in innovation, research and strategic partnerships.  

The satellite solution

To address this challenge, the Luxembourg Red Cross, WASDI and LIST developed a platform through the WFP Humanitarian Innovation Accelerator (HIA) programme: RISE (Remote Imaging Support for Emergencies). This user-friendly tool was designed for non-experts and directly meets field needs focusing on flood and damage assessment, giving access to clear, usable information and supporting rapid decision-making. 

By selecting an area on the map, users receive the latest available EO data, automatically processed into clear, ready-to-use hazard maps. It also leverages satellite image archives from multiple sources, enabling robust risk evaluation and comparison over time, as well as revisiting old hazards. Thanks to EO satellites, RISE displays near-real-time intelligence on floods, droughts and other risks, enabling faster and better informed decisions. 

Fully automated and accessible worldwide, RISE is a complementary tool that allows humanitarian teams to assess events, understand impacts and support more people.  

The results

Red Cross Madagascar have conducted a validation exercise that demonstrated that using RISE led to an 84.6% reduction in response time and an 89.97% decrease in operational costs compared to standard methods. For the Luxembourg Red Cross, the platform reduced reliance on in-person data collection, enabled faster coordination, saved budget, decrease the number of people put at risk in the exercise, and proved intuitive and adaptable to real-world field conditions. RISE serves as a complement to field expertise, helping responders carry out their work more effectively.  

Key to this impact is clear communication between users and service providers and an intuitive interface that makes complex geospatial data immediately usable for operational decision-making. 

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The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) is Denmark’s national center for weather, climate, and sea ice monitoring, with strong expertise in polar forecasting. The Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) is a Norwegian research institute specializing in Arctic and oceanographic studies, particularly the use of remote sensing and modeling for environmental monitoring.

The challenge

Large icebergs off the coast of Greenland represent both an environmental hazard and a navigational challenge. In July–August 2024, a 4 × 2 km tabular iceberg drifted southeast of Greenland before breaking into smaller fragments, many too small to be seen from a ship’s deck. Over a six-week period, the iceberg lingered near tourist shipping routes, becoming a risk hotspot for cruise vessels operating in the area. Real-time tracking and accurate forecasting of its movement and disintegration were critical for ensuring maritime safety and operational planning.

The satellite solution

The DMI, supported by the NERSC, implemented a remote sensing-based monitoring system. The iceberg was continuously tracked using high-resolution satellite data. The OpenBerg drift model simulated iceberg trajectory by integrating:

• Ocean current data from TOPAZ5 (Copernicus Marine Service)
• Wind forcing from ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service)

The integrated output of observational tracking and numerical modelling was visualised via the NARVAL portal, enabling both real-time monitoring and forecast-based risk assessments.

The results

• Enhanced Maritime Safety: real-time tracking and forecasting reduced collision risk for vessels operating near the drifting iceberg.
• Improved Iceberg Forecasting: combining Copernicus Marine and Climate data allowed more accurate drift simulations and structural evolution predictions.
• Support for Cruise and Tourism Industry: monitoring and information sharing enabled better planning and risk mitigation for cruise operations in iceberg-prone zones.
• Operational Collaboration: real-time data exchange between DMI and NERSC ensured informed decision-making and strengthened remote sensing capabilities for future events.

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The Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS) is leading efforts to improve oil spill risk management in the Adriatic Sea. Through the NAMIRS (2022–2024) and ASAP (2024–2027) projects, OGS and its partners aim to strengthen transnational coordination and environmental protection across six Adriatic countries.

The challenge

The Adriatic Sea is a semi-enclosed and heavily trafficked basin, making it particularly vulnerable to accidental marine pollution from oil spills. A spill in one area can quickly spread and affect multiple countries’ waters and coasts. However, existing national contingency plans are often limited in scope, lack harmonization, and do not sufficiently address the transboundary nature of such risks. There is a pressing need for a regional, coordinated approach that combines prevention, preparedness, and rapid response capabilities among Adriatic countries.

The satellite solution

To estimate the potential exposure of sensitive areas to oil in case of a spill, the NAMIRS and ASAP projects relied on oil drift simulations. These were produced using a model nested within the Copernicus Marine Service physical ocean model of the Mediterranean Sea. This downscaling approach allows higher-resolution forecasting of ocean currents in the Adriatic, increasing the precision of oil dispersion scenarios. By integrating CMEMS data with regional modeling, the projects were able to simulate likely trajectories of oil spills under different weather and ocean conditions, improving both prevention planning and emergency response readiness.

The results

• Risk maps identifying high-priority areas for protection based on maritime traffic patterns, simulations, and expert input
• Resource mapping of the North Adriatic’s anti-pollution capacities (equipment, stakeholders, services)
• Training sessions in Trieste, Rijeka, and Koper to strengthen national response teams’ capacity, particularly for shoreline cleanup and operational coordination
• Updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to streamline cross-border response
• Under ASAP, these methods and tools will now be adapted and extended to the entire Adriatic basin, fostering region-wide cooperation and preparedness

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The Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) and the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) play a key role in Italy’s marine environmental monitoring. As part of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), they rely on Earth observation to improve the national evaluation of Good Environmental Status (GES).

The Challenge

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was established to protect marine ecosystems and the biodiversity on which human health and marine-based economic and social activities depend. Among the 11 descriptors defined by the directive, Descriptor 5 (D5) focuses on eutrophication—the excessive enrichment of water with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, leading to algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and ecosystem imbalance. Monitoring eutrophication is essential to evaluate Good Environmental Status (GES) and ensure long-term ecosystem health, particularly in areas such as the Mediterranean Sea, where anthropogenic pressures are high and spatial coverage of in situ measurements is often limited.

The satellite solution

For the 2016–2021 MSFD implementation period, ISPRA and OGS used Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) physical and biogeochemical reanalysis data, applying bias correction with national in situ monitoring data to refine model accuracy in coastal zones. Key parameters such as chlorophyll-a, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, and oxygen were analysed. Satellite data complemented in situ measurements and allowed broader coverage, including waters beyond 12 nautical miles. Future integration of ARGO float data will further enhance offshore monitoring.

The results

• National GES assessment for Descriptor 5 supported by CMEMS reanalysis data, with improved resolution in coastal areas through in situ integration.
• Extension of eutrophication monitoring to offshore waters thanks to planned use of ARGO float observations.
• Availability of consistent datasets beyond 12 nautical miles, covering Italy’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
• Improved scientific understanding of eutrophication dynamics, with evidence of declining trends in specific regions such as the Adriatic.
• Contribution to national compliance with the MSFD and Water Framework Directive (WFD), and support to ecosystem restoration and sustainable marine management.

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Polar View is an international organisation specialising in satellite-based monitoring of the polar regions and global marine environments. With extensive expertise in delivering operational services, Polar View supports users in addressing environmental and climate-related challenges through Earth observation.

The challenge

Climate change calls for a fundamental transformation of our economies and societies. The global push toward a low-carbon, circular, and nature-positive economy—known as the Green Transition—must be supported by reliable data and decision-support tools, especially in vulnerable regions such as the Arctic and North Atlantic. The challenge lies in helping public and private actors plan and operate in ways that are both economically viable and environmentally sustainable, across sectors including maritime transport, renewable energy, and aquaculture.

The satellite solution

The Cerulean Information Factory (CIF), led by Polar View and funded by ESA, co-develops user-driven services that draw on satellite data, particularly from the Copernicus Marine Service, to support decision-making in three key sectors:

• Shipping: A route optimisation tool combining ocean and ice data with IMO CII metrics to improve safety and reduce emissions.
• Offshore renewables: A toolkit using historical and seasonal ocean data to assess site suitability and operational risk for wind, wave, and tidal energy.
• Aquaculture: A service integrating Copernicus and meteorological data to support site selection and risk monitoring, including water quality indicators.

The results

CIF delivers operational geospatial services that make satellite data accessible and actionable for end users. Key outcomes include:

• Minimizing carbon emissions from ships while maintaining safe and economical operations in and around sea ice.
• Assessing the suitability of sites for offshore renewable energy installations to balance the potential for energy production with the risks associated with hazards such as structural icing and extreme weather conditions.
• Assessment of the suitability of sites for aquaculture facilities to balance the potential for bio-productivity with the risks associated with sea ice and harmful algal blooms.

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Village Data Analytics (VIDA) is a German-based SME created by two professionals with the aim of facilitating electrification in rural areas.

VIDA provides a software that yields information and management tools to governments, development organisations, investors, banks, companies, and NGOs on off-the-grid communities in remote areas.

The challenge

Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, where only 23% of the population has access to electricity, which is below the sub-Saharan average of 30%. This hinders modern education and healthcare, job creation, competitiveness, and poverty reduction.

The lack of information on electrification is one of the main challenges for decision-makers to correctly plan electrification, especially in rural areas.

In January 2021, the World Bank approved a $50 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) to improve access to electricity in Sierra Leone and enhance institutional capacity and commercial management of the sector.

The “Enhancing Sierra Leone Energy Access” project aims at helping the country’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic by providing access to low-cost electricity to households, businesses, health clinics and schools.

Within this framework, the creators of VIDA wanted to provide off-grid energy planners with information on where to extend the energy grid, also using mini-grids and solar-home systems.

The satellite solution

VIDA is a machine learning-based software that analyses satellite imagery, publicly available geospatial data, on ground survey data, and energy modelling to identify and characterise rural villages.

To visualise such information on maps, VIDA relies on Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images, as well as products derived from nightlight and very high-resolution imageries, and publicly available GIS data such as Open Street Maps (OSM) road data.

Earth Observation imageries are analysed by VIDA to obtain standardised data about villages at the individual household level, such as their position, their distance from the energy grid, the presence of roads and infrastructure, of cultivated fields, and the environmental features of the surrounding areas.

Such data are coupled with ground data on villages’ demographic, topographic, agricultural, and socio-economic features that are obtained from public authorities, existing databases, and surveys.

The results

The interactive map available on VIDA allows the government and stakeholders to pick relevant information from large amounts of data that can effectively support the electrification process at the local level.

In Sierra Leone, more than 500 villages were analysed with VIDA. The software delivered a long list of villages suitable for mini-grid development that could be presented to stakeholders. The settlements are sorted according to building connection count and settlement density, grid proximity, and infrastructure data, such as road access, proximity to a school or a hospital.

The use of the VIDA software and analysis helped unlock a $20 0m credit for electrification and will contribute to the electrification of over 500 new mini grids in the country.

“The Government of Sierra Leone can now accurately position the electricity grid and the villages, estimate their energy demand, and decide on how to best electrify them”. Tobias Engelmeier, founder of VIDA.

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Iraqi cultural heritage sites have suffered greatly from military activities, organised looting, illegal excavations and trafficking of cultural objects across the Country.

The entire world witnessed with astonishment the destruction of irreplaceable cultural treasures and the United Nations General Assembly adopted two resolutions on Saving the Cultural Heritage of Iraq in 2015.

In the same year, the discovery on ISIL’s Syrian compound of 700 ancient artefacts raised some doubts on the authenticity of the destructions claimed by ISIL. Some doubted that the monuments and artefacts destroyed were copies and not the originals, which were instead traded on the illegal market to fund the activities of ISIL.

The European Union Satellite Centre

The European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) is an official Agency of the European Union, providing geo-intelligence products and services resulting from the exploitation of space assets and collateral data to support the decision making and actions of the EU in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

The satellite solution

In February 2018, the SatCen received a request from the EU Counter-Terrorism Office & PRISM (Prevention of Conflict, Rule of Law, Integrated Approach, Stabilisation and Mediation) to verify and assess the damage to cultural heritage in some of the urban areas controlled by ISIL in Iraq.

The resulting information was aimed to fight looting of Iraqi cultural heritage, to support the EU Advisory Mission on the Security Sector Reform in Iraq, and help archaeologists continue their work in these areas. These included the Balkuwara Palace area of Samarra, the ruins of the ancient city of Nimroud, the elevated mound of Tepe Gawra, the remains of the ancient city of Ninive, the Mosque of Nabis Yunes, and the remains of the ancient city of Dur Sharrukin (today Khorsabad).

The Centre analysed 117 satellite images of these sites in Iraq, in search of any damage or evidence of looting.

By comparing satellite images taken before, during and after the occupation, SatCen was able to verify and analyse the destruction of several antique buildings and classify the identified damage in three categories: possible looting (illegal excavation and plundering of an archaeological site for gaining profit, i.e. selling), fundamentalist damage (linked with the presence of ISIL in the area), and military damage (such as defence positions, revetments or trenches within archaeological sites).

The results

The use of satellite imagery has helped to verify, detect and classify in detail the damages sustained over time. A wide range of stakeholders, from local authorities to archaeologists, have been invited to use the data and complement it with their own, in order to fight illegal looting and help the reconstruction and preservation processes within the damaged areas.

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