Skip to content

Mapping of Essential Variables using Open Source Remote Sensing data and Cloud Computing

Dissertation funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I)

The urgent need to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, has led to the creation of the term “Essential Variables” (EVs), representing the minimum amount of variables which allow a concise but representative description of an SDG Index. In this study, two SDG Indicators (Indicators 11.7.1 and 15.3.1) will be calculated and mapped, along with their constituting EVs, for the Greek territory. These Indicators have not been mapped at a national scale until now, and only part of their constituting EVs have been mapped individually, at local scales. The mapping will be implemented with the aid of up-to-date, free-of-charge satellite data, which is available nowadays, with improved spatial, spectral and temporal characteristics. Emphasis will be given to the use of “Data Cubes” and “Cloud Computing” services, so that the implementation of workflows using large datasets is possible. In addition, new algorithms and ways to use multi-source data through Cloud Computing services will be explored. The final product of this project will be a working model for these Indicators, based solely on free data and Cloud Computing services, meeting the need of calculation at regular intervals, and simultaneously saving time and financial resources.