Climate change is an indisputable global phenomenon. Large cities contribute significantly to climate change, as urban activities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The concentration of large numbers of people in urban centers reduces vegetation and green spaces, thus increasing the risks associated with heat and floods. The effects of climate change on urban environments have a negative impact on citizens’ health, water availability and quality, energy consumption and infrastructure degradation. The Municipality of Piraeus, the second largest Municipality of the Attica Region with the largest port in the country, proceeded to the creation and operation of a “Pilot Mechanism of Information, Prevention, Management and Awareness, for the risks arising from climate change in the Urban environment of Piraeus”, as well as Ports are important economic actors – locally, nationally and internationally – that are vulnerable to future climate change.

The scope of the project is to support the Mechanism for decision-making regarding actions, measures, future tools and the implementation of the Adaptation Plan for the project “Pilot Mechanism, Information, Prevention, Management and Awareness of Climate Risk in the Urban Environment of Piraeus “.

 The object of the service was the development of web cartographic applications and open-source software that support the studies and the dissemination of data and results produced by the “pilot mechanism”, as well as online tools for consulting the public, agencies and experts.

The results will be taken into account in the preparation of the Climate Change Prevention Plan and the Risk Management Plans, by the executives – scientists of the project team. The results will be used by the project team and the executives of the Municipality to monitor the implementation of the Plans and their periodic review.

The provided service is a combination of three solutions from GET’s portfolio for the Smart City Observatory and more specifically from GET ICT, which corresponds to the Spatial Data Infrastructure which is the central pillar of the solution and supports the interconnection and communication with the vertical smart city applications, the GET EO ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, which corresponds to the Monitoring System of the environment using almost real-time satellite data, combined with the creation of an Information Portal to inform and raise awareness among citizens about the issue of climate change

More specifically, the following were implemented:

1. Spatial Data Infrastructure: repository of digital georeferenced geospatial data related to climate change derived from studies and evidence, as well as with the possibility of integrating data related to climate change from the municipality’s GIS and from third parties. The data entered was in digital georeferenced. GET performed checksl and transformation. The implementation of the SDI with the exclusive use of FOSS software included the following sections:
   • Design and implementation of a Data Base for the geospatial data that were included in the infrastructure.
   • Development of web services (Web Services), compatible with recognized standards, for viewing the data and uploading
   • Creation of GEOPORTAL
2. Environmental Monitoring System using near-real-time satellite data SENTINEL 2, LANDSAT. The users of the application have the possibility to choose the visualization of the satellite data and indicators derived from them in different ways so as to draw useful conclusions about the area of interest. Access services provide:
   • Ability to visualize the satellite images in the form of a multi-spectral (RGB) georeferenced image such as natural color, near-infrared, etc. or a single channel (a band or index).
   • Ability to visualize indices. The indices are calculated from one or more spectral regions according to the international literature. Indicative indices are NDVI, NDWI, LAI, EVI, etc. Users can select a time as well as parameters related to cloudiness (maximum allowable percentage of cloudiness).
   • Ability to compare satellite images for the same area and time but with a different visualization option.
   • Real-time access via WMS viewing service.
3. Information Portal for the information and awareness of the citizens concerning the issue of climate change. The portal provides also the possibility of access via mobile application in order to inform the citizens. The information is carried out by the officials of the Municipality.

 Implemented applications are used for:

• The integration, dissemination of data related to climate change
• Their utilization in the context of the preparation of risk management plans arising from climate change (recording of measures / actions already implemented or planned by the Municipality, identification of possible areas of intervention in terms of the prevention-counteraction of climate risks in the Urban environment that are not covered by the above actions, investigation of risk prevention and management factors at the local level in the specialization of the national strategy for adaptation to climate change, formulation of action plans),
• Dissemination of action plans to prevent these risks,

Informing and sensitizing citizens about the issue of climate change with the ultimate goal of mobilizing them to deal with the causes that worsen it at a local level.