Coordinator: Alba L’Astorina
Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA)

The Project Space4Agri - Innovative Methodologies of Earth Observation supporting the Agricultural sector in Lombardy (S4A) is funded within the 2013-2015 Framework Program subscribed CNR and Lombardy Region. Space4Agri takes advantage of the progresses obtained in  specific research sectors and makes them supporting the agricultural monitoring and management in Lombardy Region.

The research sectors involved are:

• The aerospace technologies for Earth Observation (EO): S4A makes a large amount of satellite data available with different spatial and temporal resolutions, this availability will be even greater with the advent of ESA Sentinel missions
• The aeronautic technologies such as Unmanned Airmobile Vehicle (UAV)
• The pervasive availability of smart technologies and sensor observations that involve citizens in the data-information-service flow.

Among S4A activities addressed to users such as public administrators and farmers, the project also gives a special attention to outreach and education initiatives addressed to young generations. In particular, within the activities of Dissemination of Results and Capacity Building of S4A, a training proposal, entitled “Researchers go to school” was designed aiming at starting a dialogue among researchers, students and teachers and to reduce the gap between Science and the public. Starting from the Project S4A research topics, the initiative makes students aware of the ways in which modern science is produced and transmitted in and outside the research Institutions, such as the National Research Council. During the meetings with the researchers students and teachers can follow the stages that lead to a modern research project, made of scientific and technological aspects but also of financial and administrative ones. The dialogue also serves to make researchers more aware of the scientific knowledge elaborated and debated in the schools and of the original contribution given by its protagonists: teachers and students.

The initiative currently involves 3 Lombardy High Schools, S4A researchers from 3 CNR Institutes, IREA, ITIA and IDPA, and  other stakeholders through the web platform of the project: space4agri.irea.cnr.it/

On November 12^th 2014 “Researchers go to school” was officially presented to the general public at the CNR research headquarter in Milan. During the meeting many topics of the Project were introduced to the audience, such as the use of satellite technology and systems of Earth Observation for agricultural purposes; geo-referenced information systems for the collection and dissemination of  agricultural information; the use of drones for monitoring the environment.

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

ARPA Lombardia
Istituto Statale - Istituto Agrario Italo Calvino, Noverasco (Milan)
Istituto Tecnico Statale - Liceo Scienze Applicate, A. Mapelli, Monza (Monza Brianza)
Istituto E. Breda - Sesto San Giovanni (Milan)
ScienzaUnder 18