TERRA FORMA: Developing the observation platform of the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene, a new geological period when human actions are altering the habitability of the Earth for all forms of life, raises new challenges in terms of knowledge integration that fragmented approaches cannot overtake. Due to complex interactions within geo-eco-socio-systems (GESS), a “whole system” approach is required to answer societal concerns around soil capital, water resources, chemical pressure and biodiversity.

To address these challenges, the TERRA FORMA project will design and test in-situ observation plateform coupling sensor viewpoints on human, biotic and abiotic dynamics. This project builds on pioneering and mature technological advances (optical sensors, 3D printing, IoT, AI) to design and probe a scalable network of smart sensors. We will develop a new generation of smart, connected, low-cost, low-impact and socially appropriated environmental sensors, adapted to field conditions, dedicated to capture the behavior, metabolism and trajectory of GESS emerging from states and fluxes of liquid, gas and solid matter and biota. These new technologies will contribute to shed light on “essential variables” for GESS and evaluate the descriptive and predictive potential of models over a wide range of contexts. TERRA FORMA gathers scientists, in an interdisciplinary effort at the crossroad of Earth, environmental, technological, computer and social sciences.

In this presentation, we will show how instrumental developments (spectroscopy, lab on a chip, …) and methodological developments (biogeophysics, …) contributes to the construction of the observation plateform.