The role of Earth Observation in enhancing urban resilience: insights from ESA’s projects

The increasing availability of high-quality, free-of-charge satellite data—such as the Sentinels from the European Copernicus program—combined with advances in automated data processing, image analysis, and cloud computing, is transforming the monitoring of urban environments worldwide. The integration of Earth Observation (EO) data from diverse satellite sensors (radar, optical, SAR/InSAR, thermal, hyperspectral, LiDAR), along with ancillary sources like ground-based sensors, drones, and citizen science, is continuously unlocking new possibilities for urban analytics.

Urban remote sensing is therefore progressively evolving from traditional urban extent and land cover mapping into advanced urban applications, providing critical insights into urban resilience by covering aspects such as impervious surface expansion, green and blue infrastructure, air quality, and urban heat islands. This presentation will showcase key urban applications developed through past and ongoing ESA projects and initiatives, addressing topics including urban climate, air pollution, human settlements, and natural hazard monitoring.

As municipalities and urban practitioners increasingly seek EO-based solutions for decision-making, the discussion will highlight how these applications are bridging the gap between technical experts and end-users. Through collaborative initiatives between cities, industry and academia, there is indeed an increasing focus in not only developing innovative methods for urban environments monitoring, but also on transforming satellite data into actionable information for sustainable urban development.