Background about the SISCAL project: Thanks to the technical and scientific advances made over the last decade, and extended access to more sophisticated EO data, potential end users concerned with the aquatic environment can now obtain information derived from various sources of satellite imagery. However, their individual requirements are rarely met because this information has not been specifically adapted to their particular needs in terms of choice of algorithm, geographical region, map projection, additional ancillary digital information, GIS (Geographical Information System) functionalities, etc. The development of the SISCAL processor is intended to address these problems. Objectives of SISCAL project: SISCAL is a pan-European project dedicated to developing facilities that will provide end users with accessible, customised Earth Observation (EO) data for environmental monitoring of European coastal areas, lakes and oceans. The main task will be to create a software processor that can use satellite data to provide near-real-time information on aquatic ecosystems. By tailoring this information to the needs of individual customers and allowing them to exploit EO data without needing extensive, specialised knowledge of EO, SISCAL aims to close the gap between research, satellite data providers and end users. All data and information will be channelled through the Internet, from the data provided by satellite receiving stations to the final data products disseminated to end users. The aim of the ten SISCAL partners, who include four end users, is to foster the long-term operational use of EO data for monitoring and managing coastal areas and lakes. |