Fugro NPA Ltd Coordinates EU-funded FP7 Project

Fugro NPA Ltd of Edenbridge in Kent, UK announces its coordination of a new EC FP7 project entitled ‘PanGeo – Enabling Access to Geological Information in Support of Global Monitoring for Environment & Security’. The project, worth approximately €3.5M with an EU contribution of approximately €2.5M, involves all 27 national Geological Surveys of the EU, plus a number of organisations specialising in satellite InSAR processing, novel visualisations, INSPIRE-compliant web-map serving, GIS and validation. The team’s work is overseen by several pan-European geological associations including EuroGeoSurveys and the European Federation of Geologists.This 3-year Collaborative project that started 1st February 2011 will provide an INSPIRE-compliant, free, online geohazard information service for the two largest towns in each EU country (Cyprus and Luxembourg only one) – 52 towns in total (~13% of EU population). The geohazard information will be served in a standard format by the 27 EU national Geological Surveys via a modified version of the ‘shared access’ infrastructure as devised for the DG ISM project One-Geology Europe. The information to be served (a new Ground Stability data-layer and accompanying interpretation) will be made by each of Europe’s Geological Surveys, and be compiled from integrations of:• Satellite Persistent Scatterer InSAR processing, providing measurements of terrain-motion.• Geological and geohazard information already held by national Geological Surveys.• The landcover and landuse data contained within the GMES Land Theme’s Urban Atlas.Upon user enquiry, a PanGeo web-portal will automatically integrate the geohazard data with the Urban Atlas to highlight the landcover polygons influenced. Mousing over polygons will hyperlink to interpretative text. User input to design will be facilitated by the Surveys contracted into the project and initiation of a ‘Local Authority Feedback Group’. The key users of PanGeo are anticipated as:• Local Authority planners and regulators who are concerned with managing development risk,• National geological surveys and geoscience institutes who collect and disseminate geohazard data for public benefit,• Policy-makers concerned with assessing and comparing European geological risk, much as the Urban Atlas data is used to compare the landcover/use status of European towns.The provision of an open-access, standardised information service on geohazards will enable policy-makers and regulators to:• Systematically assess geohazards in each of the 52 towns involved.• Gain understanding of the geohazards themselves.• Know who to talk to for more information.• Statistically analyse and cross-compare geohazard phenomena across EU countries.• Gain a better understanding of the socio-economic costs involved.• Make more informed decisions.• Have confidence that the information provided is robust and reliable.• Also, EU citizens will be empowered with access to knowledge previously known only to a few.PanGeo comprises 37 partners in total, including all 27 EU national Geological Surveys. The PanGeo ‘Core Team’ comprises: Fugro NPA Ltd (UK - Project Coordinator), British Geological Survey (UK), Landmark Information Group (UK), TNO (N), SIRS (F), Institute of Geomatics (E), BRGM (F), EuroGeoSurveys (B), AB Consulting Ltd (UK), European Federation of Geologists (B), Tele-Rilevamento Europa (I), Altamira Information (E), Gamma Remote Sensing (S). For more information contact the project coordinator: Ren Capes of Fugro NPA Ltd (r.capes@fugro-npa.com).

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