In June, the chapter organized the conference, "Development of Remote Sensing and Calibration of Satellite Instruments Through Analysis of the Atmosphere," in collaboration with Serco Italia S.p.A. The event, held at the Information Systems Department of the Italian Air Force (ReSIA) in Rome had the main objective to take stock of the experience gained in environmental control through the use of ground instruments and the accurate analysis of satellite data. Lt. Gen. Antonio Tangorra, ITAF (Ret.), chapter president, introduced the conference, underlining the positive impact this technology can have on the daily life of citizens. Subsequently, Roberto Mulatti, CEO, Serco Italia, thanked the ReSIA for the professionalism demonstrated in the technical support for the event and briefly contextualized the theme of the symposium in Serco Italia activities. Stefano Casadio described the scientific and operational phases of the European Space Agency (ESA) project Boundary-layer Air Quality-analysis Using Network of Instruments (BAQUNIN), launched in March 2019. The primary objective of the project, in which industries and scientific research institutes cooperate, is the validation of atmospheric satellite products by analyzing reference data obtained with ground sensors useful for investigation, ranging from the amount of aerosols to gas concentrations such as O3, NO2, HCHO, SO2, H2O. The instrumentation developed ad hoc, such as the LIDAR operating at the Department of Physics of the Sapienza University of Rome, is subjected to continuous updates both from the mechanical/optical point of view and from that of data processing, in order to guarantee the best data quality products. The ability to use the BAQUNIN instrumentation also for urban atmospheric control was highlighted at two exceptional events such as the ECO-X fires (Pomezia, May 2017) and TMB (Rome, December 2018). Here is a brief description of the data obtained in these two cases. In the same context, Fabrizio Niro, ESA, focused attention on the Atmospheric Correction Intercomparison eXercise (ACIX) project, which represents an important international collaboration initiative led by ESA and NASA under the aegis of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellite. ACIX arises from the need to understand the state of the art in the field of atmospheric correction of optical instruments, with a focus on the Landsat and Sentinel-2 missions, and to contribute to the evolution of the algorithms used for this correction. There is a need for availability of data in the context of remote sensing for use and usability in new, simpler and more effective ways. Mario D'Alessio described the initiative launched by the European Commission regarding the development of applications based on Copernicus data through the DIAS platforms and presented examples of use cases that benefit from these architectures. Those present at the conference were entertained by both the speakers and the representation of Serco Italia (Dott. Francesca Balducci, Daniele Del Cavallo), which confirmed the relevance and interest in the development of new technologies and analytical tools in the satellite environment. |