The first preliminary data of the PNRR MER A16-A18 project of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) for the mapping of Italian coastal habitats has been acquired, available through the WebGIS Virgeo cartographic platform. The project is part of Mission 2 of the PNRR, dedicated to the green revolution and ecological transition, and in particular Investment 3.5, which aims to restore and protect the seabed and marine habitats.
The main objective is the detailed mapping of Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa meadows; marine habitats that are fundamental to biodiversity. The project uses advanced technologies such as very high-resolution satellite images, topographic and bathymetric Lidar sensors, and autonomous unmanned vehicles (AUVs) to create a high-resolution database useful for the management and protection of marine coastal ecosystems.
Currently, the preliminary data visible on Virgeo concerns the Liguria region, where a complete dataset of satellite images was acquired from the Maxar constellation, with multispectral resolutions of 1.85 metres for the WorldView-2 satellite and 1.24 metres for the WorldView-3. These images were processed using advanced algorithms to determine the reflectivity and map the Posidonia oceanica meadows. Furthermore, thanks to the innovative satellite derived bathymetry technique, the bathymetry of the Ligurian coast was obtained.
Above- and below-water
The PNRR MER project seeks to comprehensively map Italy’s coastline, both above and below the water, covering up to 800 metres inland and 50 metres deep at sea, including marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites. Using topographic Lidar sensors mounted on aircraft flying at an altitude of 2,800 metres, the project will create a 3D digital atlas of Italy’s 7,500km coastline. This data will be vital for analysing and protecting coastal habitats and species, as well as supporting coastal defence strategies. The project aims to enhance the monitoring of marine and coastal ecosystems and inform protection measures for coastal infrastructure.
In this phase, ISPRA will be supported by a network of prestigious scientific and academic institutions, including the Navy Hydrographic Office (IIM), the CNR-IGAG (Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering), the La Sapienza University of Rome (DICEA department), the University of Padua (CIRGEO – Interdepartmental Research Center of Geomatics), the Polytechnic of Milan (DICA department), the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the University of Genoa (DISTAV department) and the University of Palermo (Department of Earth and Marine Sciences).
Wide range of applications
The Virgeo platform will also include historical data from previous seagrass mapping campaigns, as well as Lidar surveys conducted in past programmes. This will allow a complete and comparative vision of the evolution of marine habitats over time, thus supporting more effective environmental management based on long-term data.
The data collected will be fundamental for a wide range of applications, including navigation safety, coastal risk assessment, monitoring of infrastructure and archaeological assets and geomorphological analysis of the seabed. This information will feed a WebGIS-Cloud-Digital Twin platform, currently in beta release, which will enable real-time monitoring of mapping activities. The platform, interconnected with the national observation network, will provide crucial support for territorial and coastal management at a national level.
