ASI Memorandum of Understanding for the monitoring of Taranto and Terra dei Fuochi

Satellite assets and diagnostic capacity

The heart of the agreement lies in thesynergistic use of national space infrastructures. The hyperspectral data from PRISMA, the COSMO-SkyMed radar systems and the future IRIDE constellation will allow the precise identification of the spatial distribution of contamination and the sources of environmental impact. These technologies, in conjunction with the Prefectures and the Police Forces, will also carry out a deterrence function against waste abandonment and environmental crimes.

“Today more than ever, the support of data from Earth observation satellites represents an essential factor for the protection of the Earth’s environment“, declared the President of ASI, Teodoro Valente. “The large amount of information allows us to provide a detailed and highly technological contribution for the definition of measures to combat pollution and for the launch of timely strategies regarding remediation and rehabilitation“.

Institutional synergy and cost reduction

The use of remote sensing is not limited to initial diagnosis, but extends to post-intervention monitoring, allowing the effectiveness of the actions undertaken to be verified. Vito Felice Uricchio, Commissioner for the Taranto area, underlined how this approach allows for “optimize the effectiveness of efforts and significantly reduce operating costs, favoring more targeted and less invasive interventions“. According to Uricchio, the agreement “elevates the ASI to the fulcrum between frontier science and the pressing needs of the local government in terms of reclamation“.

Field operations will be strengthened by collaboration between scientific professionals and the commissioner structures. Col. Nino Tarantino, Sub-Commissioner for the Land of Fires, highlighted the practical value of cooperation: “An act of functional and effective operation is carried out. An operation to monitor, to act better and more functionally against contamination, abandonment and distortions“.

The protocol marks the start of a virtuous process in which national technological excellence is placed at the service of the repair and resilience of the most critical territories of the country, guaranteeing constant and accurate monitoring from above.