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www.sea-technology.com March 2015 / st 25 The FAST Approach How will the FAST consortium develop this service? To facilitate the widespread implementation of nature- based food defense, we need to: un- derstand the mechanisms by which different vegetation types interact with waves, storm surges and sediment dynamics; map in detail coastal habi- tats at the appropriate spatiotempo- ral scales; and provide useful outputs and services to easily and accurately include this information in food de- fense strategies. Hence, the FAST team, made up of experts in hydrodynamics, EO, coastal ecosystems, modeling and product development, is focusing on these three major tasks. The biophysical characteristics of coastal wetlands (such as the canopy structure and biomass) need to be linked to wave attenuation, allowing standardized generic parameters to be used to predict the attenuation proper- ties of different vegetated habitats. For this, measurements of wave attenu- ation, led by Iris Möller, Cambridge University, are being done in different marshes at case study sites in the U.K., Spain, Romania and the Netherlands. Techniques for the classifcation of coastal habitats and the quantifca- tion of biophysical parameters using the Sentinel satellites need to be re- fned and further developed. For this, Daphne van der Wal, Royal Nether- lands Institute for Sea Research, has selected Sentinel 1 (S1, C-band syn- thetic aperture radar) and Sentinel 2 (S2, very-high-resolution, multispectral optical) as the candidates to derive the array of habitat parameters potentially relevant to wave attenuation. The syn- ergy of optical remote sensing (S2) and active SAR (S1) will be used to detect vegetation presence and estimate bio- mass and the density of the salt marsh vegetation, providing the large-scale patterns and structural properties of the vegetation needed to predict their effect on waves. Intensive ground mea- surements of biophysical properties for validation of S1 and S2 products are planned at each case study site. The modeling team of Deltares, a world leader in the development, vali- dation and continuous expansion of software, has the task of translating the biophysical properties derived from the Copernicus Sentinels into impacts on engineering requirements for food safety infrastructure. Deltares, together with the busi- ness internationalization team of the University of Cádiz, also has the job of packaging all this know-how into a us- er-friendly, self-sustaining downstream service (MI-SAFE). Key to this develop- ment process is ensuring strong end- user involvement and a user-driven approach to product design, which is being coordinated by Jose Sanchez, who is an expert in the creation of start-ups, and Gloria Peralta from the University of Cádiz. Getting the Most out of Copernicus This agile development concept is fundamental to all of the Copernicus services (generic and downstream), as stated in the mission brief by the European Parliament: "Copernicus should be user-driven, thus requiring the continuous, effective involvement of users, particularly regarding the defnition and validation of service re- quirements." Hence, to a large degree it is also up to the user community to help defne and shape the services they need. To this end, FAST is in contact with a number of potential benefcia- ries, ranging from small to medium en- terprises (SMEs), such as consultancies and engineering frms, to environmen- tal NGOs and governmental agencies. The frst consultations have yielded some interesting regional differences in requirements and expectations that are being introduced into the frst demo version of the FAST services to FOR MORE SOLUTIONS SCAN TO SEE MORE SPRINT. USE IT AS A PREMIUM GRADE SUBSEA GYRO THEN, AS YOUR NEEDS GROW, UPGRADE IT TO AN INS WITH USBL, LBL, DVL AND DEPTH AIDING CAPABILITY. PAY-AS-YOU-GO PRICING MEANS YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE FEATURES YOU NEED. WHY FIT ANYTHING ELSE? CONVINCED YOU NEED TO FIT A SEPARATE GYRO AND INS SENSOR TO YOUR ROV? YOU MIGHT NEED TO THINK AGAIN. "The biophysical characteristics of coastal wetlands (such as the canopy structure and biomass) need to be linked to wave attenuation, allowing standardized generic parameters to be used to predict the attenuation properties of different vegetated habitats."