Switzerland’s new ETH Swiss GeoLab is bringing satellite imagery, drone radar and local measurements together to explore how Earth observation can help authorities detect natural hazards and manage land more effectively.
Opened on 16 October in Root, near Lucerne, the centre will focus on the early detection of natural hazards as well as agriculture and forestry applications. Its plans include an AI-based geospatial platform combining satellite and drone imagery with data from monitoring stations and other sources for use by researchers, decision-makers and private companies.
One early pilot will investigate whether satellite and radar data can help identify movements associated with rockfalls and landslides. ETH Zurich says the aim is to complement existing cantonal and local warning systems, working with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research and Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment.
Combining perspectives
In September, the GeoLab and companies Gravimon and Gamma Remote Sensing tested two drone-mounted radar systems over a glacier in the Lötschental valley. The flights were technology experiments and the team will analyse the results to establish where drone observations could add value alongside satellite radar and ground sensors.
Mountain terrain, cloud and satellite viewing angles can limit what can be observed, while ground instruments cannot be everywhere. Bringing complementary sources together could help fill gaps, but the value of a warning service still depends on validation, timely delivery and integration into the systems used by the people responsible for taking action.
“Together with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and the Federal Office for the Environment, we are currently looking into how new Earth observation methods and commercial satellite data could complement existing cantonal and local early detection systems,” Geolab Managing Director Felix Seidel, explained.
For commercial Earth observation companies the initiative points to opportunities across satellite data, airborne sensing, analytics and platforms. It also shows why understanding a customer’s existing workflow can be as important as providing the imagery itself. The GeoLab is exploring the use of commercial satellite data but it has not announced a new procurement in the opening report.
What is ETH Zurich?
ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, is a federal university specialising in science and technology. Founded in 1855 as the Federal Polytechnic School, it combines education and fundamental research with work involving government and industry. Swiss GeoLab is its new Earth observation competence centre intended to link researchers with companies, authorities and other partners.
Similar work around the world
Other organisations share parts of this mission, although their structures and responsibilities differ:
- Germany’s DLR Earth Observation Center combines remote sensing research and data expertise. Its EO4CAM project works with the University of Würzburg on information for climate adaptation, including geohazards, agriculture and forestry.
- Digital Earth Australia, a Geoscience Australia programme, makes satellite data and computing tools available for government, industry and communities to use in planning and environmental monitoring.
- In the US, the Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science Center manages land imagery, operates Landsat satellites and develops information for resource management and disaster response.
These examples underline a common challenge for the sector that is moving from observations to reliable information that fits a real decision. Swiss GeoLab’s early work will be worth watching as its partners test how that can be done in some of Europe’s most demanding terrain.