National Research Council of Italy Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) Report of activities 2013-2016 Pagina 1 di 156 Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) Report of activities 2013-2016 Edited by Maria Consiglia Rasulo 1 On the cover 1. Modeling of Amatrice's earthquake source of August 24th from data detected through satellite radar interferometry techniques. 2. Precision farming applications: classification of rice fields in areas with low (red), normal (green) and high (blue) vegetative vigor. The maps, derived in this case by the RapidEye image analysis, can be used to implement Variable Rate Fertilization (VRT) agro- practices. 3. Optofluidic jet waveguides for liquid monitoring. 4. Rhythm Data Portal (RDP), unique data and metadata access point shared by institutes or research groups (nodes) involved in the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). RDP allows both to explore the data and metadata delivered by the autonomous and distributed nodes of the SDI, and to simultaneously display different types of information relevant to one or more geographic areas, making it accessible not only to researchers from different disciplines but also to any user who has access to the network. 5. Oleaginous yeasts exposed to pulsed electric fields and stained with propidium iodide 6. Some participants in Food Futuring Tours (FFT), a cycle of workshops on the future of food organized by IREA in collaboration with EC JRC under Expo2015 in Milan. FFT is a public engagement initiative where, through participatory methodologies, a hundred Expo visitors reflected on the impact of science and technology on the food system and produced some scenarios on the future of food. 2 Pagina 3 di 156 Preface I am proud to present the fourth volume devoted to the activities carried out at the Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) over the last four years. Our reports are now important means of information and communication outward from an Institute that, thanks to the existing expertise, its multidisciplinary and scientific vitality, has grown a lot (not only numerically!) in the 16 years since its foundation. Indeed, in these years IREA has become a reference point within the research areas in which it operates and one of the excellence Institutes of CNR, as confirmed by the assessment of the CNR Institutes concluded in 2015 and the outcome of the Quality Evaluation of Research (VQR) carried out by the National Agency for Evaluation of the University and Research System (ANVUR), which ended in December 2016. The purpose of the volume is to promote and disseminate the acquired scientific knowledge also outside the scientific context, in order to intrigue and motivate non-experts towards concepts that are often considered difficult to understand, if not out of everyday reality. By reading the following pages one can capture the high social impact, as well as the scientific one, of the research activities carried out at IREA, which help to give answers to very important issues in relation to major challenges in areas ranging from the monitoring of environment and territory, safety, protection of strategic infrastructure, development of technologies for the sustainable management and protection of cultural heritage, till to agribusiness, healthcare and health. Leafing through this volume the reader can find a brief description of the main research lines carried out, the list of the scientific production in the four years and the short profiles of researchers and technical and administrative staff, as well as the list of contracted staff, associated and in training. They all contribute daily to the research activities and to the Institute functioning. Then, the projects in which the Institute participated, even with a coordinating role, are briefly presented. The volume ends with the main news published on the IREA website in the past four years, through which some important scientific results or events that involved the Institute have been highlighted. A special thank for the precious work done goes to Maria Consiglia Rasulo who took care the design, drafting, and graphics, and to all the IREA staff that contributed to the realization of this volume. Riccardo Lanari Direttore IREA 3 4 Pagina 5 di 156 Indice Introduction….……………………………………….. pag. 7 Offices……………………………….………………….…… “ 11 Budget and Performance …...………………….…… “ 13 Collaborations and relationships with the socio-economic reality…………………. “ 13 Laboratories and equipment …….………..….….. “ 14 Research topics ………..…………………….……… pag. 19 Microwave Remote Sensing ……………………….. “ 21 Optical Remote Sensing …..……………………….… “ 29 Electromagnetic diagnostics...….………………..... “ 35 Geographic Information Systems ……….….….. “ 43 Bioelectromagnetics ……………………………….… 47 “ Public Communication of Science ……..…….…. 53 “ Staff …………………………………...…………………. pag. 57 Scientific production.…...………................…… pag. 83 Projects …………………………………................…… pag. 109 News ……...………………………………................….. pag. 139 5 6 Pagina 7 di 156 Introduction The Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) carries out research activities related to the development of methodologies and technologies for acquisition, processing, fusion and interpretation of images and data obtained by electromagnetic sensors operating on satellites, aircrafts and in situ, aimed at monitoring the environment and territory, non-invasive diagnostics and electromagnetic risk assessment. In addition, methodologies and technologies for the realization of geospatial data infrastructures and biomedical applications of electromagnetic fields are developed. Attention is also devoted to activities of investigation, research, and experimentation on the public communication of science as well as to activities on science education. IREA is part of the largest public research institution in Italy, the National Research Council (CNR). It is committed to the “Engineering – ICT and technology for Energy and Transports” Department and participates in the activities of the “Earth System Science and Technologies for the Environment” Department. In addition, the Institute is involved in research projects in collaboration with the Department of “Social and Human Sciences - Cultural Heritage”. Similarly to the findings from the evaluation process of the CNR Institutes concluded in 2010, the latest CNR assessment, completed in 2015, and the one carried out by the National Agency for Evaluation of the University and Research System (ANVUR), which ended in December 2016, confirmed the positioning of IREA in the band of excellence of the CNR Institutes and, more generally, of the national research system. IREA is a highly multi-disciplinary reality, having internally consolidated skills in the fields of microwave and optical remote sensing, electromagnetic diagnostics, computer science for the management and treatment of geo-spatial data, geophysics for the study of geological processes starting from remote sensing data, bioelectromagnetics for assessing the risk of exposure to electromagnetic fields and their possible applications in medicine, as well. The research activities carried out meet the important needs of scientific and technological development of the Country. They have numerous application outcomes in areas of strategic importance such as environment, security, safety, and health. The monitoring of the environment and territory is achieved through the development of advanced methodologies for airborne and satellite image processing, in situ measurement acquisition and elaboration, as well as geographical information treatment. The activities are very well framed in the European program for Earth Observation "Copernicus", whose purpose is to provide accurate and timely information on the territory and the environment that surrounds us. Many techniques of Earth Observation have been developed at IREA over the years with important implications in various application areas. Particular attention is devoted to the agricultural sector that must face important challenges due to the continuous pressure of global demand for food, particularly in 7 Introduction developing countries. The analysis of satellite images of the Earth's surface allows crop mapping and monitoring of their status as well as tracking their vegetative development and maximizing yields. In this framework, IREA was engaged during the last three years as the coordinator of a European project (ERMES - An Earth obseRvation Model-based RicE information Service) for the development of services based on satellite data to support the system of rice production in Italy and Europe, with the long-term goal of exporting these technologies to African and Asian countries. Another important application based on high-resolution images (satellite, aircraft, drone), called 'Precision Farming', allows analysis of variability inside the field and its relationships with germination problems, nutritional or water deficiencies, and the translation of remote sensing data into information directly employable for business management. IREA also has considerable expertise in the use of Earth Observation Technologies for the monitoring of inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes and lagoons) and coastal areas, in particular for the detection of algal blooms, the growth and areal evolution of the submerged vegetation and the control of discharges. Among water resources, natural and artificial lakes are the main reservoir of fresh water. The health of these