EO4PORT begins with interviews, workshops and consultations with port stakeholders. These activities identify concrete operational questions: where ports lack information, which decisions are most critical, and what constraints exist in terms of timing, resolution and data access.
The qualitative needs are then turned into clear, measurable geoinformation requirements: what must be observed, how often, at what spatial resolution, in which formats, and for which business processes.
Existing EO missions, services and platforms are assessed against these requirements. This step highlights what EO can already deliver today and where there are gaps in coverage, accuracy, timeliness or integration with port systems.
Together with ports, EO4PORT co-designs EO-based solutions that respond to the prioritised requirements. Implementations are tested in realistic conditions using ESA’s APEx Geospatial Explorer, ensuring they are scalable and interoperable.
Finally, the project consolidates its experience into guidelines, use cases and recommendations. These materials form a practical roadmap that other ports can use when planning their own EO adoption, avoiding “one-off pilots” and moving towards sustained services.
Ports are under pressure to handle more traffic, reduce emissions, adapt to climate and coastal risks, and remain competitive in a rapidly changing logistics landscape.
To respond, port authorities and operators need to understand among others:
how their land and infrastructure are used and changing,
how coastal dynamics and tides affect access channels and operations, and
how their activities influence air quality and light pollution in surrounding areas.
EO4PORT translates these questions into concrete examples of EO products that can be scaled and reused across different ports, rather than one-off pilots.