ALMA MATER STUDIORUM – University of Bologna (www.unibo.it) founded in 1088 is known as the oldest
University in the western world and with its over 84,000 students, 33 Departments, 11 Schools, 9 Research
and Training Centres, 5 Campuses, 207 Degree Programmes, 52 International degree programmes and 48
PhD programmes is one of the largest University in Italy.

Thanks to its presence throughout the territory, the international outlook, the research, the programme catalogue, the information services, Alma Mater focuses
on innovation and excellence across the major fields of science, engineering and humanities.

Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) is a government research and service agency. It produces weather and marine forecasts and services for the needs of safety, transport, the economy and citizens. FMI hosts the National Early Warning System for Natural Disasters. This system is responsible for monitoring natural hazards globally.

FMI also performs and advances versatile and high-quality research on the atmosphere, physical oceanography, air quality and the near-space. It combines its know-how into consultancy and development services in Finland and abroad, mainly regarding issues pertaining to the environment and weather-related security. This includes adaptation to climate change. FMI performs research supporting climate change adaptation policies and measures.

In OPERANDUM, FMI will especially contribute with climate change and extreme event analysis, hazard economics, socioeconomic evaluation of NBS, development of CCA measures, and studies of NBS transferability in Europe and in selected countries around the world. At OAL Finland, FMI supports Luke by developing citizen science activities.

The Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geoscience will contribute to
OPERANDUM through two Departments:

Department of Water Management (WAM) undertakes research in hydrology, water resources management,
and sanitary engineering. The Department has a strong science orientation and received the highest possible
mark for research quality during the 2012 international evaluation of all civil engineering departments in The
Netherlands. Innovation in modelling and measuring drives our scientific progress and is widely recognized
through international prizes.

Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing (GRS) is the center for earth oriented space research, earth
observation and geo-mathematics in The Netherlands. At the department of Geoscience and Remote
Sensing, we study planet Earth in all its facets, using state-of the art satellite and earth-based sensors.
Fundamental disciplines such as geophysics, geodesy and atmospheric sciences form the basis of our
experience. The section Optical and Laser Remote Sensing (OLRS) has a well-established research record in
applying remote sensing to understand the terrestrial water cycle and to support land and water
management.

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon conducts international cutting-edge research for a changing world: approximately 1,100 employees generate knowledge and innovation toward more resilience and sustainability. The Hereon’s scientific spectrum encompasses high-performance materials, processes and environmentally friendly technologies for mobility and new energy systems. Furthermore, research is conducted on biomaterials for medicine and for increasing the quality of life. Through research and consulting, the Hereon addresses the challenges of climate change in a solution-oriented manner and facilitates sustainable management as well as the protection of the coasts and marine environment through comprehensive scientific understanding. From basic understanding to practical applications – the interdisciplinary research center covers a unique spectrum.

As part of an international network and as a member of the Helmholtz Association, the Hereon supports political, economic and societal institutions in shaping the future through the transfer of its expertise. Founded in 1956, the center is the largest non-university research institution in Schleswig-Holstein. In addition to its main location in Geesthacht and its site in Teltow near Berlin, the Hereon has branches in Hamburg, Kiel, Berlin and Garching bei München. The research center has an annual budget of approximately 100 million Euros.

ITC S.A. (www.itcnet.gr) is a SME established on 1995. The activities are related primarily in advancing
research and development (RandD) in the fields of atmospheric, marine and environmental science and
engineering and in applications related to these. Particularly, ITC is aiming at the development of
methodologies and data sets related to atmospheric and oceanographic processes. Atmospheric model
development (related to dust cycle, surface energy exchange and aerosol-radiation-cloud-precipitation
interactions) and applications in the area of short-range weather forecasting encompasses the main activities
of the company. In addition, model development and applications, are related to several other topics
including analysis of extreme weather events, surface hydrology and flooding. The scientific team of ITC has
long experience gained through the collaboration with the Atmospheric Modelling and Weather Forecasting
Group (AMandWFG) of the University of Athens (NKUA). The gained experience is obtained from the
participation in a number of projects funded from various sources (e.g. EU, USA, Saudi Arabia). Several
projects have been carried out (e.g. SKIRON, NHREAS, POSEIDON IandII, WASSF-IandII, Earth2Observe). ITC
runs operationally various modelling systems (SKIRON/Dust, WRF, WRF/Chem, RAMS/ICLAMS, WAM, CAMx,
CREST) for various applications around the world. Currently, ITC maintains and runs operationally various
forecasting systems on a real-time (24/7) basis, providing weather-related forecasts and flood forecasting for
various countries around the globe. Further development (integrated tools) and dissemination of the
research results and experience built during the past two decades is the ultimate target to advance the
competiveness at the international level. The long-term target of the company is to develop integrated
forecasting tools that are cost-efficient and can offer high-resolution weather information tailored to specific
stakeholder decision support needs (e.g. local weather information, wind and wave energy, flood forecasting,
agriculture management).

University College Dublin (UCD) is a dynamic, modern university where cutting-edge research and scholarship
provide a stimulating intellectual environment and a strong research ethos. The School of Architecture,
Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) combines academic with professional education and the creation
of knowledge with its application in the real world. Each discipline draws on the approaches and techniques
of the others and is enriched by this interaction while maintaining its own integrity. The research clusters in
each School are interdisciplinary in nature with a wide variety of theoretical approaches, involving academics
with a diversity of backgrounds, principally in the areas of design and planning, city-making and place-making,
GIS and urban modelling, sociology, public health, regional and urban planning, transport planning, surveying
and urban economics, and environmental economics.
APEP was the lead partner of the TURAS and iSCAPE projects. – UCD has secured over 70 contracts in Horizon
2020 and is managing 21 ERC awards, including 4 associated ERC Proof of Concept awards.

The University of Surrey (UoS; www.surrey.ac.uk) has excellent academics whose mission is to lead
pioneering research and innovation for creating new thinking, and to provide practical solutions for some of
the world’s main technological and societal challenges. It excels at multidisciplinary and cross border research
and benefits from excellent professional and administrative support. Innovative and dynamic, and with
around 15,000 students, UoS was The Times and Sunday Times University of the Year 2016. It achieved ‘Gold’
status in the recent Teaching Excellence Framework, 4th in the Guardian University Guide 2017 and 11th in
the Complete University Guide 2017. UoS was awarded five stars, the highest rating in the 2015/2016 QS
World University Rankings. The UoS has been involved in over 210 projects under FP7 and Horizon 2020,
including 25 Marie Curie fellowships. Other projects awarded to the University include 5 European Research
Council awards, 4 Career Integration Grant projects, and 12 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks.

The United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. The work of the Organization is implemented and promoted through the involvement of its different Sectors, Field Offices, Designated & Affiliated Sites, Category I & II Centers, UNESCO Chairs and Networks.

UNESCO’s involvement in disaster risk reduction started in the 1960s with studies on earthquakes and oceanography. In the 1990-2000s, UNESCO supported natural hazards preparedness activities during the United Nations’ International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). Since 2005, UNESCO has been working within the context of the Hyogo Framework of Action 2005-2015 (HFA) for disaster resilience. UNESCO consequently adopted its successor the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” in March 2015, at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan. The latter framework defines the 2030 international agenda for disaster risk reduction, which UNESCO is committed to operating in line with, as well as with the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, to promote a culture of safety and resilience.

The EU and UNESCO continuously strengthen their cooperation and synergies. On 8 October 2012, they signed a Memoranda of Understanding, to define clear strategic priorities and stimulating dialogue in shared domains of interest between the two organizations. The agreement builds on a longstanding cooperation with the EU in the core mandates of UNESCO, including  education, the sciences, human rights and culture

Regarding Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), UNESCO focuses on establishing and maintaining early warning systems, advising governments on the design of disaster-risk-mitigation policies, providing vulnerable and weakened communities with disaster-mitigation information and knowledge, integrating DRR in school curricula, and raising DRR awareness at UNESCO designated sites.

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) is a research and expert organisation that works to advance the
bioeconomy and sustainable use of natural resources. Luke’s strategic objectives are related to sustainable
new bio-based products, digital solutions, circular economy as well as healthy and profitable food production.
Luke’s research is conducted in four large thematic programmes: Boreal Green Bioeconomy, Innovative Food
Chain, Blue Bioeconomy, and Natural Resources Economy in the Society. Luke was launched 1st of January
2015 as a merger of the Finnish Forest Research Institute, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, the Finnish Game
and Fisheries Research Institute and the statistical services of the Information Centre of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry. Natural Resources Institute Finland is the second largest research institute in
Finland and one of the biggest clusters of bioeconomy expertise in Europe. Luke employs more than 1,300
person-years, and the turnover for the year 2015 was approximately 130 MEUR. The institute operates in 38
different locations across the country. Luke has vast experience in international research co-operation; there
are currently 30 ongoing H2020 projects.
The research of Luke covers all aspects of agricultural and forest production and its excellent facilities enable
studying the whole production chain including soil, crops, environmental impacts and economics. The data
collected from the long-term field experiments are an especially valuable asset of Luke. Along with the
expertise on natural sciences Luke has actively developed know-how on integrated modelling including e.g.
ecosystem modelling and economic modelling. Luke has long experience in cooperation with private
enterprises which is facilitated by a coordination group on innovation and client relation activities. Previous
work has included several projects with regional case studies and designing innovative solutions with
different stakeholders. The wide expertise of Luke’s researchers is frequently utilized in economic and
environmental policy analyzes used for developing environmental, agricultural and forest policies. Luke
researchers have extensive experience in valuing non-market ecosystem services such as rural landscape,
recreation and nature conservation benefits. Luke will provide the OPERANDUM project especially with
expertise regarding solutions to prevent nutrient leaching, co-design approach and environmental economic
analysis.

Research at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of OEAW is dedicated to Global Change and
its impact on mountain areas across the world. Long-term measurements form the basis of remote sensing
and process models in basic research and in specific applications. OEAW investigates climate change and
globalization in terms of the relations of humans with the environment in cultural landscapes, mountain cities
and in protected mountain areas. To this end we apply inter- and transdisciplinary approaches between
scientists and stakeholders on local, regional and international level.
Capturing processes in spatial terms as they occur and monitoring plus analysing their change over time is an
essential basis for scientific investigations in mountain research today. Innovative methods of capture with
enhanced spatial and temporal resolution generate ever larger amounts of data. OEAW develops automated
processing and analysing strategies to deal with these masses of data. Moreover, quality control of captured
and derived information is ensured for trustworthy analyzes in a scientific and operational context.
The remote sensing and geomatics section focuses on observing and quantifying spatio-temporal processes
in the natural landscape and in areas influenced or formed by humans and investigates cause and effect. We
use methods of remote sensing, close-range sensing and spatio-temporal analysis from geoinformatics. An
additional focus is on 3D and 4D geodata processing. The methods and workflows developed here facilitate
basic research and enhance long-term research, especially in the areas of geomorphology, natural landscape
processes, natural hazard research, land-use and vegetation mapping.

The Research Centre for Built Environment Asset Management at GCU has longstanding expertise in ecoengineering
(Mickovski, Ollauri), heat island research (Emmanuel), indicator development (Thomson,
Mickovski) and community engagement (Thomson). In particular, GCU team brings research expertise in
green infrastructure (GI) to enhance stability of earthworks and natural slopes, management of overheating
and as a focal point for community engagement to enhance local quality of life. The team has previously
developed GI-based planning decision support systems, assessment frameworks for regeneration efforts, GIoriented
physical planning and the development of indicators for the quality of green networks. All our prior
works acknowledge that decision makers require a holistic interpretation of sustainability which goes beyond
contemporary practice and a requirement for its outputs to be easy to interpret and communicate with a
wide range of stakeholders. These are the principles which the NBS approaches used in OPERANDUM
requires to reflect as it seeks to integrate and be compatible with the planning decision making process. Our
prior projects have provided us with the expertise in establishing such an assessment system, with potential
for it to be underpinned in this context by geographic information system (GIS).

RINA provides a wide range of services across the Energy, Marine, Certification, Transport & Infrastructure and Industry sectors through a global network of 170 offices in 65 countries and it is a member of key international organisations and an important contributor to the development of new legislative standards. Through its 3.700 talented professionals, RINA provides a wide range of high quality tailored solutions aiming to back up the market operators across the entire life cycle of their projects. All RINA services are performed at the highest professional level, understanding and complying with Client’s needs and requirements while taking into due consideration sustainability and health, safety and environmental targets.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT
RINA is the leader of WP2 “Co-design and co-development of innovative NBS” and is deeply involved in the implementation of the Italian OAL (WP3). In particular, as one of the technology providers of the “artificial dune” NBS, RINA is taking care of the design, construction, modelling (WP5) and monitoring (WP4) aspects related to the dune that will be realized in Bellocchio (FE).

In addition, RINA is in charge of the LCA, LCC and S-LCA related to the OALs (WP6) and will contribute in the development of the project platform (WP7).

CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre (www.cira.it), is a company mainly of public ownership created
in 1984 for the purpose of performing research in the fields of space and aeronautics. The Centre, was
founded by the Italian State with the aim of promoting research and technological development in the fields
of space and aeronautics matching that of other European countries, and enabling Italian enterprises to
compete at high levels on the international markets. It takes part in the main European and International
research programmes, collaborates with top Universities and aeronautical and space companies in Italy and
other countries, and is also a strong attractor of talent and industrial investments. The laboratory of
meteorology, participating to this project is part of the unit “Monitoring and Protection of Territory,
Environment and Cultural Heritage” having the goal to produce strategic line innovation by transferring
technology and expertise from the aerospace industry to land management, environmental protection, the
preservation of cultural heritage. This unit has specific research activities related to meteorology and climate
monitoring in order to make more effective land management and emergencies (particularly those related
to hydrogeological and high impact weather events on society), using tools and capacity for observation of
the atmosphere and weather forecast on different time scales. It also has expertise in the systematization of
observations available through different platforms, (remote and/or in situ), is designed to allow a detailed
characterization of the local climate characteristics for areas of interest. The meteo lab has gained an
extensive RandD expertise and capabilities in development of models and tools for providing detailed
meteorological forecast and climate scenario to be used for different applications (geo-hydrological risk,
agriculture, health). The expert capabilities range from technology feasibility studies to the detailed SW
design, prototyping, and verification, including functional and performance evaluations. Moreover CIRA it is
also founding member of the CMCC Foundation (Euro-Mediterranean center on climate change) and, more
specifically, the CIRA meteorology laboratory coordinates the CMCC research division REMHI (Regional
Model and geo-hydrological impact).

Naturalea is specialized in landscape restoration and it is a cutting-edge nationwide company in the field of
implementation of bioengineering techniques, both traditional naturalistic engineering and biophysical or
structural vegetable engineering, with over 20 years’ experience in the sector and having more than 1000
developed projects. We are specialized in the implementation of landscape restoration techniques, in the
assessment for project definition (writing reports, preparation of proposals). Moreover, Naturalea works on
collaborative drafting projects, developing all aspects or phases related to bioengineering.
Naturalea’s field of work is very large and we operate in many different areas such as river restoration,
creation of wetlands, construction of natural treatment systems, re-vegetation of ponds and lakes, slope
stabilization and treatment, environmental restoration of degradable areas, trail and road restoration, etc.
The reason of our experience is working from a professional field in achieving good ecological status of the
environment, considering it as all the not urbanized areas.
Consequences of poor land management have important environmental, social and economic costs. The
silting of reservoirs, the need to maintain drainage systems, the effects of allochthonous vegetation forming
blocks in rivers during flooding, loss of property… There are many reasons demonstrating that a poor
management of the environment can be expensive in the long term. Past and present degradation of the
territory, increasing mobility and the enhancement of the value of natural areas require intervention for the
restoration and conservation of the environment. This intervention should be integrated and should not
involve progressive indebtedness of society with the necessity to invest money into maintenance of these
interventions. Usually it is only necessary to correct some impacts and to accelerate natural processes of
restoration. Restoring is not only do some planting, sowing or constructing dry stone walls, but also
conservation involves an increasing level of specialization, which should be based on knowledge and an
improvement of the techniques to guarantee higher quality and better integration. Regarding the
implementation, both technical and field staffs have long experience in the execution of all available
techniques.
As for assessment and collaboration in writing projects, a multidisciplinary team consisting of engineers,
botanists and environmentalists defines in each case the most appropriate techniques, the most adequate
species and is responsible for the proper implementation, integration and validation in the work. In Naturalea
we intent to defend and to value our environment so that future generations not only would be able to enjoy
the landscape but also to enjoy a landscape even better. The essential rule is to work with and for nature.

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow (UoG) is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world.
The University’s institutional strategy focuses on enhancing its reputation as one of the world’s great broad-based
universities underpinned by a commitment to academic excellence.

A key element of the University’s strategy is the growth and sustainability of world-class research enabled through
strategic partnerships. The University is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of major research-led universities
and a founder member of Universitas 21, an international grouping of universities dedicated to setting worldwide
standards for higher education. As a globally connected university with deep civic roots, for over 560 years Glasgow
has established creative and vibrant partnerships with communities, colleagues and students across the world.

The School of Interdisciplinary Studies is one of five constituent Schools within the College of Social Sciences which
is one of four Colleges that make up the University. The College itself has a strong commitment to multi-disciplinary
perspectives, together with high ambition and impact. The School hosts the National Centre for Resilience and is home
to the Crichton Institute – itself a multi-institutional collaboration specialising in applied research and knowledge
exchange across the disciplines – and has a research-active cluster working on various aspects of environmental
science, sustainability, risk and resilience, ethics and in external and international collaborations.

Beyond its research the School of Interdisciplinary Studies is ambitious in its vision to be recognised as an inclusive
centre of world-class interdisciplinary teaching and delivers the full spectrum of HEI opportunities (e.g. Summer
School for Access, FE to HE articulation, Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Research degrees and is home to a vibrant PhD community.

The Region of Sterea Ellada (http://www.pste.gov.gr/) is one of the thirteen first-level administrative regional
authorities of Greece. The Region is characterized by full financial and administrative independence, whereas
its elected bodies are responsible for the coordination and enforcement of policies referring to the respective
geographical area. The Region’s responsibilities cover a wide range of sectors, from development planning,
environment protection and public health to transportation, rural economy and civil protection.
Sterea Ellada is the second larger Greek Region consisting of 735,8 million hectares of mountain area, 497,1
million hectares of semi‐mountainous area and 322,2 million hectares of lowland area. It is worth noting that
only 3% of the total area is residential. Forests cover the 25% of the total regional area, while 2% is covered
by water. The cultivated areas of the region occupy the 26% of total area, while the 43% is used in farming
activities. Furthermore, the region is rich in special and rare ecosystems; 18 special environmental sites of
the Region are being protected according to the NATURA 2000 framework, while there are 3 Special
Protection Areas, two of which refer to the Spercheios river: the Spercheios valley and the Spercheios Delta.
Moreover, Sterea Ellada is famous for its world-renown hot springs and spa.
Consequently, the region is rich in a diversity of Ecosystem Services (ES) in all four ES categories defined in
the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Supporting, Provisioning, Regulating and Cultural services. As a
result, the design of the proper protection strategies and the appliance of effective and sustainable
development practices comprise fundamental objectives for the Region. More specifically, key ES within the region depend exclusively on the underlying natural environment, hence the protection of natural resources
and the mitigation of human activities’ environmental footprint are a prerequisite for the sustainability of
these ES. The Region has identified aquatic and coastal-marine ecosystems to receive the greater pressures
by human activities, such as tourism, agriculture, aquaculture etc. In this context, the Region retains a deep
experience and expertise in designing strategies, adopting practices and carrying out development activities
for protecting its aquatic and coastal-marine ecosystems.

PNO Consultants B.V. is part of the PNO group. The PNO Group, established in 1984, is Europe’s largest
independent Grants and Innovation Management advisory, providing support services to private and public
organizations in innovation processes, technology transfer and funding for research, development and
innovation. PNO is made up of a pool of around 250 professionals across 6 Member States including
scientists, engineers, consultants, a Brussels policy advisory service, as well as financial and legal experts. The
growth of the company can be attributed to a unique combination of services, based on profound insight in
research, innovation and funding strategies, up-to-date knowledge and 30 years of expertise with more than
500 funding programs in most EU countries. The company has the proven capability to link innovation
suppliers and adopters from a unique Europe-wide client network in multiple sectors, using advanced
methodologies and proprietary on-line networking.

PNO’s core business is to support industries, Public Administration and research organisations in the
definition, implementation and realisation of their innovation strategies. PNO supports over 2,000 clients
throughout Europe, annually developing over 120 European consortia projects and fostering their successful
implementation in many technology domains through project management, technology intelligence,
innovation services, exploitation and dissemination services, and the setting up of (inter)national technology
transfer networks and knowledge sharing communities. For dissemination and communication activities,
PNO has its own community building, management and dissemination tools, the core one being Innovation
Place© (www.innovationplace.eu). PNO manages several open innovation Web portals, serving over 8.000
high-tech companies and organizations in Europe.

CIAOTECH S.r.l., a branch of PNO Group, will take part in the OPERANDUM project as a linked third party
of PNO Consultants B.V. CIAOTECH is specialized in Innovation Management, providing support services to
private and public organisations in Product and Process Innovation, Technology Transfer, IT solutions and
support for research and development projects.

Arpae is a public institution that gives technical support to regional, district and local Authorities on
environmental policy, with the following functions, activities and tasks:
a) monitoring and modelling of the various environmental components; b) management and surveillance of
the environmental and territorial impacts of human activities; c) activities relevant to environmental impact
assessment of plans and projects; d) creation and management of the regional environmental information
system; e) drafting of soil, water and air quality improvement plans; f) research relevant to the development
of environmental protection issues in production cycles (Life Cycle Assessment, Best Available Techniques,
etc.). The Hydro-Meteo-Climate Service of Arpae carries out operational activities and research in
meteorology, oceanography, climatology, coastal morphodynamic, hydrology, agrometeorology, radar
meteorology, environmental meteorology and remote sensing. Arpae operates in the territory of Emilia-
Romagna Region by nine Sezioni Provinciali, nine Strutture Autorizzazioni e Concessione, the Hydro-Meteo-
Climate Service and the Oceanographic Structure Daphne. The Direzione Generale is located in Bologna. The
Sezioni Provinciali, the Hydro-Meteo-Climate Service and the Oceanographic Structure Daphne are the
operational sectors of the Agency, while the Executive Board and the remaining central structures have
mainly duties related to strategic guidance and integration and skills development, as well as administrative
and management activities.

The SWECO GmbH (SWECO) is part of the SWECO Group, a leading engineering
and architecture consultancy in Europe with 14,500 professionals. Thus SWECO is part of an extensive expert
network all over Europe.
In Germany SWECO is one of the leading engineering consultants. For over 50 years, SWECO has been a
reliable partner in national and international projects, providing high-quality design and consultancy services
in the three business lines Planning and Design, Transport and Mobility, Water and Energy. Around 850
experts in more than 30 local offices all over Germany are at your service.
SWECO provides public or private clients with cost-effective and sustainable solutions for complex issues
along all project phases. The core competencies of SWECO are consultancy, planning, management,
supervision, and moderation of complex projects. SWECO acts independently from any supplying or
manufacturing interests.

KAJO is a Slovak based consultancy offering a diverse range of services related to natural disasters. Our key
staff has outstanding expertise in hydrology, flood forecasting, climate, land use, and impact assessment
studies. KAJO has long record in developing customer driven application for the analysis and interpretation
of the early warning systems (European and global), focusing specifically for the probabilistic forecasts since
we have deep scientific and technical knowledge of the EU Copernicus Early Warning Services, including their
technical implementation. We are involved in designing EWS end products for different stakeholders ranging
from international crisis responders, humanitarian and aid organizations up to local authorities. KAJO is
developing tools and services for real time monitoring of social networks for information related to natural
disasters in order to assist the responders in all phases of risk management cycle. KAJO algorithms use data
derived from social media to fill the gap between EWS and traditional observations to improve our rapid
mapping and impact assessment products. Several levels of filtering, sense making and aggregation
techniques are all designed, developed and tested in-house to distil valid information from the social media
stream and provide our customers with tailored data feeds.
KAJO staff has expertise in implementing large scale real time data collection software for meteorological
and hydrological observations including data collection, storage, quality control and delivery for operational
systems. KAJO develops geo-services crawlers, catalog of publicly available geo-services specific to the
customers’ needs. We offer seamless and continuous integration of geographic information, on demand
customized services to assist in the disaster risk reduction activities.
KAJO is currently collaborating with national and international organizations (e.g., ECMWF, JRC, RedCross),
and it is taking part in international expert networks, such as the Global Floods Partnership.

Dublin City Council (dublincity.ie) is the largest local authority in Ireland. It is one of four local authorities that
govern the Dublin metropolitan area. The city council has responsibility for a limited range of services
compared to a typical European local authority. These services include housing; planning; roads;
environmental protection; provision of parks, recreation and amenities and community infrastructure. It
does not have responsibility for areas such as policing, education, social services and health nor does it have
a directly elected Mayor.
The 2015 revenue (operational) budget of Dublin City Council is in the order of €773m and it has a 3 year
rolling Capital Programme, covering the period 2015 to 2017, of €568m. It has just under 5,800 employees.
The City Council provides a wide range of infrastructure and services, including some essential services, that
impact on the daily lives of all residents etc. and that contribute in significant and diverse ways to their quality
of life. It also makes a major contribution to the economy of the city, the region and the State. Dublin faces
challenges in maintaining its competitive position and supporting economic growth, while simultaneously
delivering a high quality of life and an acceptable environmental footprint.

The Foundation Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) is a non-for-profit research
institution (www.cmcc.it). CMCC’s mission is to investigate and model our climate system and its interactions
with society to provide reliable, rigorous, and timely scientific results, which will in turn stimulate sustainable
growth, protect the environment, and develop science driven adaptation and mitigation policies in a
changing climate.

CMCC collaborates with experienced scientists, economists, and technicians, which work
together in order to provide fully-fledged analyzes of climate impacts on various systems such as agriculture,
ecosystems, coasts, water resources, health, and economics. CMCC also supports policymakers in setting and
assessing costs, mitigation, and adaptation policies.

CMCC benefits from the extensive applied research experience of its members and institutional partners:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV); Università del Salento; Centro Italiano di Ricerche
Aerospaziali (CIRA S.c.p.a.); Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia; Università di Sassari, Università della Tuscia,
Politecnico di Milano. CMCC research activities are distributed among eight research divisions that share
different knowledge and skills in the field of climate science: Advanced Scientific Computing (ASC) Division;
Climate Simulation and Prediction (CSP) Division; Economic analysis of Climate Impacts and Policy (ECIP)
Division; Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services (IAFES) Division; Ocean modelling and Data
Assimilation (ODA) Division; Ocean Predictions and Applications (OPA) Division; Risk Assessment and
Adaptation Strategies (RAAS) Division; Regional Models and geo-Hydrological Impacts (REHMI) Division.

CMCC acquired portfolio of research projects includes 225 funded projects: 37 funded projects in FP6 and
FP7, 33 funded projects in H2020 and 155 funded projects under other EU and international research grants.
In about a half of the implemented projects, CMCC acted as the coordinator.

The University of Hong Kong is a public research university and the oldest institute of higher learning in Hong
Kong, founded in 1911. With 10 academic faculties and with English as the language of instruction, it is also
an internationally recognized, research led, comprehensive university including medicine, science and
engineering, arts, finance and business.

HKU also engages in frontier research and academic endeavors that
reflect and address the needs of a fast changing, knowledge-based world. HKU has a long history of
environment research, with a strong academic and research network with Mainland China and the rest of
the world, including Asia.

The Faculty of l Engineering, where the PI of the Hong Kong team works including two departments, i.e. civil
engineering and mechanical engineering, with an active research programme in the natural and built
environment as well as hazard mitigation in Hong Kong, including both water and air environment.

CAREERI-CAS is a multidisciplinary research institute and made a significant contribution to the
environmental protection of China. CAREERI-CAS specializes in the study of eco-environment, natural
resources, and environmental engineering. The institute also focuses on many other fields such as cryosphere
and global climate change, frozen ground and cold regions engineering, desert and desertification, plateau
atmospheric physics and meteorology, water and land resources and environmental rehabilitation, ecology
and agriculture, remote sensing information system.

By the end of 2016, the CAREERI-CAS has a research staff of 1270, and 188 of them are full professors.
The CAREERI has established international cooperation and exchange programs at various levels with
internationally renowned academic and educational institutions in more than 20 countries and regions.

Only in the past one year, more than 300 CAREERI scientists have attended international meetings or
participated in international cooperative research programs, and more than 220 overseas scholars visit
the CAREERI or participate in joint research programs with CAREERI staff.

The international cooperation has been playing increasingly important roles in the CAREERI, for providing
opportunities for Chinese and overseas scholars to conduct joint projects, for serving as windows to learn
more about China and the world, and for rapidly developing mutual benefits in advancing scientific and
technological research.

The University of the Sunshine Coast is a public university of international standing, a driver of capacity building in the Sunshine Coast and broader region, and an unsurpassed community asset. USC was founded in 1994 and is the fastest growing university in Australia. In total 11,602 students enrolled in 2016 and USC is on track to reach projected student enrolments of 20,000 by 2020.

The University has earned multiple five-star ratings for its educational experience, including overall graduate satisfaction, graduate satisfaction with generic skills, gender balance, Indigenous participation and electronic support. USC undertakes research of international, national and local significance. Areas of strength include aquaculture, regional sustainability and forestry. Recent notable successes have included tuna breeding in captivity (collaborative research), fast growing tropical hardwoods (collaborative research) and climate change adaptation projects.

The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI) is a research institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). RADI has over 700 researchers or engineers with the expertise in spaceborne-airborne-ground remote sensing data acquisition and processing, as well as fundamental and applied research in remote sensing and geospatial information science. RADI hosts several international platforms including the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Programme Office for Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR IPO) and the CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence on Space Technology for Disaster Mitigation (SDIM).

The Division of Earth Observation for Water Cycle (EOWater) at RADI-CAS, focuses on fundamental and cutting-edge research to develop theories, methodologies and models to retrieve land surface biophysical and hydrological parameters for the monitoring and modelling of terrestrial water cycle by satellite remote sensing, understanding of how the terrestrial water cycle system responds and adapts to climate and anthropic forcing.