The Baltic Sea region goes green: OHB Digital Connect coordinates Baltic GTIF project

Bremen, 14 March 2024 – Climate change is leaving its mark – especially in the Baltic Sea region, profound changes can be observed that have a noticeable impact on the marine environment and the surrounding areas. With an annual temperature increase of 0.1°C in the north and 0.7°C in the south, warming in the region is above the global trend, putting ecosystems and the health of the population at risk. To tackle this challenge, the European Space Agency (ESA) is funding the "Green Transition Information Factories (GTIF) Kick-Starters: Baltic" project, or Baltic GTIF for short. Through the GTIF initiative ESA aims to create innovative capabilities that combine Earth observation data with modern analytics and cloud computing technologies to address Green Transition related information needs as expressed by regional stakeholders. After a successful GTIF Demonstrator for Austria (https://gtif.esa.int/), the aim is now to scale up and customise services for various European regions, one of which is the Baltics, with Lithuania as a pilot partner and the coverage eventually comprising also Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Germany. The project is being implemented by a European consortium under the coordination of OHB Digital Connect GmbH, a subsidiary of the space and technology group OHB.

Climate neutrality by 2050

The European Union aims to become climate neutral by 2050. By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by at least 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels. In order to achieve this goal, the economy and society must be reorganised in many areas. ESA is supporting this transformation process with several initiatives that bring Earth observation data into practical application. Under the GTIF umbrella, decision-makers are to be enabled to better evaluate the effectiveness of political measures and urban planning projects through innovative methods of data processing and analysis. "It's exciting to see how data visualisation tools make complex information accessible! Simplifying decision-making processes through clear visual representations of analysed data is invaluable – not only for decision-makers, but also for businesses to develop new solutions for a green economy, as well as for the general public to deepen their understanding of climate change," explains OHB Offer Manager Theresa Bohnet.

Baltic GTIF: Supporting the green transition in the Baltic Sea region

The Baltic GTIF project is focussing on the Baltic Sea region. "In a first step, solutions are to be developed for the pilot country Lithuania, which can be scaled up at a later date and adapted for the other Baltic states. The aim of the project is to develop cloud-based services that convert complex Earth observation data streams, including those provided by the Copernicus satellites, into practical and easily accessible information," explains OHB Project Manager Daro Krummrich. "This information will then be used to drive forward the green transition in Lithuania and the entire Baltic Sea region. This makes the project a great addition to our portfolio in the field of EO-based climate adaptation strategies."

With its varied landscapes and diverse climate, Lithuania is an ideal first partner for Baltic GTIF. The project will focus on four priority areas based on the needs and interests of Lithuania and its stakeholders. These include sustainable urban development, agricultural carbon balances, resilient food systems and adaptive forestry practices.

The contract for the project has now been signed, the total duration is 24 months.

In addition to OHB Digital Connect GmbH as the prime contractor, OHB Digital Services GmbH, the Lithuanian-based companies Coetus UAB and Geomatrix UAB, as well as the Austrian company EOX IT Services GmbH are involved in the implementation of the project as subcontractors.