Our planet is undergoing unprecedented climate change, and the Green Deal is the EU's reply to this challenge. Copernicus space data are part of the EU's strategy for sustainable development (SDGs) in Europe towards a more resilient society. However, new problem-solving expertise and soft skills are needed to unlock this European revolution's full potentials. This transdisciplinary doctoral course introduces the next generation of European professionals and researchers to Copernicus potentialities in many different fields. Becoming a leader in new value-added services and products for the citizens is fundamental for building a more green, resilient and inclusive society.

The course is organised into seminars, including both theoretical and practical/application topics. It is addressed to all Engineering, Architecture and Design students and does not require a prior background in Earth Observation.

The specific learning skills acquired by the students are:

• The general knowledge of the European Copernicus Programme and its relationship with the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Development Goals, and mitigation actions towards climate change;
• The multidisciplinary approach introduces students to the economic, technical, and social aspects of Copernicus in the light of the European strategy for a more green, resilient and inclusive society;
• The transdisciplinary applicability in many different fields of Engineering, Architecture and Design;
• The ability to contextualise the concepts and tools learned to their specific doctoral research;
• Teamwork attitude and creativity in preparing a presentation and a short video (communication skills).

Students will develop a small project on one of the course topics closely related to their doctoral research. They will also record a short video presentation about their project (10 minutes) and a set up a public Github repository containing the materials used and their results. Students will be allowed to work in small interdisciplinary groups to stimulate creativity, adaptability, and teamwork.

Teaching: Blended learning (in-person + Webex)

Date: first fortnight of February 2022
Lecture: Copernicus: the European paradigm for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (2h)
Description: this lecture introduces the European Copernicus initiative from its beginning till now, with a focus on the Copernicus data and services for the sustainable development.

Date: second fortnight of February 2022
Lecture: Space economy: an emerging business paradigm (2h)
Description: space economy is an emerging business paradigm. This lecture introduces the Space Economy paradigm from a strategic and entrepreneurial perspective, with cases of Space Economy startups.

Date: first fortnight of March 2022
Lecture: Copernicus Upstream: challenges and emerging technologies in the Earth Observation missions project life cycle (3h)
Description: this lecture introduces the engineering challenges that a space mission design and realization shall smartly face with particular attention to EO missions.

Date: second fortnight of March 2022
Lecture: Listening to the Earth: introduction to SAR Earth Observation (3h)
Description: Sentinel-1 constellation senses roughness, moisture, deformation and changes with millimetric accuracy. This lecture introduces the basis of image formation and a minilab with a live example of SAR interferometry.

Date: first fortnight of April 2022
Lecture: Seeing the colours of the invisible: introduction to multispectral Earth Observation (3h)
Description: this lecture introduces newcomers to Earth Observation in the optical domain. Theoretical aspects will be supplemented with real-world examples and online resources.

Date: second fortnight of April 2022
Lecture: Destination Earth (3h)
Description: this lecture introduces the concepts and strategy of Destination Earth and Digital Twin Earth. Additional topics are: Thematic Exploitation Platforms, Data and Information Accessing Services, and Google Earth Engine.

Date: first fortnight of May 2022
Lecture: Copernicus data and services at a glance (3h)
Description: this lecture introduces the available services and data platforms of the Copernicus ecosystem. Both access and use of the data tools and services will be showcased through simple hand-on exercises.

Date: second fortnight of May 2022
Lecture: Copernicus Emergency Management Service (2h)+ Social media information and emergency management (1h)
Description: these lectures introduce the Copernicus core service for emergency management and will be presented the techniques for extracting information from social media for getting evidence about emergency situations.

Date: first fortnight of June 2022
Lecture: Copernicus for United Nations Sustainable Developments Goals (2h)
Description: this lecture will make an overview on how Copernicus data, services and products can tackle different Sustainable Development Goals targets and indicators in a larger geospatial framework.

Date: second fortnight of June 2022
Lecture: Climate change and urban resilience (2h)
Description: this lecture will illustrate applications and the added value of Coprenicus data and services for urban resilience to climate change.