A prototype of the SmartForest solution, ForEco, has been developed as a Smart Forest Ecological Management System. It provides ecosystem services to a wide range of stakeholders, including NGOs, government organizations, municipalities, agricultural and forestry companies, green economy enterprises, farmers, and research institutions.
ForEco functions as a Decision Support System that integrates various models to facilitate the adaptive management of forest ecosystems, ensuring their sustainable development and optimal utilization as a natural resource. The system leverages vast amounts of open data from international satellite initiatives such as GEO, GEOSS, and Copernicus to support decision-making processes.
A suite of water and carbon cycle models and forest simulation models will be developed, adapted, and implemented, including:
- Agrarian Dynamic Global Vegetation Models
- Plant Cover Models
- Forest Growth Models
Additionally, open data from specific sensor measurements will provide crucial insights into:
- Incident solar radiation and absorbed photosynthetic active radiation
- Net primary production and CO₂ utilization
- Nitrogen content in leaves
- Soil humidity levels
- Fluorescent signals from photosynthetic activity
These datasets will be derived from a combination of satellite and airborne observations, experimental ecosystem models, and in-situ photometric measurements.
ForEco builds upon the outcomes of the FP7 ELLIOT Project and incorporates advancements from four EC COST Program actions, reinforcing its foundation as an innovative and data-driven forest management solution.