SPATRA Project - Second Issue of the Newsletter
Abstract
This document is the second issue of the SPATRA Project Newsletter, covering progress made during the 18-month period of the project. SPATRA (Space-Based Applications for Transport Monitoring and Management) develops satellite-enabled, AI-supported tools for improving monitoring and resilience in European road and rail transport systems. This edition summarises key scientific outputs and technical developments achieved in the period. It highlights two major research contributions: a comprehensive review on the use of Earth Observation data for railway infrastructure monitoring, and a publication presenting an AI-driven approach for estimating rail buckling risk from satellite-derived temperature data. The newsletter also references SPATRA’s work on integrating satellite and climate-related insights into broader transport resilience strategies. Project-level activities are included as well, such as the First Review Meeting in Bremen, where partners presented results from the first 12 months and outlined the upcoming work plan. Knowledge-sharing efforts during this period are also featured, including webinars on IoT applications for road transport and on the use of satellite data and machine learning for rail safety monitoring. The newsletter concludes by introducing the SPATRA Zenodo community, offering open access to publications, datasets, and materials produced during the 18-month phase of the project. This issue supports SPATRA’s ongoing commitment to transparent communication and wide dissemination of its research and technical outputs.