APEx use case - SEF

ESA Stakeholder Engagement Facility

The Stakeholder Engagement Facility (SEF) project aims to enhance the uptake and long-term impact of ESA-funded Earth observation solutions, driven by International and European policies, by fostering continuous engagement with both new and existing stakeholders. The project establishes a structured approach to knowledge and capacity sharing, ensuring that engagement with existing stakeholders continues beyond individual project lifecycles.

The expected outcome is a sustainable stakeholder network, actively utilizing ESA-funded innovations. This is supported by targeted outreach, training, and knowledge-sharing tools, designed to maximize engagement.

Use case details

Project website
https://esa-sef.eu
APEX Services used

Algorithm Services Geospatial Explorer

Applications

Agriculture Atmosphere Biodiversity Climate Coastal Energy Forestry Marine Urban Vegetation

Project Request

To achieve its goal of building knowledge and capacity-sharing services, the SEF requires effective tools to enhance engagement and outreach activities. These tools play a crucial role in helping the SEF showcase project results and provide stakeholders with detailed insights into the capabilities and impact of project outcomes.

Key activities of the SEF include:

  • Visualizing project results to effectively communicate findings.
  • Providing training and guidance to stakeholders on how to utilize project outcomes in their own use cases.

To address these needs efficiently, the SEF aims to leverage existing tools wherever possible, ensuring a streamlined and effective approach to knowledge sharing and capacity building.

The SEF leverages APEx tools and expertise to strengthen stakeholder engagement and extend the impact of Earth observation projects.

Bram Janssen - Project Manager, VITO Remote Sensing
ESA Stakeholder Engagement Facility

Solution

  1. Step 1

    Analysis

    To effectively support the project, APEx first conducted an analysis, in close collaboration with the SEF, to understand its specific needs in relation to their project activities. The key requirement for APEx was to provide a suite of tools that could facilitate knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement. Throughout several discussions, the team identified three core areas requiring dedicated support:

    • Data Visualization – Presenting insights in an accessible and compelling way.
    • Data Analytics – Enabling deeper exploration and understanding of results.
    • Data Processing – Supporting the reuse of project outcomes in custom use cases.

  2. Step 2

    Implementation Approach

    Based on this analysis, APEx proposed instantiating the following components:

    To ensure effective use, APEx set up dedicated project environments tailored to SEF's key thematic areas. The first focus areas included Food Systems and Ecosystem and Biodiversity, each receiving its own project environment with specialized configurations.

  3. Step 3

    Execution

    Following the instantiation of the different project environments, APEx assisted SEF in configuring the tools to effectively showcase project results. For the Geospatial Explorer, this involved:

    With the aim to further refine the existing tools, APEx engaged in continuous feedback sessions with the SEF team to gather requirements for additional functionality. The results of these discussions were incorporated into the roadmaps of the respective tools. This user-driven approach ensures that tools evolve based on real-world needs.

  4. Step 4

    Outcome

    As a result of this collaboration, APEx successfully delivered:

    • Publicly accessible Geospatial Explorers for the Food Systems and Ecosystem Biodiversity themes, allowing stakeholders to explore project results in an interactive manner.
    • Dedicated JupyterHub environments, supporting SEF's training initiatives by enabling hands-on engagement with project data.

    These tools have significantly enhanced SEF's ability to engage stakeholders, enabling broader accessibility and increasing the impact of ESA-funded projects.
     



Gallery

APEx use case - SEF image viewer 1
APEx use case - SEF image viewer 2
APEx use case - SEF image viewer 3