The SPACE4Cities project is exploring new horizons by investigating how space technologies could benefit European city planners. The five highly innovative applications developed in the EU project, use European satellite data (Copernicus and Galileo) and AI to tackle challenges commonly recognised by cities – such as reducing traffic emissions, protecting cultural heritage sites, and monitoring the condition and changes of green spaces and public infrastructure, like bridges and roads.

The solutions will be awarded with development funding of €1,250,000 and the opportunity to pilot in real-life situations in fifteen European cities, including the project consortium cities – Amsterdam, Athens, Ghent, Guimarães and Helsinki – as well as ten replicator cities that will be selected by September 2026. 

“This is the first time the European city planners are able to pilot these space-based innovations. I believe that the solutions will bring radical improvements to the quality and efficiency of public services. There is a lot of potential for cost savings – as well as enhanced climate change preparedness”,  says the Project Coordinator, Renske Martijnse-Hartikka from the City of Helsinki innovation company, Forum Virium Helsinki.

The Winning Solutions

Three of the SPACE4Cities innovation competition winners are individual companies while two consist of a team of multiple companies. The winners come from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – the majority of them being companies are startups or SMEs.

• CHERISH is a satellite data solution designed by eOnsight for cultural heritage site monitoring, preventive maintenance and preservation. The pilot will explore how radar satellite data can be used to identify strain caused by the ground movement and take preventive maintenance actions for cultural heritage sites in Helsinki, Finland.
• CityMotion is a satellite data solution designed by Detektia for infrastructure monitoring and for identifying maintenance needs and early risks. The pilot will explore how radar satellite data and AI agents can be combined to identify strain caused by the ground motion to the Ghent (Belgium) city infrastructure and to identify preventive maintenance actions required.
• CLIMAPS is a satellite data solution designed by Latitudo 40, Planetek and Teamdev for mitigation of climate and other environmental risks and scenario modeling. The pilot aims to provide a periodically updated view on the climate and environmental conditions and insights on mitigating climate-related risks –such as floods and heat islands– in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. 
• DYNAMO-SM is a satellite data solution designed by Everimpact for traffic emissions and air quality monitoring and modeling. The pilot will explore how greenhouse gas emission sources can be tracked near real-time and possible emitters –such as the mode of transport– identified in Athens, Greece.
• VISTA is a satellite data solution designed by BitaGreen, Climate Scale and TreeSense for monitoring and maintenance of green spaces and improving climate resilience. The pilot taking place in Guimarães, Portugal aims to provide near real-time intelligence on vegetation health, required maintenance needs and analysis on the effects of maintenance actions taken – both in terms of economic and environmental impact.

The five innovations will additionally be piloted in ten other European cities by April 2027. After the piloting phase, the space-based solutions are expected to be ready for wider commercialisation.

Additional information:
Renske Martijnse-Hartikka
Project Coordinator, Senior EU Project Manager
Forum Virium Helsinki
+358 40 683 7979
renske.martijnse-hartikka@forumvirium.fi

SPACE4Cities, funded by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) via the Horizon Europe innovation programme, aims to harness European satellite data to solve urban challenges and create more sustainable urban environments. The project is implemented by Forum Virium Helsinki, City of Amsterdam, Municipality of Guimarães, the Regional Development Fund of Attica, District09, Open & Agile Smart Cities network (OASC), and Aerospace Valley.