1. SENSOR: Sustainability Impact Assessment: Tools for Environmental, Social and Economic Effects of Multifunctional Land Use in European Regions http://www.sensor-ip.org

The technical objective of SENSOR is to build, validate and implement sustainability impact assessment tools (SIAT), including databases and spatial reference frameworks for the analysis of land and human resources in the context of agricultural, regional and environmental policies. The scientific challenge is to establish relationships between different environmental and socio-economic processes as characterised by indicators considered to be quantitative measures of sustainability. Scenario techniques will be used within an integrated modelling framework, reflecting various aspects of multifunctionality and their interactions. SENSOR will deliver novel solutions for integrated modelling, spatial and temporal scaling and aggregation of data, selection of indicators, database management, analysis and prediction of trends, education and implementation.

SENSOR updates

SENSOR Project Meeting: first previews on future tools,Malta, October 2-5, 2005

By Dirk Wascher, Alterra WUR

SENSOR partner Marguerite Camilleri from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority was host and organiser of the third integrative SENSOR project meeting at the beginning of this month. After the kick-off meeting in Florence (December 2004) and the Module-Cluster Meeting in Warsaw (April 2005), and following a series of targeted smaller workshops throughout the year, expectations among partners, European Commission officials and external observers had clearly risen. After all, Alterra and ZALF have been collaborating intensively since early this year to develop a first demo-version of the Sustainability Impact Assessment Tool (SIAT), the colleagues from Forest Research (Farnham, UK) had gained insight from end user meetings at various levels of the Commission and virtually all modules had contributed to the development of a test run on renewable energy. And last but not least, paying a visit to the new EU Member State and sensitive area case study location Malta at the beginning of October, promised to be both a rare opportunity and an exceptionally special treat for most of SENSOR’s travel-proven partners.

At the end of the meeting, the overall echo was ‘extremely positive’ – to make use of the stimulating formulation coined by SENSOR coordinator ZALF. This accounts especially for the string of new demo versions for SIAT (Peter Verweij, Alterra), the grid-cell land use modeling tool CLUE-s (Koen Overmars, Wageningen University), the Spatial Reference Framework approach (Thomas Wrbka, University of Vienna) and the Digital Policy Information System DPIS (Arend Ligtenberg, Alterra). Besides these visible products, progress was also reached in the methodological approach for indicators (Module 5) and stakeholder contacts for the pilot case study area ‘Eisenwurzen’ in Austria (Module 6).

And with regard to Malta itself, the island excursion during the first day provided participants with an early and very pleasant taste of Maltese hospitality, food, culture, climate, life style and sustainability issues. This experience plus a special Malta work session organised by MEPA served as stimulating input to the intensity of the following three meeting days.
The next meeting will be in April 2006 in Bratislava.

Abstract (shortened)

The technical objective of SENSOR is to build, validate and implement sustainability impact assessment tools (SIAT), including databases and spatial reference frameworks for the analysis of land and human resources in the context of agricultural, regional and environmental policies. The scientific challenge is to establish relationships between different environmental and socio-economic processes as characterised by indicators considered to be quantitative measures of sustainability. Scenario techniques will be used within an integrated modeling framework, reflecting various aspects of multifunctionality and their interactions. The focus will be on European sensitive regions, particularly those in accession countries, since accession poses significant questions for policy makers regarding the socio-economic and environmental effect of existing and proposed land use policies. [….] SIAT will be made available to decision makers at the European and regional level, providing user-friendly interfaces and scientifically sound procedures for the assessment of environmental and monetary responses of policy options. Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis of policy implementation will be an integral part of the SIAT’s functions.