Environmental depletion, the rise in the number of natural disasters and their link to climate change are among the most increasingly relevant scientific and social issues worldwide. New state-of-the-art sensor technologies applicable to vast geographical areas (Internet of Things) and the ability to gather and elaborate big data may innovatively contribute to facing the criticalities and challenges linked to these research areas.

Spoke 5 relies on the participation of important industrial partners and sets out to develop methodologies to monitor manmade physical structures (buildings, roads, etc.) and natural environments (waterways, slopes, etc.) that can mitigate the risks linked to their depletion. The remarkable computing abilities of the National Centre will be put to use to develop the so-called “digital twins”, i.e., virtual models of environments and infrastructures to be examined in order to predict their behaviour in relation to natural disasters or the evolution of environmental conditions.

Spoke 5 rallies together a group of highly multidisciplinary researchers, with expertise ranging from basic research in mathematics and physics to specialities in advanced computing, and as far as research in earth sciences, as well as civil and geo-environmental engineering. Ultimately, Spoke 5 is committed to translating research results into clear indicators of economic impact to develop and propose environmental monitoring solutions that have a positive impact on civil society as a whole.