Italy’s Marine Protected Areas are about to enter a new phase of surveillance thanks to an advanced satellite-based system developed within a major PNRR project. e-GEOS—the company jointly owned by the Italian Space Agency and Telespazio (Leonardo Group)—is working with the Ministry of the Environment’s Directorate for Biodiversity and the Sea to build an integrated platform capable of monitoring coastal ecosystems around the clock.
The goal is ambitious: provide timely, precise information about vessel activity inside protected zones, complementing the work of the Coast Guard and enabling authorities to spot suspicious behaviour or rule violations more easily. Radar and optical satellite data from constellations such as COSMO-SkyMed are processed almost in real time and combined with AIS signals and radio-frequency detections.
At the heart of the system is SEonSE, the company’s analytics platform, which uses machine-learning algorithms to transform large data streams into actionable reports on vessel movements, density patterns and potential risks. The project covers every Marine Protected Area in the country - more than three thousand square kilometres of natural heritage.
Beyond tracking leisure boats and identifying overcrowded hotspots, the initiative also integrates meteorological and marine conditions such as wind and wave height, offering a clearer picture of how environmental factors influence maritime traffic. For Italy’s coastal ecosystems, it marks a significant technological leap toward more effective and sustainable protection.