Problems of Lake Sevan analyzed as part of PONTOS program

YEREVAN, October 12. /ARKA/. The PONTOS program, designed to strengthen cross-border cooperation in the countries of the Black Sea region and beyond and to improve the environmental monitoring is ending December 31, 2022.

The objectives of program that was started on July 1, 2020 with a total budget of almost 1 million euros is to help the involved countries develop technological infrastructure, create online services by using the Copernicus system data of the European Space Agency and its Earth monitoring program, as well as to encourage the involvement of local and regional players in the improvement of the PONTOS platform.

Based on the data and services of the Copernicus system, an online services platform is created, which will be available to a number of local, national and regional beneficiaries.

To confront the challenge in the region, digital mapping, information-geographic and field data collection, research and analysis, including sea and lake coastal areas and agriculture, water management and trade in Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine and Greece are carried out on the basis of satellite data and services.

The main outputs of the program are the creation and launch of the PONTOS platform, a study of the environmental problems of the pilot areas using satellite data.

The pilot areas of the program include Lake Sevan and its watershed in Armenia; the entire coast and the Colchis Depression in Georgia; the Nestos River, its delta and the nearby coastal zone in Greece; the delta from the city of Odessa to the Danube River, the Dniester River delta area and beaches of the nearby estuary, recreation areas in Ukraine.

Funding is provided by the 2014-2022 Black Sea Basin Cross-Border Cooperation Program of the European Neighborhood Instrument. -0-