| Short description GeoNetSee is an AI/IoT-based project aimed at creating a geosensor network for real-time monitoring of unstable terrain and artificial structures in the Danube Region. Central to this effort is the creation of the Danube Collaborative Center (DCC) – a digital platform that connects researchers, geodetic engineers, public authorities, and decision-makers, providing real-time data for precise measurements, infrastructure monitoring, and risk assessment. The DCC will act as a hub for cross-border collaboration, fostering knowledge exchange and supporting coordinated responses to geohazards. The project also includes pilot actions in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro, which will demonstrate the effectiveness of real-time geodetic monitoring, generate valuable data for risk management, and showcase scalable solutions for the broader Danube Region, helping to bridge the innovation level gap and promote a smarter, more resilient future. Objectives The GeoNetSee project aims to address critical challenges related to terrain instability and disaster resilience in the Danube Region through a comprehensive approach that integrates technology, collaboration, and community engagement. The main objectives include: Enhancing and Homogenizing Innovation Levels: Develop a strategy to reduce the innovation level gap across the Danube Region, fostering the uptake of advanced AI, IoT, and GNSS technologies for real-time geodetic monitoring. Systematic Real-Time Monitoring: Establish a robust GeoNetSee system for the continuous monitoring, collection, and analysis of geospatial data on observed instabilities, significantly improving the planning and implementation of rescue and protection measures. Creating the DCC: Build a digital platform that connects researchers, engineers, public authorities, and decision-makers across the region, facilitating knowledge exchange, data sharing, and joint problem-solving, while supporting cross-border collaboration. Strengthening Disaster Preparedness: Enhance the coordination and preparedness of rescue and protection systems by promoting organized, data-driven action for disaster risk reduction, and increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure. Raising Public Awareness and Preparedness: Provide citizens and local communities with timely information on potential landslides, rockfalls, and other geohazards, supporting the development of municipal plans for prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. Implementing Pilot Actions: Deploy real-time geodetic monitoring systems in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Montenegro, providing critical data for risk management, mitigation, and infrastructure protection. Transnational Collaboration and Regional Impact: Foster collaboration across the Danube Region by integrating data from multiple countries, ensuring seamless cross-border communication, and promoting the joint development of innovative technologies for geohazard monitoring. This will strengthen regional resilience, support coordinated disaster response, and contribute to the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the entire Danube area. Needs and (expected) impact The GeoNetSee project addresses a critical need for real-time monitoring of unstable terrain and artificial structures in the Danube Region, where frequent geohazards, aging infrastructure, and climate change pose significant risks to human life, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. These challenges are intensified by the complex geodynamics of the Eurasian tectonic plate and often fragmented nature of existing monitoring systems. Need: Regional Resilience: Many areas in the Danube Region are exposed to frequent landslides, slope failures, and infrastructure instability, requiring timely and accurate monitoring to reduce disaster risks. Innovation Gap: There is a significant gap in the uptake of advanced geodetic monitoring technologies across the region, limiting the ability to detect and respond to early signs of terrain instability. Cross-Border Collaboration: Given the transboundary nature of many geohazards, there is a need for coordinated, cross-border data collection and analysis to ensure effective regional risk management. Knowledge Exchange: The region lacks a centralized platform for sharing data, best practices, and research findings, hindering innovation and collaborative problem-solving. Expected Impact: Improved Disaster Resilience: The project will provide real-time monitoring data, enabling faster response to ground movements, reducing risks to infrastructure, and potentially saving lives. Reduced Innovation Gap: By fostering technology transfer and training through the DCC, the project will help bridge the innovation level gap across the region. Policy Influence: GeoNetSee will support evidence-based policymaking, providing critical data for infrastructure planning, disaster management, and climate adaptation. Long-Term Sustainability: The DCC will act as a lasting digital hub for regional collaboration, ensuring the long-term impact of the project beyond its duration, for at least 5 years after the project ends. Scalable Solutions: Main Pilot deployments in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovin will demonstrate the feasibility of the GeoNetSee system, providing scalable solutions that can be replicated across other regions facing similar challenges. Environmental and Societal Benefits: By reducing the risk of catastrophic failures and improving early warning systems, the project supports sustainable development and aligns with key EU goals, including SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Macro-regional dimension GeoNetSee is firmly anchored within the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), addressing shared geohazards and infrastructure challenges through a coordinated, transnational approach. The project involves 14 partners across 9 countries: Serbia, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Austria, Montenegro, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Croatia, creating a comprehensive network for real-time geosensor data collection and analysis. Central to this collaboration is the DCC, a digital hub that transcends political boundaries, facilitating data sharing, knowledge exchange, and joint problem-solving. This platform connects a diverse group of stakeholders, including universities, research institutes, public authorities, and private sector partners, enabling efficient vertical and horizontal communication for effective risk management and disaster prevention. Associated Strategic Partners play an important role in this framework, providing local expertise, technical support, and access to critical infrastructure for pilot actions. They bring diverse competencies, including disaster response coordination, geospatial data management, infrastructure monitoring, sensor integration, and emergency planning. These organizations also facilitate stakeholder engagement, policy alignment, and the practical application of project results, ensuring that GeoNetSee solutions are effectively adapted to local conditions and have a lasting impact across the Danube Region. By integrating with the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), the project further extends its reach, contributing to a unified European framework for geoscientific monitoring. This interconnected approach ensures that the Danube Region is part of a larger, resilient network for data-driven decision-making and long-term sustainability. Additionally, the project’s pilot actions serve as demonstration sites for scalable, region-specific solutions, providing real-world validation and encouraging the broader uptake of innovative technologies across the entire Danube Region and beyond. Stakeholders involved The GeoNetSee project brings together a diverse network of stakeholders, reflecting the complex, cross-disciplinary nature of geohazard monitoring and risk management. The project consortium consists of 14 core project partners from 9 countries, including leading universities, research institutes, public authorities, and private sector innovators. These partners include the University of Belgrade (Serbia), Geological Institute of Romania (Romania), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), Geosolutions Ltd. (Serbia), Geological Survey of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia & Herzegovina), International Burch University (Bosnia & Herzegovina), SURVIOT Monitoring Ltd. (Hungary), Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), nast consulting ZT GmbH (Austria), University of Montenegro (Montenegro), MoDrone Ltd. (Montenegro), VSB-Technical University of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Geological Survey of Slovenia (Slovenia), and Croatian Geological Survey (Croatia). Supporting this core group are 12 Associated Strategic Partners, which play a critical role in providing local expertise, infrastructure support, and stakeholder connections essential for successful pilot actions and regional dissemination. These ASPs include the Directorate for Emergency Situations (Serbia), Romanian Space Agency (Romania), Public Water Management (Serbia), Traffic Institute CIP (Serbia), Federal Administration for Geodetic and Property Affairs (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Hungarian Public Roads (Hungary), Hungarian State Railway (Hungary), Rescue and Protection Directorate (Montenegro), Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center Tehnopolis (Montenegro), Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning (Slovenia), Microrisc (Czech Republic), and the Disaster Competence Network Austria (Austria). In addition to these key partners, the project engages a broader community of stakeholders, including sectoral agencies, national and local public authorities, infrastructure service providers, SMEs, higher education and research centers, and the general public. These groups will benefit from the project’s outcomes, including improved safety, risk management, and regional resilience, while also contributing to the long-term sustainability of the GeoNetSee platform. Target groups for the project’s outputs include policymakers, public administrations, businesses, and transnational groups involved in risk management, who will access project data through the DCC, ensuring that project impacts extend well beyond the initial pilot sites. Duration 30 months Contact person Prof. dr Vladimir Rajović |
