RIVO

Idea

RIVO (Riparian Vegetation Observer) is a satellite-based monitoring solution designed to detect and manage vegetation overgrowth in river basins in order to reduce flood risk and associated damage.

Currently, uncontrolled proliferation of vegetation and invasive species leads to riverbed obstruction, increasing both the likelihood and impact of floods. Existing solutions rely heavily on on-site inspections and generalized cleaning campaigns, which are time-consuming, costly, and inefficient.

RIVO leverages satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques to monitor vegetation health and growth in riparian areas. By analyzing indices such as NDVI and NDMI, the system detects invasive species and abnormal vegetation overgrowth in near real-time.

This enables river basin authorities and local administrations to identify high-risk areas early, prioritize interventions, and optimize maintenance operations, ultimately reducing flood risk and improving resource allocation.

EU Space Technologies

RIVO is based on the use of Earth Observation data from Copernicus.

The solution uses:

• Sentinel 2 infrared and red edge data
• Modified NDVI index to assess vegetation health
• Temporal analysis to detect changes and abnormal growth patterns over time

These technologies provide large-scale, continuous, and cost-effective monitoring of river basins, which is not achievable through traditional on-site inspections.

By integrating satellite data with data analytics and machine learning models, RIVO transforms raw Earth observation data into actionable insights for flood prevention and environmental management.

EU Space for Water

RIVO addresses the challenge of disaster risk monitoring.

By enabling early detection of vegetation overgrowth and riverbed obstruction, the solution contributes to:

• Reducing flood risk and damage
• Improving river basin management
• Supporting more efficient allocation of public resources
• Enhancing environmental monitoring and ecosystem protection

Ultimately, RIVO helps shift from reactive flood response to proactive risk prevention, improving resilience to extreme weather events.

Team

Alex Brinkmann – Aerospace engineering student with a strong interest in propulsion systems and Earth observation technologies, with hands-on experience in aerospace projects.

Bernat Bartolomé – Artificial Intelligence engineering student with solid experience in autonomous surface reconnaissance algorithms and data-driven systems.

Èric Arnau – Design engineer with a strong background in aerospace systems, mechanical design, and a strategic business mindset.

Eric Fernández (team coordinator) – Aerospace engineering student with proven experience in team leadership and systems engineering, leading multidisciplinary technical projects.

Martí Mallol – Aerospace engineering student specialized in satellite systems and Earth observation, with expertise in vegetation indices and remote sensing analysis.