AquaBeacon

💎 Idea

AquaBeacon uses Sentinel 1 and 2 data and is a -based water-risk awareness prototype for municipalities and local resilience teams.

The system turns satellite evidence and environmental triggers into a simple, explainable Low / Medium / High water-risk signal. Instead of showing raw satellite layers only, AquaBeacon helps decision-makers understand what changed, why the risk level was assigned, and what should be checked next.

For the hackathon MVP, AquaBeacon combines:

- Sentinel-1 radar-change evidence for possible surface-water-change candidates

- Sentinel-2 NDVI vegetation-change indicators

- Sentinel-2 NDMI moisture-change indicators

- rainfall input

- historical AOI exposure

- Elevation maps

The output is a dashboard and decision-maker report showing the selected area, risk level, supporting evidence layers and readable reasons behind the Risk score e.g (Low , Medium, High). It also suggests users evacuation plans and route using the Elevation maps.

AquaBeacon is not a hydrological forecast model and does not claim confirmed flood extent. It is an early-awareness and decision-support prototype that helps translate Copernicus data into practical local risk insight.

🛰️ EU Space Technologies

AquaBeacon uses European space technology through the Copernicus programme and Sentinel missions.

The MVP uses Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data accessed through Copernicus/openEO workflows.

Sentinel-1 radar data is used to identify possible surface-water-change candidates by comparing before and after event windows. Sentinel-2 data is used to calculate vegetation and moisture-related indicators, including NDVI and NDMI, to provide environmental context around the selected area.

These satellite-derived layers are combined with rainfall input and historical AOI exposure to generate a transparent water-risk score and explanation.

This allows AquaBeacon to turn Earth observation data into a format that can be understood by municipalities, resilience teams, and other non-specialist decision-makers.

🌍 EU Space for Water

AquaBeacon addresses Challenge #3: Disaster Risk Monitoring.

Water-related risks are becoming harder to manage as communities face floods, drought, changing moisture conditions, and increasing pressure on local resilience systems. Many existing tools provide data, but local decision-makers still need clearer, faster, and more understandable risk awareness.

AquaBeacon supports disaster risk monitoring by combining Copernicus satellite evidence with simple rule-based scoring. The prototype shows how municipalities could receive an explainable water-risk signal for a selected area, supported by satellite evidence layers and a short decision-maker report.

The goal is not to replace official hydrological forecasts or emergency systems. The goal is to provide an additional early-awareness layer that helps local teams interpret satellite evidence more quickly and prepare better.

🤼 Team

Ali Ahmad — Backend / Technical Development / Team Owner  

Ali leads project coordination and contributes to backend development, integration, and overall technical delivery.

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Rizwana — Frontend/ Backend / Product lead / Business  strategy

Rizwana contributes to the frontend, backend, product direction, business framing, and user-facing presentation of the solution.

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János — Data Processing / Sentinel Analysis / Technical Development  

János focuses on the Copernicus/openEO data pipeline, Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 processing, NDVI/NDMI indicators, risk logic, and technical validation of the MVP.

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Xiao — Design / Visual Identity  

Xiao contributes to the visual identity, presentation design, and user-facing design direction of AquaBeacon.

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Csilla — Research / Testing / Support 

Csilla supports the team through research, testing, coordination, and review of related solutions and project assumptions.