Satellite monitoring system of subalpine lakes with open source software: The case of SIMILE project

SIMILE Project has the aim of supporting the definition of management policies and the operational decisions for the insubric Lakes through an innovative information system based on data from an integrated monitoring system, consisting of remote sensing of water quality parameters of the lakes with latest generation satellite images, buoys equipped with sensors for the continuous detection of limnological and meteorological parameters within the lakes and in the use of additional data on water quality that will be collected through citizen science. Maggiore, Lugano and Como are the lakes involved in the project. This paper presents the satellite monitoring system implemented for the project, based on open data and GIS tools, together with the results obtained in the first 18 months of activities.