Rome, November 18 (Adnkronos/Labitalia) – Lazio Open School, one of the stages of the national project “Ismea copernicus open school for the Pac network”, will start on November 20 at the Arpa Lazio headquarters in via Saredo. The event will be attended by the president of the Lazio Region Francesco Rocca and member of the Budget, Economic Planning, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty council of the Lazio Region Giancarlo Righini; In closing, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Francesco Lollobrigida will convey greetings. This initiative represents an educational, information and training pathway dedicated to the use of the European Copernicus Earth Observation Program and its services, to support increasingly innovative and sustainable agriculture connected to knowledge and innovation systems in agriculture (Akis).
Organized by Ismea, as part of the Pac Network Program 2025-2027 coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Lazio Open School was made possible thanks to a major institutional collaboration and scientific partnership involving the Regional Management Authority of Lazio, Arsial, Arpa Lazio, the national coordination of the Copernicus Academy, the State Innovation General, the university ‘La Sapienza’ in Rome and ‘Tor Vergata’, the university of Tuscia, Ispra, Crea and Agea. The specific aim of the Lazio edition of the Open School, entitled ‘Earth observations for the management of rural areas and agricultural risks related to water scarcity’, is to raise awareness and train operators, students, consultants and technicians on the integrated use of satellite technology, geoinformation data and ICT tools for the sustainable management of agricultural and environmental resources.
This knowledge, more than ever, now represents added value for the management and protection of the environment by agricultural enterprises and for the modernization of agriculture, which is the aim of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), not only in relation to the disbursement of contributions, but also for their subsequent control. Open School Lazio will take place over four days: 20-21 and 27-28 November 2025 and will offer participants: training sessions on the basics of earth observation, geoinformation and ICT, with a focus on open data and open sources; practical demonstrations and training in the use of data and services provided openly and free of charge by Copernicus and which are developed in an integrative and targeted manner by several SMEs or administrations; final contest, in which students, guided by expert tutors, will be asked to tackle real consulting problems using the acquired skills.
The inauguration day will also be attended by representatives of national and regional institutions, including: Livio Proietti, president of Ismea, Sergio Marchi, general director of Ismea, Tommaso Aureli, general director of Arpa Lazio, Massimiliano Raffa, president of Arsial; Roberto Aleandri, regional direction director for agriculture and food sovereignty of the Lazio Region, Andrea Rocchi, president of Crea and Francesco Sofia, director of management, development and security of Agea information systems.
Copernicus is the European Union’s Earth observation program, managed by the European Commission in collaboration with Member States, which provides environmental services and data based on satellite observations and in situ measurements. This information, which can be freely accessed by everyone, supports institutions, businesses and society in monitoring the environment, managing natural resources and sustainable development. To spread knowledge and use of Copernicus data, the Copernicus Academy was born in 2016, a European network involving universities, research institutes and training institutions, with the aim of promoting skills and awareness of Earth Observation and its application in various sectors – from agriculture to social sciences.
Since 2021, Ismea has officially become part of the Copernicus Academy network, with the task of increasing the potential of satellite data for the agricultural and rural world. In this context, the Copernicus Ismea Open School represents a network model that encourages collaboration between public bodies, universities, research centers, regional organizations and companies with specific Copernicus expertise. In April this year Ismea, as the institutional representative of the agricultural sector in the European network of Copernicus Academies, took part in the General Assembly of the EU space network, an annual event promoted by the EU Commission that brings together network members who contribute to making the European space program known at a global level.
