UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA (DISAT)
The Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences (DISAT) of the University of Milano-Bicocca was established in 2012 through the merger of the Departments of Environmental Sciences and Geological Sciences, with the aim of developing a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the environment and climate change. DISAT employs a staff of more than 70 professors and researchers and 20 technicians, and collaborates with numerous national and international universities and research institutes. DISAT offers interdisciplinary studies at the bachelor and master levels, including the master’s program in Geological Sciences and Geotechnologies (with curricula in Marine Geology and Georisk & Climate Change) and the international master’s degree in Marine Sciences, where the research group involved in the project teaches courses related to marine geomorphology, seafloor and benthic habitat mapping, and applied marine geology. DISAT provides a variety of analytical services for environmental monitoring. Its staff and laboratories (some of which are recognized as European-level excellences) conduct high-profile consulting activities for national and international institutions and contribute to the training and continuous education of professionals working in the environmental sciences.
The research group involved in this proposal has solid and well-documented expertise in geological/geomorphological exploration and characterization and in mapping the underwater environment (using acoustic geophysical instruments such as multibeam echosounders, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom seismic systems) for environmental and resource assessment, geomorphological risk management, and the study of the response of submerged landscapes—including habitats—to ongoing climatic and environmental changes.
Main activities include:
Implementation of semi-automatic (i.e., supervised) classification techniques for digital images based on textural analysis principles, and the application of computational methods such as Deep Learning and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) to promote the development of quantitative analyses of data acquired in underwater environments.
Application of geomorphometric analysis techniques aimed at the recognition and semi-automatic mapping of landforms in submerged environments and at the predictive mapping of benthic habitat distribution on continental shelf and slope areas.
Application of photogrammetry principles through the use of the Structure from Motion algorithm to generate high-precision photorealistic 3D models from images acquired with underwater cameras or drone-mounted cameras for geomorphological and environmental surveying of submerged areas.
Role of UNIMI
- Analysis, quantitative characterization, and segmentation of morpho-acoustic facies in Side Scan Sonar photomosaics using dedicated software based on textural analysis principles and techniques such as Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA).
- Collaboration in identifying areas potentially suitable for transplantation operations and producing precise metric surveys using underwater photogrammetry techniques to generate multi-scale models of the study areas.
