Summary The aim of WEQUAL project (WEb service centre for QUALity multidimensional design and tele-operated monitoring of Green Infrastructures) is the development of a system that is able to support a quick environmental monitoring of riparian areas subjected to the realization of new green infrastructures (GI). The Wequal’s idea is to organize a service center able to manage both the Web Platform and the whole data collection and analysis processes. Through a personal account, the final user (designer, technician, researcher) can get access to the service and requires the evaluation of alternatives GI projects. On the Web Platform, a set of algorithms runs in order to calculate, through automatic procedures, all the ecological criteria required to evaluate a quality environmental index that describes the eco-morphological value of the monitored riparian areas. For this aim, the WEQUI index was developed, which uses 15 indicators that are easy to monitor. In this paper, the approach for environmental data collection and the procedures to perform the automatic assessment of two of the ecological criteria are described. For the computation, the implemented algorithms use data including the vegetation indexes, Digital Terrain Model (DTM), Digital Surface Model (DSM) and a 3D point cloud classification. All the raw data are collected by UAVs (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle) equipped with a 3D Lidar, multispectral camera and RGB camera. Interpreting all the raw data collected by these sensors, using a multi-attribute approach, the WEQUI index is assessed. The computed ecological index is then used to assess the riparian environmental quality at ex-ante and ex-post river stabilization works. This index, integrated with additional not-technical or not-ecological indicators such as investment required, maintenance costs or social acceptance, can be used in multicriteria analyses in order to evaluate the intervention from a wider point of view. The platform is expected to be attractive for GI designers and policy makers by providing a shared environment, which is able to integrate the method of detection and evaluation of complex indexes and a multidimensional evaluation supported by an expert guide.

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The aim of the WEQUAL project “WEb service centre for QUALity multidimensional design and tele-operated monitoring of Green Infrastructures”) is the development of a system able to support a quick environmental monitoring of watercourses where new hydraulic structures are intended to be built, encouraging the identification of design solutions supporting the diffusion of Green Infrastructures (GI). The WEQUAL’s idea is to organize a service centre where users (designer, technician, researcher) can access the service through a personal account and carry out an assessment of alternative GI projects. Through some automatic procedures, accessible via a suitable web platform, a set of algorithms may be applied to process raw data collected by an UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle) equipped with a 3D Lidar, multispectral camera and RGB camera, for the purpose of calculating the WEQUI Index. The WEQUI index is used to assesses the eco-morphological status of the monitored watercourse, taking advantage from data related to NDVI index, Digital Terrain Model (DTM), Digital Surface Model (DSM) and a 3D point cloud classification. The computed value of the WEQUI index may be used to assess the eco-morphological quality at ex-ante and ex-post river stabilization or protection intervention. The platform will provide a shared environment integrating indices calculations and environmental-parameters assessment for multidimensional evaluations.