What’s new on the DestinE Platform
The DestinE Platform is continuously evolving and introducing new services designed to support users across a wide range of topics. In the past few weeks, four new services have been added – GFTS, Urban Square, DESIDE, and DT-HEAT – all now freely available to explore.
Tracking fish movement with GFTS
Reconstructing fish tracks has been challenging. Scientists with biologging data (gathered using tags attached to animals to record aspects of their behaviour, physiology or environment) typically have to run models on their own machines, relying on massive ocean temperature datasets and computing power. This is resource-intensive and requires considerable technical expertise.
The Global Fish Tracking Service (GFTS) removes these barriers. It provides a cloud-based environment where biologging data can be uploaded, processed and visualised. Users can import their own biologging data, generate individual tracks or group-level habitat maps, and overlay them with high-resolution environmental data. GFTS also integrates insights from the DestinE Climate Adaptation Digital Twin, allowing simulations of fish movement until 2040.
GFTS interface displaying sea bass data across the French Atlantic coast
Urban Square: future-proofing cities
Cities are on the frontline of climate change. They face growing risks from extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding and rising seas. Yet for many decision-makers, turning scientific data into practical insights is challenging. Datasets can be complex, siloed and difficult to interpret, making it hard to plan with confidence.
The Urban Square service tackles this challenge, providing models and user-friendly dashboards to explore key urban risks: air pollution, urban heat, river flooding, sea level rise and (soon) infrastructure vulnerability.
Users can also model urban risks under different climate and policy futures – from optimistic to high-emission scenarios – choosing confidence levels that reflect real-world uncertainty. Within the service, the pilot cities are Toulouse (France), Sofia, and Suhindol (Bulgaria). The goal is to make this approach scalable to any urban area worldwide.
Please note that the air pollution and heat modules are currently accessible only to users with upgraded access. The river flood and infrastructure modules are under development and will be available soon.
Polar operations with DESIDE
Operating in polar waters presents unique challenges, from rapidly changing sea ice conditions and serious safety risks to the potential for disrupting local ecosystems. DESIDE helps users visualise these risks in an interactive dashboard.
Users can integrate datasets on icebergs, sea ice, waves, wind, and more, select a region of interest, and generate time-series graphs. They can also combine historical records and multiple climate models to show past trends and future projections of sea ice extent. These visualisations make it easier to see how conditions are shifting over time and under different climate scenarios.
DESIDE interface displaying sea ice data across the North Atlantic ocean
Assessing heat mortality with DT-HEAT+
Heatwaves are one of the deadliest climate-related hazards. However, heat-related deaths are frequently under-reported or misunderstood, leaving cities underprepared for their full impact. DT-HEAT+ tackles this challenge by making heat-related mortality visible and measurable.
DT-HEAT+ integrates multiple data streams – meteorological forecasts, reanalysis data and historical mortality records – into estimations of deaths attributable to extreme heat. Users can select from the cities currently available (Athens, Prague, London and Bucharest), view current forecasts and risk levels under the ‘now’ tab, and explore historical context under ‘last five years’.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be adding new services to the DestinE PlatformSelf-standing DestinE system component, interfacing with the More, sharing a series of articles introducing the people behind DestinE and providing step-by-step guides to help you make the most of its components. Subscribe to the DestinE newsletter to stay updated on these and other developments.