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PIONEER is a European network of excellence for big data in prostate cancer consisting of 37 private and public stakeholders from 9 countries across Europe. Many progresses have been done in prostate cancer management, but unanswered questions in the field still exist, and big data could help to answer these questions. The PIONEER consortium conducted a two-round modified Delphi survey aiming at building consensus between two stakeholder groups — health-care professionals and patients with prostate cancer — about the most important questions in the field of prostate cancer to be answered using big data. Respondents were asked to consider what would be the effect of answering the proposed questions on improving diagnosis and treatment outcomes for patients with prostate cancer and to score these questions on a scale of 1 (not important) to 9 (critically important). The mean percentage of participants who scored each of the proposed questions as critically important was calculated across the two stakeholder groups and used to rank the questions and identify the highest scoring questions in the critically important category. The identification of questions in prostate cancer that are important to various stakeholders will help the PIONEER consortium to provide answers to these questions to improve the clinical care of patients with prostate cancer.

I ghiacciai montani sono importanti fonti di dati paleoclimatici, essenziali allo studio dei cambiamenti climatici e ambientali. L'aumento della fusione dei ghiacciai sta portando alla perdita di preziose informazioni utili a predire l’evoluzione del clima. In questo contesto, è fondamentale definire le linee guida e creare mappe per l’identificazione delle aree idonee ad essere perforate. Nel primo anno di dottorato, ho definito l’idoneità di un ghiacciaio alla perforazione (SICD) come la probabilità di estrarre un campione di ghiaccio che possiede una stratigrafia ben conservata, utile alla ricostruzione del clima del passato. Le varabili ambientali introdotte nel modello, relazionate con la perforabilità, sono state selezionate in accordo alle perforazioni già effettuate, e alla letteratura scientifica, considerando l’opinione degli esperti. Due modelli spaziali sono stati sviluppati: il promo basato sulla conoscenza di esperti, il secondo di tipo probabilistico. Le variabili scelte (pendenza, rilievo locale, temperatura, radiazione solare diretta) sono state così combinate al fine di mappare le aree potenzialmente perforabili presenti nelle Alpi e in Asia. L’accuratezza del modello è stata valutata e sono state indicati i siti più idonei ad essere perforati. La ricerca ha permesso di fornire preziose informazioni utili alla scelta dei prossimi siti di perforazione. Nel secondo anno di dottorato un Sistema Aeromobile a Pilotaggio Remoto (SAPR) è stato sviluppato per acquisire misure spettrali durante campagne di spettroscopia di campo. Il sistema, nominato HyUAV, è basato su una piattaforma APR equipaggiata con uno spettrometro e una camera RGB. HyUAV è in grado di acquisire simultaneamente dati iperspettrali (350-1000 nm, 1.5 nm di risoluzione spettrale) della radiazione riflessa dalla Terra e immagini RGB. Un’ottica specifica (EOR) è stata sviluppata al fine di ottimizzare il campo di vista dello spettrometro e di misurare il segnale di Durk Current durante il volo. Le performance geometriche, radiometriche e spettrali del sistema sono state caratterizzate attraverso alcuni test di laboratorio ed è stata valutata l’accuratezza e la precisione dei dati iperspettrali raccolti attraverso un test di volo. Due metodi per la stima della riflettanza da UAV sono stati proposti e discussi. I risultati raggiunti mostrano: i) un’ottima stabilità del sistema (in termini geometrici, radiometrici e spettrali); ii) misure spettrali accurate (sia in termini di radianza che di riflettanza); iii) risultati simili tra i due metodi di stima della riflettanza. Lo studio ha dimostrato che il sistema HyUAV può essere considerato affidabile al fine di supportare indagini di spettroscopia di campo e promettente per un'ampia gamma di applicazioni ambientali. La spettroscopia ad immagine è una tecnica efficace che fornisce importanti informazioni per la caratterizzazione delle proprietà ottica delle superfici a scala spaziale di dettaglio. Applicata all’analisi delle carote di ghiaccio, essa può essere considerata una tecnica innovativa utile a migliorare la conoscenza dei cambiamenti climatici. Durante il terzo anno di dottorato, ho sviluppato un sistema automatico per acquisire immagini iperspettrali (HYCE) in camera fredda. Il sistema è composto da una un motore lineare ad alta precisione spaziale, il quale trasporta uno spettrometro iperspettrale ad immagine (Headwall Photonics VINR, 380-1000 nm, 2-3 nm di risoluzione spettrale, 1004 pixels spaziali) e una lampada alogena dedicata. Test di laboratorio sono stati effettuati al fine di valutare le componenti del sistema. Le prime immagini iperspettrali di una carota di ghiaccio sono state acquisite in camera fredda ed analizzate. In particolare è stato calcolato lo Snow Darkening Index (SDI) ed è stata verificare la sua applicabilità per la stima delle concentrazione di deposizioni atmosferiche minerarie nelle carote di ghiaccio. Mountain glaciers and non-polar ice cores are very detailed sources of paleo-proxy data essential to achieve a complete overview of climate and environmental change. The increase in the glaciers melting leads to a loss of information, affecting the possibility to predict the climate evolution. In this context, is important to define a set of guidelines and create dedicated maps to identify suitable glaciers for ice core drilling. In the first year of the research, the Suitability for Ice Core Drilling (SICD) was defined as the likelihood of drilling a glacier to retrieve an ice core with preserved stratigraphic information that allows the reconstruction of historical climate conditions. Environmental variables related to the SICD were selected on the basis of previously drilled sites, according to available scientific literature and on the base of glaciologists opinions. A quantitative Weight of Evidence method was implemented and key variables (slope, local relief, temperature and direct solar radiation) are combined to map the potential drilling sites in the European Alps and in the Asian High Mountain glaciers. Accuracy is evaluated and first indications of potential drilling sites are reviewed. Results are valuable for future selection of potential drilling sites of mountain glacier. In the second year of the PhD, a light UAV for collecting spectral measurements was developed in support of field spectroscopy surveys. The system, namely HyUAV, is based on a four-rotors platform with hovering capability, equipped with a non-imaging spectrometer and a RGB camera. The HyUAV collects simultaneously hyperspectral data (350-1000 nm, ~1.5 nm spectral resolution) of Earth reflected radiance and RGB images. The Entrance Optics Receptor (EOR) was specifically developed to optimize the spectrometer field of view and to collect in-flight dark current. The geometric, radiometric and spectral performances of the system were characterized through dedicated laboratory tests. Then, the accuracy of the hyperspectral data were evaluated during flight tests, comparing spectral data collected from HyUAV with ground-based measurements. Two methods to estimate surface reflectance from HyUAV were investigated and discussed, with the aim of providing further suggestions for an accurate retrieval of surface reflectance. The results achieved shown: i) good systems stability of the system (in terms of geometric, radiometric and spectral features); ii) accurate spectra measurements (in terms of radiance and reflectance); iii) similar results for the delineated methods to calculate reflectance. The HyUAV demonstrated to be a reliability systems for supporting field spectroscopy surveys and a promising platform for a wide range of environmental applications. Imaging spectroscopy is a powerful technique that provides insights information, with the aim to investigate spectral features, related to surfaces properties and materials composition, at very detailed spatial resolution. Applied to ice cores analysis hyperspectral imaging, it can be considered an innovative technique, that could provide valuable information improving the understanding of climate change. During the third year of PhD, a fully automated Hyperspectral systems for Imaging Ice core (HyIICE) was developed in a cold-room environment. The HyIICE is composed by an high-precision linear stage, which embeds a imaging hyperspectral sensor (Headwall Photonics VINR spectrometer, 380-1000 nm, 2-3 nm spectral resolution, 1004 spatial pixels) and a dedicated stable halogen light source. Several tests were performed on the system to evaluate the components and verify the efficiency in cold environments. First hyperspectral imaging of ice cores were collected in order to inspecting the potential of hyperspectral imaging for the quantitative estimation of parameters related to past atmospheric and climate conditions.

In this paper, we evaluate the impact of mineral dust (MD) on snow radiative properties in the European Alps at ground, aerial, and satellite scale. A field survey was conducted to acquire snow spectral reflectance measurements with an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) Field Spec Pro spectroradiometer. Surface snow samples were analyzed to determine the concentration and size distribution of MD in each sample. An overflight of a four-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with an RGB digital camera sensor was carried out during the field operations. Finally, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data covering the central European Alps were analyzed. Observed reflectance evidenced that MD strongly reduced the spectral reflectance of snow, in particular, from 350 to 600 nm. Reflectance was compared with that simulated by parameterizing the Snow, Ice, and Aerosol Radiation radiative transfer model. We defined a novel spectral index, the Snow Darkening Index (SDI), that combines different wavelengths showing nonlinear correlation with measured MD concentrations (R2 = 0.87, root-mean-square error = 0.037). We also estimated a positive instantaneous radiative forcing that reaches values up to 153 W/m2 for the most concentrated sampling area. SDI maps at local scale were produced using the UAV data, while regional SDI maps were generated with OLI data. These maps show the spatial distribution of MD in snow after a natural deposition from the Saharan desert. Such postdepositional experimental data are fundamental for validating radiative transfer models and global climate models that simulate the impact of MD on snow radiative properties.

The objective of the present contribution concerns the development and preliminary testing of a novel UAV-based non-imaging hyperspectral system (HYUAV) for collecting near range Earth reflected radiance in the VNIR domain coupled with RGB images. The optical payload comprises the Ocean Optics spectrometer which features a 1.5 nm FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) covering the 350 to 1000 nm spectral range and the RGB camera (Canon S100). A custom designed spectrometer entrance fore-optics was assembled to: i) reduce the USB4000 IFOV providing 1 m sampled area from a flight height of 10 m; ii) hold the neutral-density filter (transmittance 40%) avoiding saturation for high light levels; iii) hold a shutter allowing a regular in-flight dark-current measurements. The Anteos UAV platform (Aermatica S.p.A., Italy) is a small four-rotor with hovering capability, a maximum payload of 2 Kg and flight time of 20 min. A dedicated software application was developed: i) combining flight path and spectral measurements planning; ii) matching the hyperspectral data and the RGB images with the UAV navigation data to geolocated the optical data. The HYUAV was tested in laboratory to assess the impact of platform vibrations to the USB4000 spectral (i.e. shift and band broadening) and radiometric stability. The capability to collect reflectance signatures of different land cover type (i.e. grassland, asphalt, roofs and inland water) was assessed during field campaign comparing HYUAV data to ground based ASD FieldSpec measurements

Mountain glaciers and non-polar ice core are very important sources of paleo-proxy data which are essential to achieve a complete overview of climate change in the last centuries. The glaciers melting, which rapidly increased in the last years, could lead to loss information affecting the possibility to predict how the climate will evolve. In this context, the need to develop a methodology to identify the suitable glaciers for ice core drilling is a current challenge. In the framework of the NextData project a method for mapping suitable areas at global scale has been defined by exploiting morphometric and physical parameters. The criteria governing the choice of a drilling site were identified according the literature of ice cores and by exploiting experts knowledge. Selected criteria mainly concern: i) the quality of glaciological reconstruction, ii) the technical feasibility and logistics, iii) the climatic interest. The suitability of mountain glaciers for ice core drilling is herewith defined as the probability to drill a glacier to retrieve an ice core with preserved stratigraphic information and high temporal resolution. Ice core drilling sites (from Ice core Data Base created by Geomatic Laboratory, DISAT UNIMIB) both for European Alps (n = 23) and Himalayan (n = 39) were initially overlaid on the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and global inventories of glacier (i.e. GLIMS and RGI). Several geo-morphometric indicators (e.g. slope, flow accumulation, local relief, etc.) were then extracted from the ASTER GDEM (30 meters spatial resolution). Both for drilling site and glacier area, the cumulative distribution function was represented and classified. A weighting scheme was defined using both a data- and knowledge-driven approach in order to estimate a suitability of drilling based upon geo-morphometric indicators. Results are currently integrated with climatic record (e.g. temperature, precipitation) and accessibility indicators in order to produce a mid-latitude glaciers map of suitability for ice drilling