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Near-Real-Time (NRT) data transmission from distant observatory or sensor locations to data processing centre is a common feature shared by almost all ENVRIplus Research Infrastructures (RI) and is essential for rapid quality checking for the benefit of RI operators. NRT data transmission and quality control procedures are left to independent choices of the RIs responding to their specific needs and availability of infrastructural resources. However, a common approach to those NRT technologies would be extremely useful to coordinate response of RIs in case of environmental crisis. This document summarizes some key technologies used for data transmission, their availability, capabilities (in terms of bandwidth) and associated costs. It analyses requirements of research infrastructures and gives a summary of RIs best practises with respect to data transmission. Guided by the ENVRI Reference Model, further, potential harmonisation and standardisation approaches are discussed und special consideration of available sensor metadata standards and data transmission formats. In addition, common near real time quality routines and algorithms are presented. We will show in this deliverable that data transmission is not an easy task and hardly can be harmonized - in technical terms - across all ENVRIplus research infrastructures due to the diverse latency and bandwidth requirements and telecommunication availability e.g. at distant sites. However, emerging standards have a good potential to move the standardisation of data transmission and will move the standardisation level closer to the sensor which would in turn enable cross domain data processing services such as the identified common NRT quality control routines.

The ENVRI community (Environmental and Earth System Research Infrastructures) covers multiple scientific domains, such as oceanography, atmosphere, geophysics and biology. Whilst very different in terms of scope and technology, the research infrastructures and their personnel face common technical challenges related to the fact that field equipment is often installed in remote sites. Specifically, a large proportion of field equipment needs to be autonomous and sometimes operates in extreme conditions. Theme 1, “Technical innovation”, aims to provide and improve the technology used by environmental RIs by developing internal cooperation synergy and by collaborating with the industries that propose solutions for RIs. WP3, “Improving measurement networks: common technological solutions”, is focused on energy issues (WP3.1: Enhancing observation capacity in remote sites: improving energy production) and data transmission (WP3.3: Robust data provision: data transmission and near real time QC) in extreme environments (WP3.2: Testing robustness towards extreme conditions). This report deals with the work for WP3.1, which was conducted between 2015 and 2018, as a collaborative project involving CNRS EPOS, ANAEE and ACTRIS. The main questions for Task 3.1 were: - What is needed to provide energy to isolated scientific stations? - What are the most sustainable technical solutions regarding the specific needs of RIs? - What do RIs actually use? - How to improve RI use of these systems? The report gathers information on energy production and storage using land-based instruments. It contains advice for potential non-specialist users, with technical abstracts and data sheets on each technology. The report is the main outcome of Task 3.1, and is attached as ANNEX I. This deliverable has also benefitted from interaction with other ENVRI+ partners, and IFREMER’s contribution concerning energy solutions in marine environments, which can be found in ANNEX II. The report in ANNEX I is composed of five main chapters.

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An ellipsometer based on an elasto optic modulation of polarization has been developed. Compare to a rotating polarizer setup, the performances, in term of accuracy and speed, have been significantly improved. Specular measurements make it possible to detect the presence of contamination on a component, without preliminary knowledge of its index of refraction.The measurement of polarimetric phase has been extended to the scattered field. In the case of components slightly heterogeneous, it is possible to discriminate the source of scattering (surface or bulk). We highlighted the effects of interferences between surfaces and bulks, and the sensitivity to cross-correlation effects in the multilayers.At last, in the case of very heterogeneous components, which require to take crosspolarization into account, the measurement of the polarimetric phase of the speckle reveals a specific signature of all components., A partir dun diffusomètre multi-sources (UV-MIR), nous avons développé au laboratoire un ellipsomètre basé sur une modulation élasto-optique de la polarisation. Le premier objectif, par comparaison au montage polariseurs/analyseurs tournants, était daméliorer les performances du dispositif, aussi bien en terme de précision que de rapidité.Les mesures sur champ spéculaire ont tout dabord largement validé le banc et nous avons mis en oeuvre une méthode pour détecter la présence de contamination sur un composant, sans avoir besoin de la connaissance préalable son indice de réfraction.Dans une deuxième étape, nous avons étendu les mesures à la détermination angulaire du déphasage polarimétrique sur champ diffus. Dans le cas de composants faiblement perturbés, pour lesquels une théorie électromagnétique au premier ordre est utilisée, cette mesure permet de discriminer sans ambiguïté lorigine, surfacique ou volumique, de la diffusion. Nous avons également mis en évidence les effets dinterférences entre ondes diffusées par les surfaces et volumes, grâce à la présence doscillations autour de la valeur moyenne du déphasage, et la sensibilité aux effets de décorrélation verticale dans les multicouches.Létude des composants très hétérogènes est également abordée dans le détail, en tenant compte des effets de dépolarisation. Nous montrons comment les techniquesprécédentes permettent encore de discriminer les effets de surface et de volume. En particulier le déphasage polarimétrique mesuré dans le speckle résolu du champ diffus, constitue une véritable signature des composants. A laide dune approche phénoménologique, on montre que lamplitude des oscillations du déphasage permet dextraire le taux de dépolarisation angulaire. De façon plus générale, la méthode dellipsométrie sur champ diffus permet une scrutation approfondie, tout en ouvrant la porte aux problèmes inverses et de reconstruction en champ lointain.

The aim of WP1-task 1.1, is to identify and analyse emerging environmental observations technologies (sensors and platforms) that could be useful to, and benefit from, Research infrastructures (RIs) to realize and achieve their market potential. The task also aims to explore technical challenges, market barriers and ongoing initiatives related to these technologies. The deliverable D1.1 is tailored to be a source of inspiration for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), while investigating new business opportunities, as well as for the EU bodies, pointing them the specific areas requiring additional attention and financing. Environmental observations performed by RIs are dedicated to answering the grand challenges (ENVRI+ Theme 4). This is a tremendous endeavour dealing with hundreds of types of measurements by means of numerous sensors, installed on numerous types of platforms and performing measurements in all environmental domains. D1.1 presents technological advances implemented by the RIs, for observing four environmental domains, i.e. the atmospheric (ICOS, IAGOS, SIOS, ACTRIS), marine (EURO-ARGO, JERICO), ecosystem / biosphere (ANAEE) and solid earth (EPOS) domains. For each of these domains, a limited number of selected variables and parameters, crucial for describing a given environmental system are identified. The deliverable reviews emerging technologies along with existing ones for the measurements of key-parameters, analyses their strength and weakness, and identifies the main providers. Technologies described in this document, represent those that are mostly valued by scientists, and then that are the most wanted or expected to become available on the market in the near future (emerging technologies). For each domain, a preliminary market description is provided, where existing and potential regulatory framework that could influence the production and/or market penetration of sensors is described, together with countries/communities that could be interested in developing specific sensors and technologies. Along with sensors, observing platforms represent promising technological sector that rapidly develops. The document presents recent advances in this field, with focus on the emerging use of drones for observations of atmosphere, biosphere and marine environment. It is supplemented by an assessment of advances on energy supply for sensors and platforms and the subsequent emerging opportunity for deploying sensors in hardly accessible regions. The role of environmental research infrastructures in bringing observing technologies to the market is also discussed, with a focus on how RIs can support and facilitate public-private partnerships engaging scientists, companies and governmental bodies in promoting the development of technologies and bring value to all parties. New business opportunities based on the interactions of RIs with other parties are provided.