Position in Planetek Italia: Technical Manager Geoservices
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and Master of Science’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Polytechnic University of Bari. Doctor of Philosophy degree in Earth Sciences at University of Basilicata.
Background & activity in the sector: During his post-graduate studies, he worked on the use of satellite TIR data for monitoring spatial and temporal distribution of SST. He also developed an object-based classification procedure from VHSR air- and satellite- borne data aimed at plastic-covered vineyard extraction.
After gaining his MEng with a thesis in Remote Sensing, he started his PhD in Earth Sciences. The research activity concerned the analysis of coastal dynamics and vulnerability to erosion, as well as soil erosion and degradation in coastal basins, with techniques that encompass Earth Observation by Remote Sensing, GIS, Geoprocessing, Spatial Analysis and Modelling. During the course of his doctoral experience, he was admitted to conduct some research at the Institute of Intelligent Systems for Automation of the National Research Council of Italy.
His contributions to the field are evident through publications in international peer-reviewed journals and presentations at both national and international conferences.
Following a period as an External Consultant at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (Institute for Space, Security and Migration - Disaster Risk Management Unit), Antonello joined Planetek Italia in 2017. Currently, he holds the position of Technical Manager for the Geospatial Application Team. In this role, his responsibilities include the design and development of geoservices and geoanalytics, multi- and hyperspectral image processing and analysis, project management, algorithm design, and GIS analysis. Additionally, he provides mentorship to postgraduate students.
Antonello actively participates in several international projects focused on water quality monitoring in coastal areas and the detection and monitoring of marine plastic litter through satellite data. He also served as an innovation and technical coach at the Hackathon Copernicus Editions from 2019 to 2022, offering support to developers, graphic designers, web and mobile app designers, young innovators, and data analysts in conceiving and crafting innovative applications based on Copernicus data and services.
Since November 2022, Antonello has served as an Expert Member of the Scientific Board of the National PhD Program in Earth Observation at Sapienza University of Rome, further demonstrating his commitment to advancing the field of Earth Observation.
