Sochi 2014 launched Friday a “landmark” 24-hour Environmental Monitoring Satellite System that the bid committee says will minimize the environmental impact of development for the Games and set an environmental benchmark legacy for Russia and the entire region. The system was unveiled at the Ministry of Natural Resources Conference on “Satellite Observations for Environment Monitoring”.
The system uses Russian satellites orbiting the earth to take pictures of the Olympic development sites and surrounding areas which should be completed two years ahead of the 2014 Games to ensure natural habitats are not affected during construction. It will collect date from a series of remote sensors, on-site observations, mobile units and state-of-the-art mapping techniques.
Sochi 2014 says environmental monitoring technology has enabled a series of maps of Sochi to be created to show aspects such as vegetations, animal habitats, soils, altitudinal belts, gradients, and zones to monitor avalanches, mudflow and landslides.
Data from the system will be included in the Olympic Games Global Impact (OGGI) study, which will be presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to become a legacy for future Olympic development projects.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, CEO of Sochi 2014 said, “the pioneering monitoring system will play a pivotal role in ensuring Sochi 2014 is the ‘Gateway to Green Games’. This is a great example of the green legacy Sochi 2014 will leave for Russia and the rest of the world, as it will help us set a benchmark for future projects to follow”.
