How to Conduct a Site-Specific Assessment on the XNatura Platform

In this section, you can view on a satellite map the detail of the different types of land cover present both within your site and in the surrounding area (Control Area). Each specific type of land cover (e.g., forest, agricultural area, urban area) is associated with a quantitative estimate of local biodiversity. The key metrics analyzed are: FA (Floral Availability): Indicates the availability of nectar-producing plants (food resources) in the area, crucial for pollinators. NS (Nesting Sites): Concerns suitable nesting and refuge sites for pollinators. MSA (Mean Species Abundance): A fundamental indicator for estimating the overall integrity level of the area's biodiversity, compared to an undisturbed reference condition. The platform offers several exploration modes: Overall View: You can observe the overall different land uses within the site and the Control Area with a high level of detail. Land Cover Filter: Using the sidebar, you can select a specific land cover to highlight it on the satellite map. Impermeability Layer: The platform also allows you to activate a dedicated layer to observe the soil impermeability, a key factor for water resilience and ecosystem functionality.

After the overview of Land Use, the Assessment section presents the detailed KPIs of your site's assessment. The environmental KPIs are obtained through a combination of advanced technologies. We use data from remote sensing and satellite images, a result of collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). This data is then integrated with measurements collected by IoT sensors installed directly in the field, if present in your project. The XNatura platform interface is designed to be simple and intuitive: the environmental KPIs are displayed in graphical dashboards, logically grouped by theme to facilitate analysis. As shown in the demonstration video, scrolling through the page you can sequentially view all the metrics analyzed remotely, followed by those monitored by field IoT sensors. To facilitate analysis and documentation, the platform offers the possibility to interact with the data. In dashboards marked by the appropriate icon, it is possible to manually enter a comment note on the data. A useful functionality is the support of Artificial Intelligence, which can generate an automatic comment based on simple keywords provided by the user. Finally, each dashboard ensures maximum transparency by always providing a clear legend and the data sources underlying the KPI. For reporting, the download icon allows for easy downloading of graphs or maps of interest directly from the platform. Watch the video to discover how to scroll through the platform and view the KPIs of greatest interest.

The Survey & Census section is the integration point of the XNatura platform where data collected directly in the field (analysis, sampling, and censuses) are visualized and analyzed alongside remote data. As you can see in the demonstration video, it is possible to map within the site's polygon the exact location where the analysis was conducted by manually tracing the area of interest on the map. The data that can be uploaded and visualized include: Laboratory Analyses: Results obtained from samples of various matrices (e.g., water, soil, biological samples). Transects: Specific routes used for data collection. Photographic Censuses (Flora and Fauna): Visual recordings of species. The platform facilitates the collection of biodiversity data through the mobile application Biodiversa. Any operator, even without a specific technical profile, can contribute to the census: It is sufficient to frame a plant (and soon also fauna) and take a photo. The image is uploaded to the platform in a geolocated manner. The photo is instantaneously identified by an AI engine and subsequently reviewed and validated by our team of Nature Experts. The Survey & Census section collects images and data that provide a direct picture of local biodiversity. If the project includes the installation of camera traps, video footage of wildlife passages are also integrated. The geolocated mapping and species census are followed by the Statistics subsection, which provides key metrics for evaluating flora (and soon fauna), including: The number of species cataloged in the area. Indications of at-risk species and alien species. Values such as the Shannon Index ($H$), a fundamental indicator of species diversity.

The Scenarios section is a fundamental analytical tool that allows you to compare different versions of your site. (To understand how these versions are created, consult the FAQ How to explore environmental data in your XNatura platform demo). These different versions of the site primarily differ in their land use and coverage. Comparing scenarios is crucial because it precisely quantifies the impact of such differences on key environmental parameters. Among these parameters, we find the mean species abundance (MSA), the degree of naturalness, and soil impermeability. The platform displays the variation of parameters between the two scenarios both in absolute value and in delta (the quantitative difference). Besides comparison, the Scenarios section also allows you to monitor the evolution of each scenario over time, thus providing a dynamic perspective for planning and evaluating interventions.

The Risks and Opportunities section represents the final and crucial phase of the Site-Specific Assessment, offering a forward-looking and strategic view on the future of your asset. Its main goal is to map and quantify the potential risks that persist on each version and perimeter of the site created on the platform. To provide a comprehensive and predictive assessment, the analysis measures these risks over an extended time horizon, projecting out to 2100. The calculation is based on established scientific methodologies, using four different scenarios defined by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), allowing an understanding of the potential impact under various future climate trajectories. The user can consult the overall risk of the asset or explore the data broken down into six specific risk factors: climate, water, pollution, biodiversity, geological risk, and marine risk (where applicable). For each of these factors, the platform evaluates in detail the different aspects of risk. A particularly important functionality is the ability to visualize the trend of risk over time for the following fundamental categories related to the physical impacts of climate change: Climate Change, Wind, Heat Waves, Cold Waves, Precipitation and changes in their patterns, Fires, Thermal stress, Extreme heat, and Extreme storms. Finally, if the asset under analysis is assigned an economic value, the platform is also able to assess the resulting economic impact of the risk, thereby supporting long-term strategic and financial decisions.