For over a year now, the Rural Support Service (RSS), has been working together with partners from the Lithuanian Paying Agency to implement the Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania programme project “Optimizing service availability using integrated Earth observation and artificial intelligence solutions for the development of innovative solutions’ (OASIS). The project aims to improve the accuracy of geospatial data, making it up-to-date and easier to use, both in the work of the agencies and for the wider public.
The achievements of the project’s first year confirm that high-resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence solutions are becoming a significant support both for the Rural Support Service as a paying agency and for farmers, local authorities and other state institutions, helping them to make more accurate decisions, monitor territories more effectively and reduce the administrative burden.
During the first year of the project’s implementation, the RSS worked actively to put the project’s results into practice and to transfer knowledge to users. A number of online meetings and seminars were organised for local authority specialists and representatives of state institutions, demonstrating the potential uses of high-resolution satellite imagery in day-to-day work.
Meetings were held with specialists from the local authorities in Preiļi, Rēzekne, Aizkraukle, Krāslava, Jelgava and Talsi. These meetings demonstrated the advantages of orthophotos and the latest satellite imagery in spatial planning and monitoring, using specific land properties, solar panel parks and other structures as examples. Local authority representatives particularly appreciated the quality of the imagery and how regularly it is updated, enabling changes in the areas to be spotted in good time.
RSS specialists presented the project’s capabilities to State Forest Service representatives. Examples from 2025 and 2026 were analysed, in which high-resolution satellite imagery enabled the precise identification of changes in forest stands and felling areas, demonstrating the importance of this data for more effective forest management monitoring.
The webinar organised by the RSS in April has attracted considerable interest from the wider public. During the webinar, participants were introduced to the data available on the public map and the use of satellite imagery to refine field boundaries. They were also informed about the forthcoming changes to geospatial submissions as part of the OASIS project.
The project was launched in spring 2025 and will run for 24 months.
Project implementation period: 1 March 2025 – 28 February 2027.
Total project cost: 311,850 euros.
Funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): 249,480 euros.
The project partners are the Lithuanian Paying Agency www.nma.lt (lead partner) and the Rural Support Service in Latvia (project partner).