c.m.hancock@lboro.ac.uk

xiaolin_meng@seu.edu.cn

Urban lifelines - transportation, water supply, energy grids, and communication systems are essential for the functioning and growth of cities. With the increasing complexity of urban environments, coupled with challenges such as climate change, environmental stresses, and aging infrastructure, ensuring the resilience and sustainability of these systems is crucial. Traditional methods for managing and monitoring urban lifelines often fall short, lacking real-time data and spatial insights to adequately predict or prevent potential disruptions.
Geospatial and geomatics technologies, including GNSS, LiDAR, remote sensing, and UAV-based surveys, provide powerful tools for mapping and monitoring urban lifelines with high precision. These technologies offer detailed, real-time data on infrastructure conditions, enabling proactive interventions and data-driven decisions to strengthen urban systems. Through spatial analysis and advanced surveying techniques, cities can gain insights into the performance and interconnections of lifeline systems, leading to more resilient and responsive urban infrastructure.
This session will address how geospatial and geomatics technologies are advancing the way urban lifelines are mapped and monitored, emphasizing the importance of these technologies in urban planning and management.

Purpose:
The purpose of this special session is to gather experts from geospatial, engineering, and urban planning sectors to:

• Demonstrate how advanced geospatial and geomatics technologies contribute to the mapping, monitoring, and maintenance of urban lifelines.
• Explore cutting-edge applications, such as GNSS for monitoring infrastructure deformation, LiDAR for detecting structural issues, and UAVs for rapid assessments of lifeline systems.
• Discuss how the integration of geospatial data enhances decision-making processes for infrastructure management.
• Present real-world case studies where geospatial technologies have improved the resilience and sustainability of urban systems.
• Encourage collaboration between geospatial professionals and urban planners to develop integrated solutions for maintaining reliable, sustainable urban lifelines.

This session aims to foster an understanding of how geospatial and geomatics technologies can play a critical role in ensuring the long-term functionality and sustainability of urban infrastructure, especially in the face of growing challenges. By sharing knowledge, case studies, and new technologies, the session will support the development of effective strategies for monitoring and managing urban lifelines.