Our colleague Mgr. Miloš Rusnák, PhD. completed a research visit to the University of Oviedo as part of the COST INTUF project – European Network for the Integrative Approach of Urban Forestry (CA23148), which focuses on a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to the assessment and management of urban vegetation. The visit was conducted in collaboration with Carlos Cabo Gómez of the University of Oviedo.
The main focus of the visit was the analysis and processing of 3D data on urban vegetation in connection with the 3D Urban Tree Intelligence initiative. The activity also contributes to the preparations for the international 3D Urban Tree Intelligence Hackathon, which will take place in Bratislava in June 2026.
During the visit, Miloš Rusnák also took part in a professional visit to INDUROT (Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Ordenación del Territorio) in Mieres and a field visit to an experimental river-process monitoring site.
An experimental monitoring station has been established on the Aller River in the Caborana area to continuously monitor bedload sediment transport. The monitoring was implemented as part of a project by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Cantábrico, in cooperation with TRAGSATEC and INDUROT. The system includes approximately 250 river gravels and boulders tagged with passive RFID/PIT transponders, enabling tracking of individual particles after flood events.
Gravel transport is also continuously recorded using impact plates. The impact of transported clasts on the plates generates a mechanical signal that enables identification of transport episodes and, after calibration, estimation of their intensity. Additional methods include hydroacoustic monitoring using a hydrophone and passive seismic monitoring. The resulting data are subsequently compared with water levels and other sediment-transport measurements.
Text: Miloš Rusnák | Photos: Miloš Rusnák, Carlos Cabo
