His background includes a degree in Physics (Universita' Statale di Milano, 1977) and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Oceanography (University of California at San Diego, 1982 and 1986). He has been a Research Fellow at the Universita' Statale in Milan in 1977-1978, and Research Assistant at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, CA, in 1979-1986. While at SIO, he was Visiting Scientist at MIT in Boston, MA, in 1984, and at NASA GSFC in Washington, DC, in 1985. After working as a consultant for various national and international organization, in 1987-1989, he joined the JRC in 1990. After a brief stint as Scientific Assistant of the former Space Application Institute Director, and later as coordinator of the Space Applications Support Group in the Institute of Environment and Sustainability, he is now holding a Senior Scientist position in the Water Resources Unit of the same Institute. His job has always concerned the application of remote sensing for studies of the marine environment and, in particular, the use of optical observations for the assessment of marine and coastal processes. In recent years, his work on monitoring of near-coastal environment scenarios has led him to become involved with both Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) techniques, concentrating primarily on the definition of the related ecosystem-based approach. He is Chairman of the “Oceans from Space” conference series. He has published more than 100 scientific reports, papers and articles, and co-edited several books, including “Oceanography from Space, Revisited”, published by Springer. He regularly serves as invited lecturer in University Courses and International Schools, as well as thesis advisor for graduate students from various Universities.