The Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FIT CTU) is one of the key partners in the European project FOCAL (Efficient Exploration of Climate Data Locally), part of the Horizon Europe programme. The project aims to enhance the use of climate data by urban planners, forestry managers, policymakers, and regional authorities. By combining artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and satellite Earth observation data, the project is developing tools for more accurate climate projections and easier decision-making at local, national, and European levels.
The project’s main output will be a platform that integrates intelligent workflow management with HPC infrastructure, enabling efficient training and validation of AI models. The platform will also support the design of workflows that lead to a deeper understanding of the local impacts of climate change.
FOCAL focuses on two pilot scenarios—urban planning and forestry. The forestry pilot will take place in the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Plan4All association. The project will also contribute new insights into the functioning of the Earth system by integrating advanced remote sensing methods and innovative computational approaches.
Two experts from FIT CTU, Assoc. Prof. Ing. Pavel Kordík, Ph.D., and Ing. Ondřej Podsztavek, are involved in the project. In November of this year, once data from partners is ready, the team is expected to expand with additional researchers.
“I’m pleased that the faculty is participating in this prestigious European project, especially as part of a consortium with renowned scientific partners such as the Max Planck, Fraunhofer, and Hereon institutes from Germany. Thanks to our Datalab’s expertise in modern neural networks, we play a crucial role in the project. We now have several years to show how modern AI can transform climatology,” says Pavel Kordík.
From May 20 to 22, 2025, a project meeting took place in Prague. The first two days were hosted by the partner organization CESNET, while the final part of the meeting was held at FIT CTU. The Prague meeting allowed partners from across Europe to coordinate the next steps, share progress, and discuss the technological and scientific challenges related to applying AI and supercomputers in climate modeling.
The FOCAL project, launched in October 2024, is a three-year initiative funded by the European Union and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
