CITYNEXT leverages a wide range of Earth Observation datasets to capture both the long-term evolution of cities and fine-grained details of their structure. Multi-decadal archives from Landsat and high-resolution imagery from Sentinel-2 provide complementary perspectives on land cover and urban change, while the World Settlement Footprint (WSF) and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) add relevant information on human settlements evolution and topography respectively. These data are enriched derived spectral indices as well as high-frequency mobility data records, creating a robust foundation for analysing the drivers and impacts of urban growth.

This datasets are the baseline of CITYNEXT framework which involves the development of five models, each designed to address distinct dimensions of urban dynamics.  The Urban Growth Model is at the core, forecasting how cities will expand over a 10-year horizon. The Human Mobility Model then simulates flows traffic patterns, while the Building Height Model estimates urban density and population distribution. Environmental impacts are addressed through the Urban Climate Model, which allows for heat stress analysis, and the Air Quality Model for simulating pollutants concentration.