Reports

The 2020 UN/Austria Symposium “Space Applications for Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action” took place from 1-3 September 2020.

The event aimed to showcase concrete climate action cases through demonstrations of applications using space solutions. Users of space applications presented lessons learnt and experts discussed the role of space applications in climate-related policies. On the 2nd of September, Eurisy gave a presentation on the basis of this abstract.

Eurisy and the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) decided to join forces to organise a webinar on the legal consequences related to the use of tracing apps during the first phase of the de-confinement. Find out which existing space-based apps can help track the spread of COVID-19, and what the legal issues are with regard to privacy. The purpose of the webinar was to present the audience operational space-based apps that could help trace patients, as well as to reflect upon data protection and other challenges. Read the full report here.

On the occasion of the United Nations International Year of Plant Health 2020, Eurisy and Euphresco join forces to promote the operational use of Satellite Remote Sensing to detect, monitor and fight plant pests.

Despite the proven potential of satellite data to guide and instruct on ground surveillance activities and other phytosanitary measures of the National Plant Protection Organisations, practical use of Remote Sensing for Plant Health is still very limited in Europe. To favour the transfer of space technologies to the Plant Health community, Remote Sensing data must be made easily available to National Plant Protection Organisations and be adapted to their needs. For this to happen, new sensors, platforms, and information flows are to be built.

Ten concrete examples of use of satellite navigation, imagery and communication to make cities’ cleaner, more efficient, healthy and resilient. To know more about the Eurisy Space for Cities initiative click here. 

 In this 6th edition of our Satellites Going Local series, Eurisy continues to highlight the contributions of satellite applications for society, this time taking our investigations into the cultural and creative sectors.

This new issue illustrates how satellite based technologies in particular are being used to better manage historical cities, monitor and safeguard cultural heritage and enable creative minds to generate new ways to experience culture.

The stories collected are meant to stimulate awareness and exchange of knowledge among those who are already using satellite applications and those who are interested in them. They also aim to inspire public and private actors to come up with increasingly innovative and useful services in the cultural and creative sectors.

Marking a decade in collecting user stories and testimonials on satellite-based applications, Eurisy looks back at lessons learned, analysing market and customer-service provider developments in Europe along the way. The paper details our user-centric approach which supports bridging the gaps between upstream and downstream satellite sectors and turns it into into a scalable model outside European borders. The paper was presented at the 70th International Astronautical Congress 2019, 21-25 October in Washington DC.

European investments in space are expected to stimulate the development of the downstream value-added sector by boosting the large-scale adoption of satellite-based technologies to foster new, innovative services and deliver impactful socio-economic growth. Yet, their wide scale adoption and use has remained slow across various sectors and fields. Most often than not, public policies have played a bigger role in hindering satellite-based services adoption, rather than the perceived technology challenges themselves. The current paper reflects on the policy bottlenecks identified by Eurisy in telemedicine and emergency calling sectors. The paper was presented at the 70th International Astronautical Congress 2019, 21-25 October in Washington DC.

The conference “Space for Rural: Des solutions efficaces et accessibles” was organised by Eurisy and Idelux in Transinne, Belgium, on 2 April 2019. The event aimed at discussing the possible applications of satellite-based services to protect the environment, support decision-makers and boost competitiveness in rural areas. A special session was dedicated to the issue of connectivity in rural areas.

This report contains the minutes and main messages of the conference “Space for Culture: Satellite services for historical and creative cities” held in Matera (Italy), European Capital of Culture 2019.

The two-day event was co-organised by Eurisy, the Basilicata Region, NEREUS, the TeRN Consortium and the Italian Space Agency as a contribution to the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage. It aimed at discussing current and potential uses of satellite-based services to safeguard and promote cultural heritage, create cultural and artistic experiences, foster social inclusion, and promote access to culture and arts within and around cities.

To download the full conference report, please click on this LINK

The current report examines the main messages coming out of Eurisy’s “Space4Ghent” conference on the uses of satellite imagery in cities, organised in cooperation with our members from BELSPO, in the framework of Apps for Ghent – an initiative aimed at maximising the potential of open data in Ghent through projects, events and co-creation. 

One hundred representatives from private companies, public managers and students attended the conference to discuss current and potential uses of Earth Observation in urban spaces. Participants were made aware of existing datasets, the Copernicus services in particular, as well as their possible applications at the city level. The event also discussed the obstacles hindering the exploitation of satellite data and put forward possible solutions to overcome them.