The Department of Energy Planning of the City of Vienna

In 2019, The Economist ranked the City of Vienna, in Austria, as the city with the highest quality of life worldwide. Indeed, the City’s administration believes in the value of innovation to cope with climate change and reach excellence in the delivery of public services.

The Department of Energy Planning of the City of Vienna is responsible for implementing sustainable policies in the energy sector, allocating funds and testing innovative solutions to produce energy out of renewables, increase the use of waste heat and promote energy-efficient and climate-friendly mobility.

Among other tasks, the Department issues a periodical Energy Report aimed at raising residents’ awareness on the status of energy and climate-related issues in Vienna.

The challenge

Urban areas are generally warmer than their surrounding areas. This phenomenon, known as “urban heat island effect” can cause health risks and higher energy consumption in cities.

In the past years, the urban heat island effect in Vienna has been exacerbated by a growing population and an increase in urban development, which led to the loss of permeable open green spaces and to higher temperatures.

In 2003, the city experienced 44 heat wave days, which were responsible for 180 deaths. Forecasts predict that between 2021 and 2050, there will be an average of 19 heat days in Vienna, while the population is expected to increase from 1.8 million to 2 million by 2029.

To prevent health risks to the residents of Vienna, the Energy Planning Department was hence looking for ways to identify urban “hot spots” and take measures to mitigate the consequences of increasing temperatures in the city.

The satellite solution

In 2019, the Department asked ECOTEN Urban Comfort, a company based in Prague and specialised in urban and environmental engineering, to map heat islands in Vienna to help them identify where action was the most needed.

After assessing the needs of the Department, the company defined the relevant indices to assess the city’s vulnerability to heat waves. Exposure, which is the prevalence of high temperatures across the city, was calculated by looking at images from the Landsat 8 satellite from 2015 to 2019.

Sensitivity was measured based on the density of vulnerable people (younger than 14 and older than 65) with data derived from Vienna’s Open Data portal.

Finally, adaptive capacity, which represents the ability of the urban ecosystem to cope with heat events thanks to the presence of greenery and waterbodies, was calculated by using imagery from the Sentinel 2A European satellite, which carries information to estimate both the enhanced vegetation index of the city (the density of urban vegetation) and its normalised difference water index (measuring water-bodies).

The indices were then combined to create a Heat Vulnerability Map of the City of Vienna.

The map shows which areas in Vienna are more affected to heat (in orange and red), providing information about temperatures and vulnerable people in the 250 districts of the city. In total, ten heat vulnerable areas have been identified in Vienna.

The results

The map created by ECOTEN Urban Comfort on the basis of satellite data and released by the City of Vienna is meant to serve as an operational tool by the Department of Urban Planning and other city authorities to implement mitigating measures in the neighbourhoods that are more vulnerable to heat events.

Indeed, the map contains information on high temperatures in Vienna and on areas with low vegetation and waterbodies and with a high number of vulnerable people. Furthermore, the analysis carried out by Ecoten Urban Comfort showed that, if no action was taken, temperatures in Vienna would increase of 8°C by 2050.

The Urban Heat Vulnerability Map initiated a series of public reactions via social media and mainstream media which ultimately led to a political debate over initiatives that the city can take to protect its citizens from extreme heat and provide comfortable eco-friendly urban districts for urban dwellers that are most vulnerable to extreme heat.

Based on the Urban Heat Vulnerability Map, in 2019 the City of Vienna launched the “Coole Straßen” (Cool Streets) project, aimed at lowering temperatures in the three districts identified as the most vulnerable to heat. In these areas, the City authorities created open spaces with trees and brighter surfaces, which reflect less heat, and installed mist showers to cool the asphalt and humidify the pavement. In addition, parking was banned in selected streets.

“For the first time we have a map that shows us where cooling is urgent and allows us to take specific measures.” Birgit Hebein, Former Deputy Major, City of Vienna

The post Vienna: Adapting urban planning to climate change with the support of satellite imagery appeared first on Eurisy.

Notruf Niederösterreich is a non-profit organisation founded in 2003 that dispatches all emergency medical service agencies and special rescue crews in the federal state of Lower Austria. Rescue units include the mountain rescue service, water rescue, cave rescue, and the local ambulances.

On a yearly basis, the response centre reacts to about 1000 emergency incidents in exposed alpine areas of their federal state. In the most active parts of the skiing season, however, this number may increase to more than 25 injured skiers per day.

The challenge

For any emergency response situation, it is vital for the response unit to arrive quickly at the location of the person in distress. To do so, knowing the exact location of the person calling the emergency number is of great help and is the first question the response centre will ask the person calling the emergency number. However, situations do occur where the person who calls is either lost or in an area that they can’t name. As every second may count, any help in obtaining a more exact location, more quickly, more reliably is of great help to the emergency response units.

The solution

Satellite navigation can help to inform the response centre, as well as the first responders and rescue helicopters, to respond more quickly to an emergency call. In Lower Austria, the rescue centre, Notruf Niederösterreich, decided to make use of the Advanced Mobile Location (AML) system which is already available on all Android mobile devices worldwide.

The AML is a location sharing system that enables the user of a smart-phone to automatically share their location when calling the emergency number. A phone where the AML is supported and activated by the user will notice when an emergency number is called. This allows the phone to automatically turn on all supported location systems and send their coordinates via SMS and also via HTTPS transmission to the emergency response centre.

The service can be fully integrated with Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP), meaning the person using it will not need to have a special mobile app already download or think about submitting their position. Instead, the emergency response centre will know the location of the caller as soon as they answer the phone call.

The system will be supported by the great majority of phones and can be relied on more fully by emergency response centres. For instance, recently On the 24 January 24 2018, Apple announced that the AML system would be implemented in their iOS 11.3 update.

The result

Since the implementation of the AML, the emergency response centre could report that they have experienced great results in the alpine areas they cover. The main benefits are reduced average response times to calls, greater reliability in identifying the caller’s location, as well as simplifying the overall rescue efforts. They have also experienced it to be fast and simple, as well as comparatively cheap to other alternatives.

The service has proved to be highly reliable in different outdoor conditions in Lower Austria, working most of the time and so far only failing from calls made sub-surface. Tests carried out elsewhere have also shown that by using the AML rather than relying on the information obtained from cellular towers of which area the person is calling from, precision can increase up to 4000 times over.

Since the AML system is well integrated with PSAPs, the response centre can more fully depend on it to work and thus improve their best response workflow accordingly. This solution is ideal for the citizens who do not need to download a specific application but can instead rely on the standard emergency number.

“In my opinion, AML is one of the greatest innovations that I have seen in my 27 years in Emergency services. Referencing alpine emergencies our Mountain rescue service and the HEMS crews have been surprised about the precision of the locations when we started integrating AML.”

René Kerschbaumer

The post Quick to the rescue with satellite navigation appeared first on Eurisy.

Austro Control is the Air Navigation Service Provider responsible for maintaining top quality standards of safety and punctuality for airlines and passengers crossing Austrian airspace. With around 4,000 daily flights, the public authority is tasked with securing a smooth and safe air traffic. In December 2006 the company received the Single European Sky certification which allows it to provide air traffic control services in the European Union.  

The challenges

The Alpine location of some of the main airports in Austria such as in Innsbruck, Linz and Graz entails tremendous terrain challenges for flight navigation. Weather conditions together with mountain proximity, make landing and takeoff challenging, even for experienced pilots. Harsh weather conditions, especially during winter time, regularly force operators to delay or re-route flights which increase operation costs and affect the local tourism industry.

The satellite solution

In 2012 Austro Control decided to equip the airports in Linz and Graz with EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System), the first European satellite navigation system. The use of this system improves the accuracy and precision of GPS signals which can thus enable successful landings and takeoffs, even in low-visibility or bad weather conditions. Also, EGNOS enhanced the so called “lower decision height”, a series of manoeuvres implemented during the descent phase to allow for a precise landing of the airplane. This is especially effective in cases where the required visual reference to continue the approach is not visible to the pilot.

The results

These new procedures contributed to the decrease of the initial high flight diversion rates. The new system improved the positional accuracy allowing for better quality technical and safety standards for landing and arrival procedures. Moreover, the great benefit of these procedures lies in the fact that there were no investments necessary, and so big results were achieved through cost effective solutions. Further, Austro Control is now testing the Points in Space (PinS) project which aims to provide satellite based approach procedures for helicopters landings for emergency medical services on mountainous terrain. 

The post Austro Control: satellite solutions for improved flight safety appeared first on Eurisy.

Salzburg AG is the largest public transport operator in Salzburg County. It transports over 50 million passengers every year on more than 113 km of line network. The company, a public-private consortium, employs over 700 people in the transport sector and provides a wide selection of transport services, both on land and rail. In the city of Salzburg, the company operates a fleet of 106 trolleybuses on 12 lines. Trolleybus operations were inaugurated in 1940 and the line network continues to grow. Salzburg AG also coordinates other subsidiary companies, such as Berchtesgadener Land Bahn. 

The challenge

Much like Rome, Salzburg too was built “on seven hills”, that is, in a mountainous area. Narrow winding streets give the city its particular charm that attracts millions of visitors every year. This influx, as well as the strict regulations in Altsadt — a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site — make monitoring and coordinating traffic a complex challenge. Congestions can be frequent and difficult to predict. Excessive delays can discourage passengers from using public transport, increase pollution, and tax the local economy by slowing down the transport of services and goods.

The satellite solution

In 2013, Salzburg AG launched its new ITCS (Information Technology Central Services) service. The data generated by the trolleybuses’ satellite navigation system is used to track vehicles and staff, as well as provide floating car data for the county of Salzburg. Nowadays, real-time data, on the location, consumption and puntuctuality of each trolleybus is gathered in a control center and is displayed on a TomTom GIS map for Salzburg AG’s staff. The map gives traffic managers an overview of transport conditions, traffic events, restrictions, accidents and works. Newly-installed flat screens at bus stops inform citizens on arrival times and traffic conditions. The data is also available on a web portal and a mobile app for public use. Traffic data is also provided to local authorities and research organisations to assess how the infrastructure responds to transportation needs. 

Results

Today, Salzburg AG’s entire trolleybus fleet is equipped with a satellite navigation system. Electrical trolleybuses are the best way to reduce the carbon footprint of traffic and have a positive impact on the city’s air quality. Client service and information have also greatly improved. Due to the satnav connection residents are better informed on their trolleybus’ location and thus plan their journeys accordingly. In addition, traffic data analyses allow operators to reroute traffic where needed, thus increasing flows. Thanks to the floating car data gathered by Salzburg AG, public authorities have also obtained a better look into infrastructure use and can improve its future development.

Thanks to Satnav we increased our flexibility to dispatch trolleybuses depending on traffic and passanger needs

Christian Osterer Salzburg AG 

The post Salzburg AG – improved trolleybus fleet management through SatNav appeared first on Eurisy.

ITS Vienna Region was co-founded by the three provinces in 2006 as a cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems project within the regional public transport association (VOR). Partners of ITS Vienna Region are local and regional public transport providers, local and regional authorities, motorway and national railway operators (ASFINAG, ÖBB), the police, Vienna’s taxi fleets and the public radio’s (Ö3) traffic editorial office. Its mission is to collect dynamic traffic data, to support the administration in traffic management and e-Government, and to develop and implement a dynamic, intermodal traffic information system that responds to current and future mobility needs.

The challenge

The Vienna Region, encompassing the three provinces, covers an area of 23,500km2, has 3,6 million inhabitants and an estimated 300.000 commuters every day. The increasing volume of traffic has led the three provinces to take an interregional and intermodal approach to traffic management. 

Making traffic safer, smoother and more respectful of the environment are key objectives in and around Vienna. The main challenges are to reduce road traffic and congestion by encouraging the use of alternative modes of transport.

The satellite solution

ITS Vienna Region has been a key player in developing a joint nationwide geographic Graph Integration Platform (GIP) that provides an intermodal and permanently updated digital map of Austria´s transport network. The data sources referenced to the GIP are both static (road works, public transport timetables) and dynamic (traffic jams, public transport delays, etc.). One innovative solution is the inclusion of geo-localised information from GPS devices on board Vienna’s fleet of 3.500 taxis. With the technical support of the Austrian Institute of Technology, this information helps model the traffic situation in real-time, and increases the accuracy of the ITS services relying on the geographic information platform.

The results

The traffic information service AnachB has become a reference for citizens to calculate their ideal route from A to B, encouraging them to use environmentally friendly means of transport (public transport, cycling, walking or intermodal options such as Park&Ride).
The GIP allows public authorities to optimise their efforts in identifying and removing bottlenecks. A range of administrative services now use the GIP cartography and traffic information as a reference framework for the implementation of administrative procedures and planning decisions, such as authorisations for road works, road closures, or measures to improve traffic flow. These e-Government processes enable public authorities to increase their efficiency by interacting and coordinating their actions in real-time, on the basis of an up-to-date cartography and mutualised traffic information.

Since 2014, AnachB has been improved to better suite administrators’ and citizens’ needs. Routing calculation relies now on Traffic Information Austria (VAO), the new national collaborative traffic information service, while the platform interface has been optimised to be more user-friendly. Moreover, a brand-new App, “VOR AnachB”, has been developed to provide users with information to plan their trips directly on their mobile phones.

“The traffic model of ITS Vienna Region is linked with a dynamic traffic data pool. GPS based Floating Car Data (FCD) provided by 3,500 taxis is one of the key factors making accurate, real-time traffic information possible.”

The post Provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland: Optimising traffic management appeared first on Eurisy.

Styria is a mountainous region in the south-east of Austria. It is the second largest of the nine federated states, covering 16,401 km². Styrian Mountain Rescue is the regional branch of the Austrian Mountain Rescue Service (ÖBRD) association. Counting 53 local sites, 1,600 mountain rescuers and 22 search dogs, the Styrian Mountain Rescue service is called upon on average 1,200 times per year.

The challenge

Several hundred people die every year in the Austrian Alps. The increasing mountainous tourism entails a variety of high risks. In case of accidents, the race against time is crucial and needs to be supported as much as possible. One tenth of the rescue missions are classified as “large mission”, in which more than 50 mountain rescuers are involved. The missions are divided into several mobile teams and include members of external organisations, like the rescue dog brigade or the crisis intervention team. A solid and structured coordination is thus needed for a successful intervention and a single system for mission coordination and documentation was required.

The satellite solution

Since 2015, Styrian Mountain Rescue has been using the SARONTAR (Situational Awareness and Command & Control of Rescue Forces in Alpine Regions) service. It was developed and first tested through the European Space Agency’s Integrated Applications Promotions programme integrating both satellite navigation and satellite communication.

The service is composed of a smartphone app for the rescue teams on the ground and a centralised software for the mission control centre.

The app automatically transmits positioning data ― including time stamps based on satellite navigation ― to the mission control centre at constant intervals. It also offers a mapping function displaying all important and relevant geo-information concerning the ongoing mission. The map supports the orientation of the team and helps monitor the mission. This map is based on high-resolution orthophotos and topographic maps. Finally, the app also enables rescue team to communicate faster and better with the control centre by exchanging messages with only a few clicks.

When terrestrial networks are unavailable, an external satellite communication modem is used to provide a reliable and seamless communication between rescue forces, mission controllers and emergency management centres. The connection between the smartphone and the satellite modem is established via Bluetooth and the switching between terrestrial and satellite communication is fully automatic.

The results

SARONTAR provides the mission control centre with an up-to-date and comprehensive view of the mission state at any time. The exchange of information provided by the service, through stable communication links, is a major benefit compared to the past situation. Another asset and a key enabler is the automatic rescue mission documentation, since a lot of effort can be avoided after the mission for the rescue teams, the mission control, and the emergency management centre. Due to the seamless documentation, information losses are avoided and the data recorded in a rescue mission report can be also used at court.

The permanent knowledge of current positions of the mobile teams provided by SARONTAR is a major benefit compared to prior mission coordination. SARONTAR enables faster localisation of missed persons, facilitates and reduces the decision-making process in the mission control centre and increases security of the rescue teams. Stefan Schröck, Regional Manager of Mountain Rescue Service Liezen

The post Styrian Mountain Rescue: satellite applications for improved Alpine safety in Austria appeared first on Eurisy.

The Joanneum Research Institute for Water, Energy and Sustainability is an Austrian private research facility based in Graz, Austria. The Department of Water Resources carries out applied research on all components of the water cycle and associated solute transport processes, including interactions with the climate, land cover and human activities. Joanneum Research provides such information to water suppliers and governmental institutions dealing with water resources.

The challenge

Joanneum Research is contracted by users such as Vienna Waterworks and the Environment Agency Austria to provide water quality information on Alpine underground water resources. Alpine karst waters are an important source of drinking water, as well as highly sensitive to contamination with E. coli bacteria from faecal material from the surface, especially in case of heavy rains. Therefore, hydrogeological and hydrometeorological investigations, as well as event monitoring and sampling, are indispensable to get appropriate information for optimised water management. Joanneum Research was hence looking for a solution that would enable them to collect water quality data remotely, in near real time, and despite the lack of terrestrial telecommunication networks (GSM/GPRS) in these mountainous regions.

The satellite solution

Joanneum Research uses ORBCOMM, a satellite telecommunication system that ensures the connection between portable hydrometeorological measuring stations installed in water reserves, and web servers at their Central Monitoring Station (CMS). This enables Joanneum to collect remotely and in real time data on gauge-height, electrical conductivity, temperature, different quality parameters, precipitations or humidity, as well as during fully automated event-sampling campaigns. By linking the CMS to a web-server, such information can be transferred to the customers of Joanneum Research.

The result

This satcom system offers a reliable way to collect information from remote locations efficiently, and in near real time, helping Joanneum Research to provide its customers  with solid information on the quality of spring water, according to European safety standards.

Satellite communication is a precious and valuable tool in alpine remote regions, enabling us to provide essential data to our clients. Hermann Stadler, Joanneum Research

Legal quote: “Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that water intended for human consumption is wholesome and clean”. New Drinking Water Directive (consolidated) 98/83/EC

The post The Joanneum Research Institute uses satellite communication to monitor spring water quality appeared first on Eurisy.

Fluid Forms was founded by Hannes Walter and Stephen Williams in 2005. At the time, they started from a first prototype of a digitally-produced object – a vase – developed in the Science Park in Graz (Austria). In 2008, the company moved offices to a studio in the creative district of Lend. Today, the two-man company sells many variations of personalised, digitally-produced objects online, worldwide, with 80% of sales going to the US market.

The challenge

Since the beginnings of the company, its founders realised that the “design-your-own” movement on the Internet, creative-coding, as well as digital production methods such as 3D printers, would dramatically change the way goods are designed, produced and made available to the market. The challenge they set for themselves was to develop new product design tools to enable customers to create more functional and more personal goods.

The satellite solution

Thanks to Open Street Map API, Google Maps, the topographic data made available by NASA, and a software system developed by Fluid Forms, customers can simply enter the name of their desired location and choose the exact detail of landscape they want to be featured on their object. Within seconds, the distinctive landscape turns into a 3D preview of the object (jewellery, vases, lampshades, etc). The flowing appearance of the landscape reliefs is finally worked out in the desired material (gold, silver, wood…). For customers to be able to compare the generated object with the real landscape, the order is delivered with a printed satellite image of the selected area. Customers can also personalise their objects (clocks, earrings, necklaces) with the street patterns of their favourite cities.         

The result

Both the free satellite images used and the Open Street Map data powering this software make it possible for Fluid Forms to constantly launch and export new product design tools and variants of their objects in many different materials. Producing on demand permits the company not have any over production and extra stocks to handle, thus avoiding extra costs. The market success of these products, especially in the US, has enabled Fluid Forms to now open physical shops to complement their online offer.

 “We have learnt how to do a lot with what is already out there freely available, and this has greatly helped us achieve commercial success in our country and abroad.” Hannes Walter, Owner, Fluid Forms

The post Fluid Forms uses satellite imagery to manufacture unique artwork based on landscape and location appeared first on Eurisy.

evolaris is Austria’s leading competence centre for mobile innovation based in Graz. It was set up in 2000 as a network of experts in different areas of competence, aiming to bridge the gap between the results of research and the economy. The network focuses on the conception and development of applications for the web and mobile devices as well as the evaluation of business models for an economically useful exploitation of mobile technologies.

The challenge

Among its other activities, in the retail sector the company identified an opportunity in the recent radical changes in how brands communicate with customers. Customer loyalty is the key to success in retail and the phone is becoming the preferred connecting tool between the point-of-sale and existing advertising channels. In working for Raiffeisen Bank, evolaris’ challenge was to devise a mobile loyalty solution to support multi-channel customer loyalty programmes.

The satellite solution

evolaris developed a mobile loyalty platform that integrates multiple channels (such as SMS, websites, social media, apps) to provide an integrated digital communication solution with the members of the Raiffeisen Club – a loyalty programme for the young target group of the bank. The mobile phone app in particular, developed in 2010 relies on the smartphone’s satnav to promote discounts, tickets to football games, concerts and other events, to members of the club, based on their location, through push notifications. The app lists the events based on the distance to the customer’s location, Raiffeisen Banks and ATMs and indicates the quickest way to get to them. This ensures that customers always have relevant information at their hands. At the moment this application is enhanced with Bluethooth Low Energy (iBeacon) technology to allow support of hyperlocal proximity cases.

The result

Raiffeisen bank financed the app which is available for free in on the App Store, Google Play and Ovi since 2010.

“Location based services is the technical innovation we have been waiting for. We offer a number of club activites such as discounted tickets, festivals and other benefits. As all the offers are location-dependend, a simple and transparent overview ist very important. – this is where location based services offer a tremendous added value”.Herbert Horak, Raiffeisen Club Austria 

“Location based services is the technical innovation we have been waiting for. We offer a number of club activites such as discounted tickets, festivals and other benefits. As all the offers are location-dependend, a simple and transparent overview ist very important. – this is where location based services offer a tremendous added value”.
Herbert Horak, Raiffeisen Club Austria 

The post Raiffeisen Club: a satnav-based marketing application appeared first on Eurisy.

Lake Neusiedl, on the Austrian–Hungarian border, is the second largest steppe lake in Central Europe and a popular holiday destination in Austria. The Biological Station Neusiedler See ensures environmental protection and water quality in the area and of raising awareness on environmental issues among local communities.

The challenge

The main effects of climate change on Lake Neusiedl are an increase in water level fluctuations and eutrophication (the ecosystem’s response to the addition of substances), which also affect the lake’s reed belt and wetlands. The increase of water fluctuations could impact negatively touristic and recreational activities, while external loads occurred during the 70s caused a considerable increase in phosphorus and nitrogen concentration, with massive effects on the biological structure, such as the increase in phytoplankton biomass and the formation of blooms after 1977.

“Member States shall ensure (…) the monitoring of water status (…) to establish a coherent and comprehensive overview of water status within each river basin district” EU WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2000/60/EC

The satellite solution

Since 2010, the Biological Station Neusiedler See has been receiving satellite images on water characteristics varying according to the temperature (as water clarity, algal biomass and class composition), which allow to assess conditions and changes of the reed area.

Such information is received within the framework of EULAKES (European Lakes Under Environmental Stressors), a European-funded project supporting local administrators to prevent and manage the impact of climate change on lakes.

The result

Satellite-derived environmental stressor maps are available to the authorities in charge of environmental protection in Lake Neusiedl area, and are used to monitor the effects of changing temperatures on the lake’s ecosystem and to assess the level of pollutants and the potential risks for the environment, people and businesses. Compared to traditional methods, satellite imagery allows for more frequent, efficient and cheaper sampling on large areas. They help monitoring changes locally and over time, since images of the same areas can be produced every few days.

“The study of ecosystems with satellite imagery provides us with useful insights into water qualitaty, supporting management of eutrophication, algae blooms and reed changes.” Thomas Zechmeister, Biological Station Lake Neusiedl

The post Lake Neusiedl: monitoring water quality with satellite imagery appeared first on Eurisy.