The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) is Denmark’s national center for weather, climate, and sea ice monitoring, with strong expertise in polar forecasting. The Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) is a Norwegian research institute specializing in Arctic and oceanographic studies, particularly the use of remote sensing and modeling for environmental monitoring.

The challenge

Large icebergs off the coast of Greenland represent both an environmental hazard and a navigational challenge. In July–August 2024, a 4 × 2 km tabular iceberg drifted southeast of Greenland before breaking into smaller fragments, many too small to be seen from a ship’s deck. Over a six-week period, the iceberg lingered near tourist shipping routes, becoming a risk hotspot for cruise vessels operating in the area. Real-time tracking and accurate forecasting of its movement and disintegration were critical for ensuring maritime safety and operational planning.

The satellite solution

The DMI, supported by the NERSC, implemented a remote sensing-based monitoring system. The iceberg was continuously tracked using high-resolution satellite data. The OpenBerg drift model simulated iceberg trajectory by integrating:

• Ocean current data from TOPAZ5 (Copernicus Marine Service)
• Wind forcing from ERA5 (Copernicus Climate Change Service)

The integrated output of observational tracking and numerical modelling was visualised via the NARVAL portal, enabling both real-time monitoring and forecast-based risk assessments.

The results

• Enhanced Maritime Safety: real-time tracking and forecasting reduced collision risk for vessels operating near the drifting iceberg.
• Improved Iceberg Forecasting: combining Copernicus Marine and Climate data allowed more accurate drift simulations and structural evolution predictions.
• Support for Cruise and Tourism Industry: monitoring and information sharing enabled better planning and risk mitigation for cruise operations in iceberg-prone zones.
• Operational Collaboration: real-time data exchange between DMI and NERSC ensured informed decision-making and strengthened remote sensing capabilities for future events.

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Vake

Vake is a Norwegian company specialised in maritime safety and vessel traffic. The company was founded in 2019. It supports governmental agencies to monitor and survey national waters, offshore asset owners to detect dark vessels and reduce potential infrastructure threats and ship insurers to validate and verify the true chain of events.

The challenge

Back in 2008, the European Commission defined maritime domain awareness as the understanding of the activities associated with the maritime area that could impact the safety, security, economy and environment of the European Union and Member States. Acquiring a complete understanding of what happens at sea is relevant today due to the increased maritime traffic and activities in our oceans that are generating multiple threats to core sectors of the economy and to the breaching national security of coastal countries.

Illegal fishing, smuggling, and environmental crimes are the main challenges to be overcome. Detecting and identifying potential criminal vessels is key to filling information gaps and preventing illegal behaviours at sea. Technology already supports governmental authorities and businesses in spotting illicit activities, via drones, airborne sensors, and cameras, but satellite data can help in monitoring wide areas validating the in-situ measurements.

The satellite solution

To support governmental authorities and maritime economic actors, VAKE developed a dashboard that combines two core features: area monitoring and vessel tracking. The platform allows users to detect ships by using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites and machine learning, cross-referenced with other vessel monitoring solutions, such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS) signal, that relies on GNSS technology.

The dashboard allows users to select their area of interest and a temporal frame to obtain data on the ships there located, such as their size and direction. Users can access the images and information in the form of an interactive web report or download the data as a report file. In addition, the dashboard allows for the detection of dark and potentially illegal ships. Users can monitor their area of interest to verify if suspicious vessels are sailing with their AIS signal off, which can be an indicator for potentially illegal activities. By highlighting when this happens, it is possible to prevent these actions or retrace the route of criminals to determine if an action just happened or is it going to happen.

The results

VAKE’s dashboard is helping national authorities to improve sea monitoring, especially for the implementation of fishing analysis, and to prevent and prosecute environmental crimes. The algorithms that power the VAKE platform can also find additional applications to detect human trafficking, smuggling and seawater emissions.

Currently, VAKE is working with the Netherlands Coast Guard to complement and improve their maritime situational awareness. The collaboration with Vake allows the Coast Guard to extract insights on maritime activities from satellite data covering a wider portion of sea than the area they currently monitor. In the next future, VAKE and the Netherlands Coast Guard will combine automating alerts and collection of insights across multiple types of sensors, that will be key assets for maritime authorities.

VAKE is also working on expanding their geographical reach, including North and South America, and Australia. Furthermore, to provide users with night images, VAKE is currently developing products that include SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite imagery.

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Bane NOR is a state-owned company responsible for the Norwegian national railway infrastructure. It owns most railway lines, platforms, waiting areas and stations, stretching 4 209 kilometres across the country.

The company is responsible for the planning, development, administration, operation and maintenance of the national railway network. Its responsibilities also include traffic management and developing more efficient solutions for its operations. It employs approximately 4000 employees, divided between five divisions with different responsibilities.

The challenge

As a result, Bane NOR who operates the railway needs to be informed quickly of any land subsidence or other occurrences that affect their tracks. Furthermore, the method needs to be cheap enough to cover the entire lengths of Norway efficiently.

The position of the railway track is subject to change due to geological changes in the landscape, temperature variations, and the physical forces of train traffic. Over time, these changes may cause reduced comfort for passengers or danger for trains in extreme situations.

The satellite solution

Track geometry is measured periodically up to six times per year. This is done with a unique measuring car (ROGER 1000) with optical lasers, gyroscopes, inclinometers, accelerometers, and cameras. The position of ROGER 1000 along the track is measured both by an odometer and satellite navigation.

The instruments are used to detect anomalies in the shape or position of the track. Observations are then logged together with their respective geo-positions using satellite navigation. Thus, the workforce tasked with inspecting and repairing the railway knows where to go.

 

Precise measurements are made manually by inspectors. Traditionally, these measurements have been done with reference to fixed points on the ground within line-of-sight of the railway. However, installing reference points along more than 4 000 kilometres of railway is very expensive. This is especially true in Norway where large parts of the railway are without electricity lines. Building a supportive infrastructure to support all areas would cost hundreds of millions.

In 2015 Bane NOR therefore began testing the satellite based Real Time Kinematic (RTK) method for tracking track positioning. This technique makes use of reference points from base stations for satellite signals rather than metal bolts in rock or concrete. These stations are run by the Norwegian mapping agency, reducing the need for infrastructure investments.

The result

Thanks to satellite navigation, Bane NOR can more efficiently deploy its maintenance workforce. This helps reduce costs while also making the workflow more convenient. The new method relying on RTK has so far provided reliable results with a standard deviation within the present technical requirements. The method is also cheaper for the administration to run and removes the need for large investments in areas without an electricity grid.

Lastly, the new technique has also proved to be more reliable. Since the alternative measuring units are installed on trees or on the ground along the railway, geological changes may alter their relative position to the railway. These measuring units will then incorrectly report a change of the railway itself, when it is instead the measuring units that have moved. With thousands of such sensors along the railway, the likelihood of an error is quite large. The satellite based solution solves this problem.

Satellites help Bane NOR keep track of the track more efficiently

 – Per Anton Fevang, BANE NOR

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The County of Vestfold, situated in the South of Norway, is the smallest and one of the most densely populated Norwegian counties. Vestfold County Council is a regional public authority in charge of education, public transport, county roads, culture, public health, as well as the management of a particularly rich cultural heritage. Indeed, Vestfold County was a centre of power during the Scandinavian Viking Age. Several of the greatest archaeological discoveries from the Viking Age have been made here.

The challenge

The modern demands for efficient land use (road infrastructure, agricultural production, mining, energy sources, etc) are exerting a growing pressure on cultural heritage sites. When considering new infrastructure developments, Vestfold County Council needs to ensure these do not conflict with known and potential archaeological sites (invisible above ground).

To identify the latter, the County conducts archaeological field surveys, as well as excavation works in some cases. However, the traditional mapping methods, mainly based on chance discovery and poor positioning, meant that such maps could not be trusted when planning new infrastructure. The County sought to develop more cost-effective, non-intrusive methods of carrying out these assessments.

The satellite solution

CultSearcher, a piece of software that provides computerised assistance in the analysis of satellite images, allows archaeologists to detect and locate circular structures as e.g. burial mounds and ring ditches which may date back to 1 500-2 500 years ago. Even though the remains are buried, they affect crop growth by leaving ring-shaped marks in the fields that can be detected from space.

CultSearcher was developed and tested over several years in cooperation with the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage who also has funded the project. The system is fully operational since 2008, and continuously enhanced to improve the detection methods. The Norwegian Coumputing Center has been central in developing the software for CultSearcher.

The result

Over 30 new ring ditches surrounding a grave mound have been discovered in the last three years in Vestfold. The system gives archaeologists a valuable first layer of information that can guide them as to whether or not to begin site excavations, or alternatively, infrastructure works. The risk to miss certain buried sites is minimised, and their location on site maps is more reliable, enabling territorial planners to take better-informed decisions.

Using satellite images – which have been integrated in the County’s Geographic Information System – is also a valuable information and communication tool for dialoguing with land owners where such remains may be located.

On the basis of the Vestfold experience, the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage envisages a roll-out of the solution on a national level in order to establish the system as an integrated working tool in cultural heritage management.

“By having easy access to information about where it will be possible to find archaeological remains we can go into a dialogue and help finding a good solution at an early stage in the planning process.”

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Ekkerøy Holidayhouse (www.ekkeroy.net) is an eco-tourism business located in the Varanger area, close to the arctic zone, in eastern Finnmark, Norway. The guesthouse has been open since 2001 and is composed of two flats and a house that can accommodate up to 16 people. It is run mainly by its owner, the journalist and writer Ingjerd Tjelle. The location is excellent for bird watching, since Ekkerøy has the richest diversity of birds in Norway.

The Challenge

Tourists hoping to have the chance to observe birds in their natural habitat are often disappointed by the difficulty of identifying the fauna in an unknown region.

Varanger has a large variety of bird species but little information is available on the species themselves and the places and periods in which they are most likely to be seen. Moreover, tourists going around the territory to find birds run the risk of getting lost in unfamiliar
environments or damaging the natural habitats in which such animals live.

The Satellite Solution

Inspired by the experience of another firm organising nature trips in Norway, which mapped Norwegian fauna on the territory, Ekkerøy Holidayhouse decided to experiment a GPS self-guiding system allowing the tracking of birds in the area surrounding the guesthouse. The system consists of a GPS navigator with pre-programmed points of interest, each of them accompanied by an information folder/book describing in detail the birds that are likely to be found there and the best strategies to spot and observe them. The points of interest are rated according to the number of species and their quantity, for the users to decide how to plan their stay in Ekkerøy. The system was first offered to the guesthouse customers for free, so as to test its accuracy and usefulness and since the beginning of

2011 it is rented to the guesthouse customers who wish to use it during excursions.

The Results

Ekkerøy Holidayhouse is offering a unique service, thus attracting more and more birdwatchers. The system is considered easy to use and allows birdwatchers to make the best of their stay. It prevents guests from getting lost during excursions or disturbing the environment by leading them directly to the locations where birds are. Even though it is early days yet to quantify the economical advantages of the system, the guesthouse has already experienced an increase in the number of its customers since January 2011.

Moreover, Ekkerøy Holidayhouse has acquired a better and well-known reputation as the perfect destination for birdwatchers and nature lovers.

“The bird watching system allows us to offer a unique service to our customers, making us different to any other tourist firm and more popular as our customers share their experience with other birdwatchers.” Ingjerd Tjelle, Ekkerøy Holidayhouse

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Statkraft, Norway’s state-owned electricity company is Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy and is the leading power company nationally. The company owns, produces and develops hydropower, wind power, gas power and district heating. Renewable energy production makes up to 91% of its total annual power production of 60 TWh.

The challenge

The availability and quantity of water supplies for hydropower production is crucial to support the production and trading of electricity. Most of Statkraft’s reservoirs in Norway are located in high mountains, which are covered in snow half of the year. 50% of the water used for hydropower production comes from snow.

Statkraft needs to have reliable information on snow coverage, melting and water-equivalent so as to manage water resources and production planning, but also environmental risks affecting water reservoirs (e.g. land motion and erosion).

“Member States shall take appropriate steps to encourage greater consumption of electricity produced from renewable energy sources (…). These steps must be in proportion to the objective to be attained”.Directive on the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources in the internal elestricity market 2001/77/EC

The satellite solution

Statkraft receives daily satellite information on snow cover and water run-off estimations from PolarView, an international consortium of public and private organisations producing ice-related data. This information, combined with data from other sources, allows Statkraft to better quantify and forecast how much water could be available in the reservoir, or any dangers of overflows, floods or land displacement.

The result

Statkraft can schedule hydropower plant production and supply according to water availability estimations. It can forecast energy prices three years in advance, which gives it a significant competitive advantage.

While detailed reservoir water availability is a commercial information, Statkraft does share this information with National Water Authorities on reservoirs at risk of overflowing, in order to provide flood early warnings and take appropriate mitigation measures.

“Statkraft’s innovation strategy means we are using innovative technology analyses in hydro power, wind power and bio energy to gain a competitive advantage for today and the future.” Tom Andersen, Statkraft 

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