SmartEnds is a Belgium-based company that combines smart sensor technology supported by space-based solutions with artificial intelligence to optimise waste collection and reduce landfill waste. 

The challenge

The global waste management industry is expected to reach $2.3 trillion by 2030, yet much of it still relies on analogue systems. Traditionally, waste collection systems operate on fixed schedules, following rigid one-size-fits-all models. Trucks operate on fixed schedules, regardless of whether bins are overflowing or nearly empty, a practice that has become increasingly outdated and inefficient.

The consequences of this approach are significant:

• Overuse of fleets and personnel, leading to inflated operational costs.
• No real-time visibility into bin status, resulting in missed overflows or unnecessary pickups.
• Lack of automation, making it impossible to optimise routes or track performance.
• Limited data on bin locations and contents, especially in large or remote areas.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, SmartEnds introduced a cutting-edge waste management system powered by IoT sensors, smart cameras, and AI-driven software. Their technology is designed to work across a wide range of bin types, from compact city bins to massive industrial containers.

Key innovations include:

• Sensor Integration: These smart sensors detect fill levels, last collection time, and even the type of waste, flagging hazardous materials when necessary.
• Smart Cameras: Visual verification tools help ensure recycling quality and detect contamination.
• Software Optimisation: All data is fed into a central platform that calculates the most efficient collection routes, reducing fuel consumption and labour hours.

Regarding the space components, two are the main solutions which are integrated in these systems, supporting the overall activities and innovations: the first is Spatial Intelligence with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), which enhances location accuracy, especially for large or mobile containers.

And the second one is about Advanced Connectivity, especially in remote or rural zones, where satellite communication ensures uninterrupted data flow.

Results

Implementing these technologies has empowered users to achieve: 

• Fleet Reduction: Translating into lower fuel costs and reduced emissions.
• Environmental Gains: In most cases, optimised routing has led to a 30–40% reduction in road usage, easing traffic congestion and cutting carbon output.
• Operational Efficiency: Collection is faster and more accurate, with fewer missed pickups and less overflow.
• Cost Savings: Municipalities and private companies report at least 30% savings in operational costs thanks to smarter route planning and better resource allocation.

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SOS Alarm is Sweden’s national emergency services operator, responsible for handling all 112 calls, coordinating police, fire, ambulance and public warnings across the country, as well as playing a role in civil defense. They hold a central role in national crisis preparedness, using situational analyses, extensive information flows and advanced technology to manage alarms and coordinate Sweden’s aid efforts during accidents, crises and societal disruptions. Their work aims to strengthen the Swedish safety chain while driving rapid incident response, crisis communication and safety innovation. They have an interest in space-related technologies to enhance both response times and nationwide public safety.

The challenge

The two most important information for SOS Alarm are what happened and where. Before 2019, the callers were located through Cell-ID from mobile operators, which had significant limitations: depending on density, the coverage area varied between 500 meters up to 2 kilometers, making precise positioning difficult. This slowed response times for 112 callers in accidents, incidents or when locating lost persons. In addition, Sweden’s vast rural, mountainous, and coastal regions often lacked mobile coverage, creating further challenges for situational awareness and rapid response. There was also no reliable redundancy in case of network outages, limiting the ability to communicate with people during emergencies.

The satellite solution

In 2019, SOS Alarm implemented Advanced Mobile Location (AML), which uses smartphones’ global navigation satellite system, Wi-Fi, and cell network data to provide precise caller locations. Its accuracy, within 15 to 65 meters, allows emergency services to locate incidents in real time, even without detailed information from the caller. This is particularly effective in road traffic accidents and outdoor emergencies.

Building on this, SOS Alarm will implement satellite-based communication for mobile phones in 2026, enabling text-based emergency messaging even when terrestrial networks fail due to power outages or network issues. This approach provides redundancy in remote areas and ensures that first responders and alert centers remain connected under extreme conditions.

The results

AML is used in approximately 82% of mobile calls where someone needs assistance. With the integration of AML and satellite-assisted communication, 112 callers can now be precisely located, reducing search areas from kilometers to just meters, and significantly improving response times. It also lowers caller stress, as they no longer need to describe their location, resulting in clearer communication and fewer errors during emergencies. This accuracy is especially valuable in remote areas, where it enables faster and more targeted emergency response.

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MedAssist.online

MedAssist.online is a Dutch company founded in 2015 based in the Port of Rotterdam. Its mission is to provide the best possible medical care to people in areas where medical assistance is not available. Originally, the company provided exclusively physical medical training to maritime officers and captains, and it then moved towards a more innovative path to support vessel crews.

The Challenge

Providing medical support to people in remote areas is very challenging. Telemedicine has proved to be a game-changer in multiple occasions, especially during medical emergencies at sea. Ship crews can spend weeks far out at sea, often thousands of miles away from the nearest shore. At sea, medical emergencies happen daily, and regular ships have no doctor on board.

Just in Europe, every year there are on average 21.000 telemedicine consultations at sea, and this number is constantly increasing. Depending on the medical need, vessels are often forced to change their plans, diverting their course, and extending the duration of their trip. To provide crews with better and faster care, an additional telemedicine tool was needed.

The Satellite Solution

The  meets the need of ship crews to get medical assistance at any moment and anywhere. It relies on satellite communication and a patented Two-Ways-Augmented-Reality (TWAR) technology. The Live App is available for download on any mobile device on Play Store and App Store. Satellite ship-to-shore-to-ship communication provides an essential feature to make the Live app work at sea. With support from ESA and the Netherlands Space Office, the TWAR technology (with two-way audio/video feed) was optimised for reliable use over satellite connections. Once they download the app, users can create their profile and require live assistance. They can also access tutorials or create new ones in case of specific accidents. Using TWAR, the application combines two video feeds — from and to the ship and the doctor — into one identical ‘shared reality’, visible to both the doctor and the ship’s officer.

Unlike in usual video calls, participants can work together from the same perspective. TWAR allows the medical professional to instruct, point out, guide and coach the ship’s officer as if the two were physically in the same place: they can examine and treat a patient as if the doctor were on board, or the doctor can show to the officer what to do. The officers on board will see the hands of the doctor superimposed on their owns on the screen and will be guided in their movements live.

The results

The Live App helps crews or people in remote locations to get the best possible medical care anytime and anywhere. It also reduces the human and financial costs of medical emergencies at sea.

The app has been tested by both KLM and onshore medical staff and has already been positively evaluated by several shipping companies. Currently, the app is being used all over Europe, especially by Dutch and German shipping companies. Soon, it will be also available for users in Asia and America. Considering the importance of providing medical assistance to people in remote areas, the team at MedAssist is planning to tailor the app for other contexts, such as rural areas, where connectivity still represents a challenge.

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One of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, Matera is known for the historical “Sassi” ancient cave houses dating to the Palaeolithic period. The Sassi, together with the Park of Rupestrian Churches, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The challenge

The #BariMatera5G project aims to test the potential of 5G connectivity in the cities of Bari and Matera. In Matera the project foresaw the creation of an archaeological map of the city and of the suburban area and a Digital Atlas of Rupestrian Heritage in Matera (DARHEM).

The satellite solution:

To realise the 3D Digital Atlas, the School of Archaeology collaborated with Digital Lighthouse to experiment using 5G. The 3D Digital Atlas was developed through the analysis of bibliographic documentation, the study of frescoes and sculptures, and the analysis of degradation and of the geo-archaeological risk. The data archive has been digitised and the entire area surveyed using photo-modelling software and digital photogrammetry.

The results

The result is a 3D reconstruction of some of the rupestrian churches of the archaeological site of Matera, like the Church of Santa Agnese and the Church of Madonna delle Tre Porte, which can be visualised online by anyone.

The 5G network allows multiple persons in different locations to meet a local guide in a virtual reality environment and to visit the 3D reconstruction of some pointsof the Sassi and of the rupestrian complex of Madonna delle Virtù, San Nicola dei Greci and of the Crypt of the Original Sin, all on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Visitors are free to move in the planned areas and to manipulate available objects. Within the virtual tours, low latency allows for interaction between visitors. They can even appreciate details that are no longer present in reality (e.g. decorations of a church gone lost or damaged), hence living experiences not replicable in “real life”.

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Piedmont is Italy’s second largest region, covering an area of about 25 000 km2, of which 43.3 % is mountainous (Piedmont is surrounded by the Alps on three sides). Piedmont Region manages the regional broadband development programme called WI-PIE.
Among the implementing bodies, CSI Piemonte is a public consortium that includes the Region of Piedmont, and whose services are entirely dedicated to the different departments of the regional administration. In particular, CSI Piemonte is in charge of Piedmont’s information systems and infrastructure.

The Challenge

The particularities of Piedmont’s landscape with its extensive mountainous area meant that, in 2004, broadband connectivity was available to 81 % of the population, over only 32 % of the territory. The region decided to take measures to bridge this long-term digital divide most efficiently and cost effectively, while maintaining a technologically neutral angle and ensuring no overlapping on the market.

The Satellite Solution

The regional programme “A wireless territory”, operational since 2004, has made use of the most modern satellite telecommunication systems and wireless technologies to offer broadband connectivity to local authorities and their associations, schools, mountain and hill communities.

The Results

43 local authorities and local authority associations applied for funding from the Region to implement satellite broadband, from the beginning of the “Wireless territory” programme (2004-2005), for a total value of €7 million. By 2009, 50% of public mountain huts along the Piedmont part of the Alpine Way, without previous access to broadband, were covered. While users showed some reticence to the technology in the first place, satellite broadband soon proved a good solution in the broadband mix, and a first-choice for secluded areas, like the mountain huts. The economic impact of broadband availability is considerable, since it often made the difference as to whether local SMEs in inaccessible areas stayed in business or not.
Following the aforementioned good results, the Region recently launched an initiative to allow people and businesses, living in those residual areas under served or not covered at all, to get a satellite broadband connection. As a matter of fact tender has been issued giving a grant for the purchase and installation of satellite ground equipment.

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Located at the centre of the Alps, in Italy’s North-East province of Brescia, the Adamello Regional Park is a haven for mountain enthusiasts. Encompassing a sizable protected area, the park is also home to the largest glacier in Italy, the Pian di Neve and its branches (approx. 18 km2).

The park and its 51,000 hectares of land, numerous trails, peaks and ridges are managed by the Mountain Community of Valle Camonica. A network of almost 1000 km of paths are available to tourists all-year round. Furthermore, the park’s highest peak of 3539 m makes it a popular destination among climbers and snow sports lovers. They can count on dozens refuge huts as a safe base during their travels.

The challenge

Situated on the highest trails of the park, mountain refuge huts can make a life-saving difference for mountaineers looking for shelter or any emergency help. Thus, their connectivity to both climbers and authorities is vital.

Due to high altitude, isolated location and difficult terrain, mountain huts are however troublesome to connect to traditional communication networks. Mobile networks rarely work and other villages may be too far away for signal receivers to function. In 2014, an area of more than 25 km2 was without any connectivity in the park. And most refuge huts were located within it.

The satellite solution

Anticipating a large number of visitors with the occasion of the 2015 Milan Universal Exposition, regions were encouraged to improve their tourist services. Thus, thanks to funds received from the Lombardy region, Adamello Park decided to equip their most isolated huts with satellite broadband connection.

Approximately 90% of the project’s cost (€70,000) was covered by the region, with park authorities covering the rest. Following implementation, 15 mountain huts have been equipped with a satellite receiver. The project covered the installation and a limited free use of the service until 2018. After this time, additional usage costs will need to be covered by hut keepers through subscriptions to an hours-of-use package.

The result

Thanks to the new services, tourists can now obtain vital information (such as huts space availability, weather forecasts and accessibility etc) on their route directly from the huts. Tourists can now book their places online, without having to go through the park’s administrative offices.

The new service should also allow for credit card payments in the future. Safety in the high mountains has also been improved by boosting the coordination and communication between huts and other regional authorities (park authorities, Italian Alpine Club, civil protection organisations etc).

The project approaches the high mountain activities of the park and its management in a dynamic form. In the future it will allow us to break the total isolation, as a condition and as a limitation, of these and other similar settlements.

Guido Calvi, Agronomist, Adamello Park

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Microcinema SpA was founded in 1997 with the technological support of RAI’s (Radiotelevisione Italiana SpA) Research and Technical Innovation Centre in Turin. The company was created with the aim of supporting Italian cinemas and theatres to find an economically sustainable solution for film distribution. Since 2007, with a staff of approximately 25 people, Microcinema offers audiovisual distribution services to 450 cinemas and theatres all around Italy.

The challenge

Cinemas have been facing a number of problems related to the availability of new films, the difficulty of distributing them to remote areas and the wear of reels over time. Especially small cinemas, that are mostly mono-screen, needed more flexible distribution processes than the ones offered to bigger auditoriums. To overcome such distribution problems and ensure a consistent quality of films throughout time, the film industry had been looking for innovative solutions that would provide small and medium-sized cinemas with flexible and affordable tools to manage their programming.

The satellite solution

In 2007, with the support of the European Space Agency, the company started using the ISIDE system (Innovative Satellite Interactive Digital Entertainment). Via a website, the system makes a catalogue of 300 HD movies available to every cinema of the network via a bidirectional satellite connection. Cinemas download the movies in real-time, together with the requested certificates of use, while paying only for the contents actually screened. Statistics on data usage and the number of tickets sold are stored in the system’s database and can be consulted on the reserved area of Microcinema’s website.

Moreover, the system allows the projection of live events: In 2011, the premiere of “Don Giovanni”, inaugurating the Opera season of La Scala Theatre in Milan, was broadcast live in 130 cinemas and over 150 connected digital screens, reaching 40 000 spectators all over Italy.

The result

With 300 auditoriums connected to the network via the bidirectional satellite connection, Microcinema is today a leading provider of films and audiovisual contents. Auditoriums can decide on their programming in a flexible and autonomous fashion, saving time and costs of management, transport, and setting up of film reels. Furthermore, the digital contents of the catalogue have no environmental impact and preserve the same quality for future projections.

“The satellite solution is less expensive than an internet connection, and can reach any auditorium worldwide, thus overcoming obstacles connected to the digital divide.” Silvana Molino, Microcinema.

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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

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ENAS (Ente Acque della Sardegna) is in charge of developing, operating and maintaining the water infrastructure and facilities for the Italian Sardinia Region. The Sardinia raw water reserve is stored in 32 large dams spread over the territory, from which it is transported for the supply of the industrial, agricultural and civil sectors. Moreover, ENAS designs, builds and operates renewable energy plants in the region.

The challenge

From its decentralised headquarters, ENAS manages installations spread over a large area of 24,090 km², characterised by a varied orography and a low population density. In addition to the time and workforce needed to visit the water installations, the region’s landscape features mean that terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure is unavailable or unreliable outside urban and industrial areas. Therefore, it was difficult to connect to the installations remotely and receive data about their functioning. ENAS was hence looking for solutions to control the infrastructure from its headquarters, through adequate IT systems that could be used both for routine activities and emergencies.

The satellite solution

In 2005, ENAS deployed a satellite communication network to monitor water quality of the Sardinian reservoirs located in valleys not easily accessible. In 2008, it was decided to further develop such network also to monitor the operation of the whole water distribution network. Thanks to the satcom receivers installed near dams, hydroelectric power stations, pumping stations (which transfer the resource throughout the water system) and  aqueducts, ENAS is able to receive information about and control flow rates, volumes, levels and status of  pumps in real time and remotely.

The result

In the last few years the network was extended from 10 to 62 nodes, to which were also added nodes with a peer-to-peer connection, enabling better communication between the staff in the outskirts and the central offices. The choice of using a scalable, simple and easily manageable system has proved successful, allowing ENAS to have an overview of the whole water distribution system irrespective of the distance of the employees scattered on the territory. The current network for communication and data transmission between the periphery and the central office ensures the continuity and quality of the service, while reducing the costs and efforts necessary for monitoring the water infrastructure.

“The satcom system enables us to control the entire distribution system in real time and remotely, saving us time and money we can invest in making the service better for our users.” Maurizio Bonetti, Ente Acque della Sardegna

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The University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) is one of the largest teaching hospitals in theUK. Located in the English region of West Midlands, the UHCW comprises the University Hospital of Coventry and theHospitalofSt CrossinRugby, serving a population of over a million people.

The Breast Screening service at UHCW is part of the National Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP). It provides a free breast screening service for women aged between 47 and 73 with the aim of finding breast cancers at an early stage, even before any symptoms appear. The breast screening (mammography) consists of a 4 view X-ray examination, and lasts between five and ten minutes, while the whole visit takes no more than fifteen minutes. Early detection increases the chance of a successful recovery. Indeed, it is estimated that breast screening saves 1,400 lives each year in England.

The challenge

To increase chances of detecting breast cancers at an early stage, the Breast Screening Service at UHCW uses two mobile vans, equipped with screening units, which stand in front of well-frequented locations, like supermarkets or leisure centres for ease of access. Eligible women are invited to attend for screening every three years, and receive test results directly to their home within two weeks of the screen.

Until recently, the images and clinical paperwork were transported by car on a daily basis by a staff member. The clinical images were downloaded onto an encrypted hard disk for transportation. This procedure entailed challenges in terms of patient data security, speed of turnaround, requirement for a courier and lack of live administration systems. To overcome some of these hurdles, while also moving forward to a paperless system, the mobile vans were connected via 3G to the hospital network system allowing a live administration system to be used, but not allowing transfer of images.

A paperlite environment was then attempted, however, as the 3G connection would drop out quite often due in part to the weak network coverage at the mobile vans’ locations, a different and more resilient solution was needed to efficiently sustain a paper free screening environment.

The satellite solution

In December 2012, the UHCW Breast Screening Service was invited by RedFoot Technologies to test a satellite connection on the mobile vans within the framework of the ESA-funded Mercury project. The mobile vans were equipped with a satellite antenna, which allows the sending of screening tests directly to the hospitals. The satellite connection ensures a secure online access to the hospital intranet, while supporting the transmission of screening patient data back to the remote units. Moreover, the system includes pre-packaging of the images and embeds indelible GNSS data into the patient medical records, for date and location identification.

After completion of the Mercury project, the UHCW decided to keep the service by contracting RedFoot directly The decision followed a cost-benefit analysis of the service, showing that the satellite-based system was cost-neutral for the Coventry service when compared to the previous system, which included the costs of a courier and a car to physically collect and transfer the tests from the vans to the reporting centre.

The results

The satellite connection enables significant time-saving, since the tests are available for the radiologists and reporting radiographers by the following morning after the screenings are performed. It ensures that no clinical data is lost during the transfer to the hospitals; it grants a secure connection for the staff working on the mobile vans, and it is also environmental-friendly, since it avoids the use of polluting vehicles for delivery of the tests.

“The introduction of a telemedicine service via satellite improved the effectiveness of the breast cancer screening programme carried out by the UHCW and heads towards a paperless/paperlite working environment, with positive consequences on the hospitals workflows and on women’s health.” Sharon Hoffmeister, Superintendent Radiographer, Breast Screening Unit, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire

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