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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The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is the largest global space forum where, once a year, space stakeholders come together to discuss the latest trends and developments and to shape the future of the sector. Every year, the Congress switches location and theme.

IAC2022 has been inaugurated as “Space for @ll”, to highlight the tremendous change experienced by the sector in the lasts decades transforming it from a closed sector accessible only to a handful of engineers into a transversal, multidisciplinary industry enabling highly innovative services that nowadays are a crucial part of our daily lives, hence capable of setting in motion virtuous processes of sustainable socio-economic development.

From the 18^th to the 22^nd of September, Paris welcomed about 9300 delegates from 110 countries including seasoned experts as well as students and young professionals representing this year 45% of the overall participants demonstrating the increasing interest of young generations for this domain. The 73^rd edition of the IAC has been a record edition not just for the unprecedented number of delegates attending the event, but especially owing to the 3000 papers presented, among which 800 interactive presentations, 25 Global Networking Forum (GNF) sessions and 19 Special Sessions.

Such extraordinary success became tangible during the public day, when the IAC opens its doors to the general public. This edition welcomed around 2,200 people including space enthusiasts, universities, high school students, and families. A day entirely dedicated to space’s discovery and the future of the space exploration illustrated through the inspiring tales of Europe’s astronauts: Alexander Gerst, Matthias Maurer, Luca Parmitano and Thomas Pesquet.

This year, Eurisy team has been hosted at the European Space Agency (ESA) booth. This was the occasion to showcase the latest Eurisy publication “Satellites Going Local- Maritime Edition”. A booklet collecting case studies of satellite applications in the maritime domain. Eurisy was engaged in multiple initiatives on different areas related to the work carried out throughout the year. On September 19th Eurisy participated in a Special Session focused on “Building bridges between established and emerging space industry” organised by the Slovak Space Office. Member of Eurisy since June 2021, the Slovak Space Office the space industry branch of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) in charge of developing the Slovak space ecosystem and establishing international professional cooperation of domestic companies  with relevant actors.

The session organised during this past IAC is part of a broader set of initiatives to support emerging space nations to share best practices and boost their entrepreneurial ecosystem fulfilling the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals. The panel counted on the expert views of Allison Areias-Vogel from United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Jonathan Hung from Singapore Space and Technology Ltd, Raycho Raychev of Endurosat, Temidayo Oniosun from Space in Africa, Matias Campos from Sideralis Foundation, Veronica La Regina from Nanoracks Europe, and Annalisa Donati from Eurisy. During the session, Annalisa illustrated how Eurisy creates and manages platforms to share experiences and best practices among its members, to forge partnerships thus favoring cooperation to develop national space programmes tailored on the strengths of the individual countries. Through its activities, Eurisy enhances the reach of national space initiatives providing international recognition and smoothing the path for stories of success like the signature of the Associated Membership Agreement between Slovakia and the European Space Agency. For those interested in the content of the discussion additional information are available here.

Eurisy also presented two technical papers as outcome of selected activities performed throughout the year. Since early 2022, Eurisy has been actively investigating into challenges and opportunities to use satellite based solution for Disaster Risk Management through a series of activities, culminating in the conference “Satellite-based Services for Disaster Risk Management”, held in Athens on May 25th and co-organised with the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and the Greek Ministry Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

The paper “Integrating Satellite Applications in Disaster Risk Management”. builds on this work shedding light on the potential for space-based solutions to contribute into the different phases of the disaster management cycle. The paper describes European and international mechanisms to access and share  these information as well as the obstacles in their integration experienced from actual users in Greece, used as case study. The research also pursued to deepen the disaster risk management community among European states with regard to the integration of satellite applications, also through several recent case studies on the use of satellite-based services during disasters and extreme weather events.

Another great opportunity for Eurisy was the presentation of the paper “GIS4SCHOOLS – Paving the Way For The School Of Tomorrow: Leveraging On Space Technology To Stimulate Steam Learning And Teaching”. Shortlisted as the best interactive presentation of IAC2022 for the Space and Society section out of more than 800 presentations, the aim of the paper was to present the latest development of the Erasmus+ GIS4Schools project. Underpinning the in-depth interviews with the schools’ representatives involved in the project and the data collected through the Digital Diaries, an open source mobile application to collect students’ feedback, the presentation provided an overview of the skills acquired by the teachers and pupils through the project. The paper also showcases the suit of freely accessible products developed by experts including the Training Handbook, available in 5 different languages, the e-leaning platform and the use cases.

And that’s not all: Eurisy’s week was packed with additional important engagements such as the session dedicated to the Copernicus and Me project. With the support of the European Space Agency – which hosted us thoughout the week – Eurisy organised a session dedicated to the project, whose objective is to bring to non-space communities hands-on examples of what can be achieved by using data and services from the Copernicus satellite constellations. The session was the opportunity to showcase three video key case studies: VIDA: Supporting access to electricity in Sierra Leone, Mitigating the effects of climate change at public transport stops in Prague, and Safeguarding cultural heritage in Rhodes. The videos put the users on the spotlight to explain to their peers the befits they enjoyed by integrating those applications as well as the process for the development of tailor-made solutions addressing their specific needs.

IAC was also the moment to celebrate the 10th edition of its very own Hubert Curien Award. The Hubert Curien Award is a historic biennial Eurisy award to the legacy of its founding father, Hubert Curien. It recognises the efforts to help society benefit from space. Every two years, a high-level international jury selects a winner among a list of nominated candidates among any person or organisation that demonstrated dedication in the field of international cooperation in space science and technology, or in the promotion of space applications and their benefits to society. This last edition was special not just because was the 10th anniversary of such a prestigious award, but also because it awarded Amalia Ercoli Finzi’s lifelong commitment and work in space exploration.

Visit our dedicated webpage to visit our dedicated webpage to learn more about the highlights of the 10th HCA and the acceptance video of this year’s winner.

IAC 2022 brings with it a great deal of satisfaction for the achievements recognised by other colleagues and space actors and allow us to look to the future with confidence and with new relationships to cultivate. Until the next IAC!

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Blue Thread

Blue Thread S.r.l. is a small Italian company based in Rome and founded in 2019. The company’s mission is to develop technological solutions for the maritime and nautical world. By using a multi-technological approach that integrates different knowhows, the company aims at responding to the multiple challenges that the maritime domain faces, from improving navigation to monitoring the access to ports and remote marine areas.

Blue Thread collaborates with international and national research centres, such as the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and the Istituto Superiore Mario Boella in Turin. In addition, Blue Thread also developed a fleet monitoring application prototype for sailing races with a wide range of features, such as an optimised start strategy, a lay line determination, and a racecourse registration.

The challenge

According to the FAO’s definition, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are marine geographical areas that need greater protection than the surrounding waters for biodiversity conservation or fishery management purposes. In its geographic diversity, Italy counts around 29 MPAs across the country. Each of these areas is classified according to the protection needed, based on natural, geomorphological, physical, scientific, economic, and educational relevance.

Monitoring and safeguarding MPAs is a complicated task for the local authorities responsible for these areas, due to their extension and to the financial resources required to protect their biodiversity. When it comes to MPAs that are touristic destinations, like the MPA in Porto Cesareo in the Apulia region, monitoring the flux of tourists, their activities, and behaviours, becomes quite challenging.

The satellite solution

In 2019, Blue Thread developed Blue Discovery, a GNSS-based mobile app free to download and available for IOS and Android. The app is complemented by a web-GIS and an Operational Portal that could be managed by the MPA authorities. This was the case for the MPA of Porto Cesareo, that tested the app during the Summers of 2020 and 2021. Blue Discovery allows visitors to get information on the rules to access and visit the marine protected area, on the itineraries to follow, and on the spots of interest in the area surrounding the MPA. The app relies on GNSS technology embedded in smartphones and allows the authorities responsible for managing the MPA to have reliable information and increased position accuracy on the visitors of the areas through the Operational Portal.

A crowdsourcing function of the app allows visitors to send to the area’s managing authority short reports on the sighting of protected species or on environmental crimes. Visitors can upload on the app geo-referenced photos of what they see with the time on which they took them, together with additional details to help the local authorities to intervene in real-time. Furthermore, Blue Discovery provides visitors with the opportunity to request, pay, and issue permits for activities to be carried out in the MPA directly on the app.  All the data collected by the visitors are immediately visualised by the authority on the web portal, which becomes a database of events happening in the protected area that can be monitored by the authorities and used for reporting.

The results

The app allowed the authorities of the marine protected area of Porto Cesareo to monitor the flow of visitors and to keep track of their position in the area. The Blue Discovery app helped the authority of Porto Cesareo to optimise the time and resources deployed to patrol the area, and to validate the fares paid by the visitors and their permits.

Blue Discovery is constantly under development to better support the authorities in charge of managing marine natural areas. Today, Blue Thread is planning to include Earth observation imagery in the app, with the aim to provide additional support for navigation routes, thanks to the implementation of ad hoc ship detection maps. Lastly, Blue Thread is planning to include in the app the Galileo Commercial Authentication Service (CAS), that will provide authenticated, certified positioning, to avoid privacy and legal issues between the visitors and the MPA’s authorities.

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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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The Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute

The Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) was established in 1980s to promote, coordinate, and conduct research on fisheries in Tanzania. TAFIRI operates under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

TAFIRI is one of the partners of the East Africa Marine Consortium, created within the GMES and Africa initiative. The consortium is led by the Mauritius Oceanographic Institute (MOI) and it includes the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences of Madagascar, the Seychelles Meteorological Authority, and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. The project implemented by the consortium aims at seizing the biological and physical state and dynamics of the ocean, fishing grounds, marine ecosystems for the regional seas, coastal vulnerability, and sea state forecasts, to support marine and coastal management activities and adaptation measures in the East Africa Region.

The challenge

A quarter of Tanzania’s population heavily depends on fishery for economic purposes and food. Fishery contributes for about 1.4% of the national GDP and represents an important source of work, employing over 180,000 people, and 19,000 in fish farming.

Due to climate change-related effects and overfishing, coastal fishery is slowly declining, threatening local communities and the economy. Furthermore, pelagic fish stocks are mostly unexploited, due to very limited means and tools, and to a lack of knowledge on how to locate fishing grounds in offshore waters. Artisanal fishers are mostly dependent on inshore fishing grounds and would need support to access profitable fishing areas offshore.

The satellite solution

Within the framework of the GMES and Africa programme, TAFIRI started a collaboration with local fishing communities in the areas of Fundo (Pemba), Nungwi (Zanzibar), Kipumbwi (Tanga), and Kilindoni (Mafia). The aim was to raise awareness on the uses of EO and GNSS data to identify profitable fishing areas, with the final objective of helping local communities to optimise their resources.

TAFIRI, together with local fishery authorities, trained more than 100 ring-net fishers on the use of satellite navigation to track local fishing grounds and develop new safe fishing techniques. Fishermen were given mobile phones with a dedicated app to collect fisheries information. The app includes an SMS alert system, thanks to which the fishermen receive the coordinates of potential fishing zones, as well as data on water quality and temperature derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2. Once leaving the coast, fishermen activate the GNSS signal and check on the app the vessel’s course to reach the identified fishing station. During the trip, fishermen can also include new information, thus validating the satellite data and including additional information collected during their navigation.

The results

The use of satellite data to improve fishery techniques and to guarantee a sustainable fishery is bringing a series of benefits to local fishermen and responsible authorities. The information captured is used by the government to improve fisheries management plans for small and medium species (e.g., sardines) along with large pelagic fish (Tuna and tuna like species) in the coastal waters of Tanzania. The system based on EO and GNSS data helps reducing fishing pressure on inshore waters and provides reliable information to fishermen.

Also, the system is encouraging artisanal fishermen to adopt innovative techniques that could reduce fishing costs and make fishery a safer job. Indeed, the app guarantees to the fishermen the possibility of working without risking their lives due to outdated maps or inadequate data on water and weather conditions. The use of satellite technology to optimise fishery is preserving the marine ecosystem and is helping to implement new policies and fishing strategies for the development of the country, while improving the livelihood of the fishers.

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While advancements in disaster management have been made, the number of weather-related disasters is poised to increase in the future driven by climate change and other factors like industrialisation and increased urbanisation. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970–2019), more than 11 000 disasters were reported between 1970 and 2019 attributed to weather, climate and water-related hazards, with over 2 million deaths and more than 3 trillion euro in economic losses. The number of disasters has increased by a factor of 5 over this 50-year period. A recent study performed by Christian Aid showed that in 2021 alone, 10 extreme events influenced by climate change caused each 1.3 billion Euro damage or more.

Europe is not exempt. According to the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) in the EU, from 1980 to 2020, natural hazards affected nearly 50 million people and cost Member States an average of 12 billion euros per year.

The rapid growth in the use of satellite applications over recent decades, has the potential to help mitigate the impact of climate change and related hazards. Earth observations, Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and satellite communications all support crucial phases of Disaster Risk Management, from prevention and preparation to response and recovery.

The workshop “Satellite-based Services for Disaster Risk Management” held on May 25th in Athens, aimed at creating a common understanding among Greek and European stakeholders of what satellite-based services can bring during the disaster management cycle and of how to facilitate the access and use of such solutions at national and regional levels.

The workshop was organised by the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) and Eurisy, in cooperation with the Greek Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the Ministry of Digital Governance.

The workshop gathered national stakeholders to present national capabilities, share experiences, exchange best practices and discuss the benefits of satellite-based services for disaster management and the challenges related to their operational use. The workshop’s objectives were manifold:

1. Raise awareness about existing operational services based on Copernicus and Galileo, and about mechanisms to integrate them into the workflows of relevant stakeholders;

2. Collect feedback from stakeholders on user needs and experiences in the integration of satellite-based services for disaster management;

1. Discuss methods to improve accessibility to satellite-based services for disaster management
2. Identify the challenges hindering the uptake of satellite-based services
3. Define policy recommendations, both at national and international levels and provide the basis for a roadmap to smoothen the integration path of satellite-based services.

The workshop was hosted at the premises of the Greek Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and took place in a hybrid format. All the speakers joined the event in presence, while part of the audience attended remotely.

The event aimed at introducing the audience to some of the challenges and risks related to natural hazards at the local level, highlighting the potential uses of satellite applications during the different phases of the disaster risk management cycle. After the keynote speeches from EUSPA Executive Director and the Greek Ministerial representatives, the workshop was structured into two panels focused on a double perspective- service providers and users- with national case studies:

• The first panel “Space assets supporting the Disaster Risk Management Cycle. What can space data contribute to the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery?” intended to raise awareness on satellite-based services for disaster risk management, focusing mostly on national operational services, their use and integration of derived information into daily workflows.
• The second panel “Current challenges and opportunities related to the uptake of satellite data. Users’ best practices and lessons learned stemming from the use of satellite applications in their daily operations”, focused on the user perspective, collecting feedback from the experiences of user communities (farmers, civil protection corps, academia, forest managers).

Greece is very prone to extreme weather phenomena due to its geographic position. During the summer of 2021, intense droughts and wildfires affected the country with severe consequences on the land and life of citizens. As stated during the opening remarks of the workshop by Christos Stylianides, Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, “satellite technologies have proven to be invaluable in addressing emergencies with an enormous potential to further contribute to effective response and adequate recovery” in case of natural disasters. Information retrieved from satellites are poised to become an integrated element of the modern disaster management cycle especially when it comes to climate change related events.

According to Christos Stylianides, Minister for the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, climate change should be considered as a natural disaster itself. Such an approach is meant to provide a holistic framework methodology incorporating cutting-edge innovation and technology, to better and more effectively tackle its hazardous effects. Remote sensing imagery has been successfully used in both disaster management prevention and preparedness phases. Satellite data has been exploited to generate systematic information to support long-term temporal series of climate phenomena, whilst improving early warning of extreme events and the accuracy of disaster’s consequences forecasts. Mr Stylianides reaffirms the country’s need to bridge existing technology gaps between traditional emergency management approaches and what technology can offer to public authorities to protect their citizens.

Athanasios Staveris-Polykalas, Secretary General of Telecommunications and Post within the Ministry of Digital Governance, highlighted the key role satellite communication plays in case a disaster occurs. Greece is currently at the forefront of the satellite communication innovation, especially in the field of secured governmental communication. The launch of Hellas Sat-3 and -4 in 2019, allowed Greece to implement its national GOVSATCOM system connecting parliament, ministries, and civil protection authorities enabling secured communication especially in critical conditions. The digitalisation of the emergency response to guarantee the safety of Greek citizens is a priority of the government’s action.

Nevertheless, disasters are not affected by borders: multi-stakeholder cooperation at any level, from international to local, is crucial to ensure the resilience of any country. At a national level, the Greek Ministry of Digital Transformation and the National Civil Protection are jointly developing an early warning system providing life-saving information to the public through multiple communication pathways relying on several integrated technologies, as described by George M. Karagiannis, Deputy Secretary General for Civil Protection. 

At the European level, the interoperability of the satellite navigation system Galileo and the Earth Observation programme Copernicus increase the safety of citizens around the globe. The EU Space Programme, composed of its flagship Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and now GOVSATCOM, is strengthening the capacity of the European Union to act in all phases of disaster risk management, as recalled by Timo Pesonen, Director General for Defence, Industry and Space at the European Commission. 

Rodrigo da Costa, Executive Director of EUSPA, described how Galileo data is already widely used for search and rescue (SAR) operations increasing the accuracy of the signalled location while reducing operators’ time to respond in a situation of distress. Galileo/SAR is the only system delivering the Return Link Service (RLS). Galileo is designing new features to answer the operational needs of SAR units as closely as possible, to save even more lives. The Remote Beacon Activation Service (e.g. in the case of the disappearance of a plane or a vessel) and the Two-Way communication functionality (that allows rescue coordinators to send pre-programmed questions and instructions to the person in distress) is due to enter into preliminary testing shortly.

As of the 17th of March 2022, all the new generation smartphones are integrated with Galileo receivers to increase the location accuracy of the 112 calls in case of distress.

In addition, the Advanced Mobile Location (AML) protocol is now in place. Since 1999 the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) is actively working to implement an effective 112 service to support people in an emergency. According to Alexis Gizikis, Project Manager at the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), EENA strives to drive change by bringing in technology to resolve existing problems in emergency and disaster management. The AML is a service aiming to overcome the critical issue to determine the exact location of a caller in distress. The development of the AML represents a win-win solution for both emergency services and callers. The system is automatically activated when an emergency call is placed through the GNSS system included in mobiles to quickly and precisely geolocate the caller, drastically reducing the action time. The system does not require an app or any additional steps from the caller and is completely free of charge. The only requirement is the implementation of the system. As of February 2022, 30 countries worldwide have deployed AML.

Ensure safe communication to the emergency service, especially while or after a disaster occurred, is critical to support emergency operations. As mentioned during the opening of the workshop by Athanasios Staveris-Polykalas, Greece is now one of the six countries in Europe with a national operational secure communication system. In this context, Thomas Kalamaris – Technical Director of Hellas Sat, reported that Hellas Sat 3 and 4 have been specifically designed, in cooperation with the Greek Government back in 2017, to facilitate through Greecom internal secure communications between national authorities and embassies, especially during emergencies. Mr Kalamaris mentioned that today Hellas Sat is expanding its offer to the Greek government by looking at other technologies that are usually integrated into the disaster management cycles such as UAV.

Earth Observation has become a cornerstone of disaster risk management. Satellite remote sensing provides decision-makers and civil protection authorities with objective and timely information. This is the case for early warning systems, but also for information on the extent of a disaster immediately after impact. Even through the thickest clouds, radar observations allow monitor areas impacted by a disaster. Haris Kontoes, Research Director, presented two indigenous operational services developed by Beyond-EO Centre of Excellence.  Firehub is an example of how a EO-based solution can be used to respond to wildfires. Risk analysis, AI validated predictions together with fire and smoke dispersion maps, are made publicly available for open consultation. FireHUB products can be used from the early warning phase to the post-disaster one, supporting the preparedness and mitigation capacity of relevant entities. Only in 2021, Firehub has been activated 14 times in the Attica region – one of the most affected during the last fire season. The second service, the FloodHUB system , was co-designed with local users to better respond to real needs. The platform delivers final and actionable information, allowing them to familiarise themselves with a technology-based solution improved through capacity-building mechanisms at both national and regional levels.

Both the Fire and Flood Hubs integrate Copernicus data. Copernicusoffers a set of services helping authorities to take informed decisions in different fields among which are emergency and disaster management. As presented by Laura Bettili, Senior Expert at the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, CEMS comprehend a rapid mapping service and the Risk and Recovery Mapping both accessible by authorised national authorities. The Copernicus rapid mapping service is active at all times. It can provide EO data in a time average spanning between a minimum of 24 hours to a maximum of 5 days. The service is managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC – DG ECHO). Over the last 10 years, it has been activated mostly in conjunction with floodings, wildfires, windstorms, and humanitarian crisis. Greece counts 37 activations making it the third country in Europe in terms of activations requested, after Spain and Italy.

The Risk and Recovery Mapping supports prevention, preparedness, mitigation and recovery activities and is operational only during working hours. It provides maps built integrating several EO data with information on exposure, vulnerability, and resilience for all types of hazards, and in post-disaster phases they can add impact assessment analysis. On May 18th, 2022, this service has been activated for Multi-risk analysis of  the Delphi and Ancient Olympia archaeological sites to produce hazard, exposure, vulnerability and geo-data risk and maps to prepare evacuation plans.

Thanks to its free data and services policy, the Copernicus programme sensitively contributes to the overall economy. Stelios Bollanos, Co-founder & Director of Planetek Hellas,stressed the relevance of this policy to stimulate entrepreneurship, increase revenues and create specialised jobs. As reported in the last EARSC Industry Survey 2021 between 2006 and 2020, Greece managed to boost the local space ecosystem marking a steady increase in revenues and EO employees. In the country, the space downstream segment is rapidly flourishing as illustrated by the capacity to gain about 1% of the overall Copernicus’ service components contract. The development of this part of the space value chain, tightly linked with other digital technologies, is crucial to multiplying economic growth.

Space assets supporting the Disaster Risk Management Cycle

What can space data contribute to prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery? The answer to this question comes from the multiple national examples that have been developed by Greek SMEs, research centres and public institutions.

The National Observatory of Athens (NOA)

is developing satellite-based solutions for disaster risk management integrating other technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ioannis Papoutsis, Researcher at the Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing of the National Observatory of Athens, highlighted the global trend showing a correlation between the rise of temperatures and the frequency of extreme weather events. One of the most visible effects of this phenomenon is represented by wildfires. At NOA, EO and AI are combined to develop a machine learning model predicting the likelihood of actual fires to take place. Data can be made available to first responders and planners with a one-day delay. This service developed as part of the international cooperative project Deep Cube, includes historical fires time series data over the last 10-15 years covering the Mediterranean region including meteorological contexts, burnt areas, vegetation, and land use. Through machine learning, the emerging correlations are better understood, and by using AI semantics it is possible to assess which geographic areas are more at risk than others.

Synergies between AI and Earth Observation are currently studied at the European level. Bringing AI and Copernicus together represents an opportunity to develop a new generation of products. The European Commission as well as national programmes are calling on researchers and industry to investigate this topic. AI4Copernicus introduced by Vangelis Karkaletsis, Director of the Institute of Informatics & Telecommunications (IIΤ) at NCSR Demokritos, is an innovative Horizon 2020 funded project.

The main project goals are:

• Integrate existing resources and EO data to provide access to training material and expertise enriching the AI4EU resources catalogue;
• Foster the AI4EU and Copernicus communities to solve real problems of business and societal value, through Open Calls;
• Drive the evolution, uptake, and impact of the AI4EU and the DIAS platforms.

Dr. Karkaletsis emphasised the opportunities offered by the AI4Copernicus project to the external partners, namely the four open calls on AI&EO for industrial domains, societal challenges, scientific experiments, and citizen social challenges. The relevance of such calls is to support the creation of an open, inclusive, and sustainable AI-EO innovation cycle bridging the gap between AI- and data-driven innovation while providing economic, social & environmental benefits.

Effective prevention and sustainable recovery from wildfires are key for Mediterranean countries, highly exposed to wildfires. This is the case of the PREFER project- Space-based Information Support for Prevention and REcovery of Forest Fires Emergency in the MediteRranean Area. The project, presented by George Eftychidis, Head Satways RTD, was concluded in 2015. Its objectives were to design and develop a pre-operational demonstration of space-based end-to-end information service supporting the prevention, preparedness and recovery of local communities from forest fires in the Mediterranean area. The Information Service consisted of a centralised system for archiving, visualisation, and delivery to end-users of the spatial product, such as seasonal fuel maps, seasonal hazard maps, vulnerability maps, seasonal risk maps, daily hazards maps and prescribed burning maps.

Nikolaos Bartsotas, Post-Doc Researcher in Atmospheric Physics and Numerical Weather Prediction at the National Observatory of Athens, presented a different perspective on the integration of satellite data for informed decision making, especially to adopt recovery measures. Instead of implementing a top-down technology-push approach executed for research purposes, the Beyond Centre is revolving around this methodology centralizing the users and developing solutions addressing actual needs to ensure market sustainability maximising the service adoption in operational practices. The service effectively combines climatological, earth observational, in-situ and state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction data in high resolution, towards a more sophisticated monitoring of precision agricultural needs. This user-centric approach has been tested in three main sectors:

• Agro-insurance;
• Farmers’ Cooperatives;
• Industry

One example entails the need expressed by the insurance firm InterAmerican to develop diversified agricultural parcels’ primes instead of offering a flat insurance rate over a region.

Current challenges and opportunities related to the uptake of satellite data. Users’ best practices and lessons learned stemming from the use of satellite applications in their daily operations

The second panel of the workshop aimed at bringing the perspective of the users of satellite applications from different end-user communities focusing on their main challenges and benefits.

Copernicus, hence satellite based data and information has been widely used for disaster management by Greek authorities, especially the national Civil Protection.  Andreas Antonakos – Hydrogeologist MSc. Civil Protection Greece reported that the Emergency Planning, Prevention and Response Directorate of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection (GSCP) was appointed the national focal point for Greece for the Emergency Management Service (EMS). Over the past ten years the GSCP activated the rapid mapping 38 times for flooding (11 times) and forest fires (27 times) mainly concerning the Attika and Peloponnese regions. The number of activations increased over time reaching a peak in 2021. As reported by Mr Antonakos, Copernicus EMS mapping has been mainly used in the phases of response and early recovery, while rarely for prevention by local or national entities such as forestry services, fire services, the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organisation, services of the regions and municipalities, utility network agencies, etc. The delivery of CEMS products depends on a series of factors including the time span between the disaster and the request of activation of the service, the availability of images for the affected area at the needed time, as well as more technical related aspects such as cloud or smoke coverage.

Zisoula Ntasiou, Fire Lieutenant-Colonel in the Hellenic Fire Corps, represents one of the Greek public authorities using satellite data for their daily workflow. Located in Athens, the Hellenic Fire Corps developed a real-time operational system to facilitate the collection of recordings on hazardous events. The system gathers data from citizens, fire patrols, municipalities, navy, coast guard, as well as webcams and infra-red images from 13 regional prefectures scattered over the national territory. To complement the system, the Hellenic Fire Corps developed a suite of mobile and web apps to support main actors and general public to report on incidents and emergencies. Besides infra-red, Copernicus Sentinel images are used for map production for geospatial intelligence and decision-making support. Since 2013 the Hellenic Fire Corps collaborates with the National Observatory of Athens to exchange data, know-how and services developed and provided within the responsibilities and activities of both parties.

One of the oldest applications of geospatial data is to inform Armed Forces to rapidly react in the case of disasters. Such a service is delivered since 1889 by the Hellenic Army Geographical Corps (HAGS), the oldest gre referenced service of the country. Panagiotis Fragkosis, Major of the Hellenic Army Geographical Corps illustrated the three main phases of disaster risk management cycle supported by their services:

• Risk Management Planning;
• Crisis Response;
• Post event assessment and restitution.

Maps are provided through rapid deployment of overlayed EO images before, during and after an event occurres. The challenges of the HAGS in providing up-to-date maps and information are the availability of satellite imagery both in terms of time and quality (deriving from weather uncertainty, such as clouds and storms); orbital sensors restrictions related to the observations including jurisdiction, privacy and resolution, and the need for a more processing automation that currently requires cumbersome methods and long procedures.

Floods, intense rain or unexpected cold among other extreme events damage crops and negatively affect areas dedicated to farming, decreasing soil fertility. In Greece, InterAmerican supports both farmers and agri-food companies to recover from such events through dedicated insurance schemes. Alexandra Ntinopolou, Corporate and Special Risks Solutions Manager at InterAmerican, illustrated the current use of ResAGRI to optimise the development of targeted primes. To address the need of the firm, the Beyond Centre analysed and merged 40 years of satellite data with the damage record held by Elgar, the public insurance authority that farmers are mandated to use in Greece. Through the obtained database it was possible to identify in a short amount of time areas in specific distress after an incident, avoiding time and resource-consuming evaluations by an agronomist. In addition, to a damage assessment solution, it was possible to develop a satellite-based early-warning forecast on a regional scale, and a fraud protection system where farmers can avoid deceptive client applications in the vicinity of extreme weather events.

On the other side of the spectrum, farmers also need digital solutions for more efficient and sustainable productivity driven by innovation. Georgios Zanakis, Marketing and Development Manager at Corteva, presented some of the solutions they developed to overcome farmers’ challenges as optimisation of plant timing. The Granular Hub is a farm management software helping growers professionals to build and sustain their business. Such software provides the farmers with data driven crop models and insights through satellite high-frequency data including weather forecasts, soil moisture information and literature on seed germination to boost the productivity of the yields.

Satellite-based land monitoring is an asset for many industries as demonstrated by PROION, a project presented by Christos Kontopoulos, CTO, Geosystems Hellas. PROION integrates SAR calibration measurements from Sentinel-1, Cosmo Sky-Med and TerraSAR-X to detect soil deformation in the tectonically and seismically active area of the so-called Greek “Superstite” within the Achaea region. PROION has been developed to monitor critical infrastructure in close cooperation with end users. Key takeaways from the applied process relate to the need for training and consultancy service to fully exploit the data. Mr Kontopoulos insists on the importance to disseminate the satellite-based knowledge derived from projects, promoting the development of free access to open data platforms that could help increase the use of satellite-derived products. Similarly, service providers and companies should expand on previous case studies and success stories to engage with new customers and users.

The full report can be downloaded here: Satellite-based Services for Disaster Risk Management – Eurisy

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It’s again that time of the year: it’s the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) time, the biggest space forum where global actors come together to learn about the most recent trends and developments in the space sector. Organised since the 1950s by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) jointly with local partners, IAC takes place in a different country every year with a different theme to learn more about space and to allow the regional space sector to become part of the global one.

The 72^nd International Astronautical Congress took place, for the first time in its history, in the Arab region, in the setting of Dubai. During the 5-day conference, 5000 delegates from 110 countries gathered under the theme “Inspire, Innovate and Discover for the Benefit of Humankind”. On the occasion of the Public Day, an open day event for space enthusiasts and the general audience, around 1500 visitors among which students and professional from other sectors, visited the IAC exhibition.

Climate Change and space sustainability were key topics of the many sessions and papers presented during the congress. Young professionals and students from all over the world presented their ideas to space professionals demonstrating the interest and commitment of the next generation on this hot topic and how space technology can be the enabler for a change to a cleaner and resilient society.

IAC also brings inspiration and a glimpse into future endeavours. For the first time, nine crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 60/61 gathered to share their experience and knowledge with a wider audience. The panel saw the contribution of NASA astronauts and ROSCOSMOS cosmonauts, together with the UAE astronaut Hazzaa Al Mansoori, the first UAE astronaut to the ISS. Also, Chris Boshuizen, illustrated his experience of training and flying on the Blue Origin’s New Shepard’s second human flight.

IAC2021 was a record event, also for Eurisy, because for the first time it was one of the exhibiting organisations of the event.

The Eurisy booth was the gateway to learn more about the mission and objectives of the organisation and to talk about the relevance of satellite-based solutions for those economic sectors that are not traditionally related to space. What’s more, at the booth Eurisy unveiled the Space Service Hub (SSH). The project, sponsored by ESA and IAF led to the development of a 3D permanent platform embedded in the Eurisy website as well as a virtual reality software showcasing how satellite-based solutions are currently tackling big societal challenges. It aims at engaging potential partners, customers, investors in a friendly way, overcoming the technical barriers that limit the uptake of the satellite applications and that shadow the benefits related to their use. The booth was a gateway for stakeholders to discuss and exchange with the team on future cooperation and joint initiatives. Throughout the week around 50+ visitors had the opportunity to experience the VR tool and to share with us their reactions.

The SSH represents an innovative outreach tool that addresses some among the major setbacks identified by end users by relying on an immersive virtual reality experience and a 3D web platform. The user can discover different areas of our planet, moving with one single touch from a coastal area to a rural, or in an urban environment to discover peculiar challenges and how satellite data are powering solutions to overcome them.

In Dubai, Eurisy also participated to the awarding ceremony of the Global Space Market Challenge (GSMC), a new competition launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) with Eurisy’s operational and technical support held between May 2021 and October 2021. The Challenge’s objective was to give visibility to SMEs with internationalisation ambitions, developing products and/or services for the upstream or downstream space sector showing potential for extra-European and ESA markets. During the 72^nd International Astronautical Congress, the winners of the GSMC had the chance to showcase their products and services and to connect with investors. Discover here the Global Space Market Challenge winners. The ceremony took place on October 26^th with the presence of ESA Director General, Joseph Aschbacher, and the newly appointed ESA Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement, Geraldine Naja.

Among the 3370 abstract submissions, three Eurisy papers got selected to be presented in three technical sessions. The GIS4Schools project has been introduced to an international audience thanks to the paper “Improving STEAM Education in Secondary Schools through the co-creation of new methodologies for teaching GIS products related to climate impact on local communities”. Co-written with Euronike and the Politecnico di Milano, it illustrates the genesis of the project, and the process leading to the development of training packages for secondary schools’ teachers and pupils. It also focuses on the adoption of new methodology and pedagogic approach to enable the transfer of new knowledge from teachers to pupils. The paper is available for download here.

The paper “Messages to the Above: Looking at Art from the Sky” presented Space4Art, a new initiative that Eurisy is exploring to implement with the support of potential new partners. The paper provides an introduction on how aerial photography and satellite imagery have changed our way of looking at Earth, inspiring art movements and allowing for the discovery and appreciation of ancient and more recent artworks. With the presentation at IAC, Eurisy wants to extend its partner research outside the European borders, after all art and sky have no boundaries. The paper is available here. A full report on Space4Art is available on the Eurisy website.

Eventually, the last paper presented was dedicated to the Space4Maritime initiative. The paper, “Space4Maritime: diving into space-based solutions for the maritime domain” mainly addresses service providers and public authorities, providing them with a set of recommendations on how to foster cooperation with maritime operators. But it also targets potential new end users interested in adopting satellite solutions in their workflow. Three case studies were described to complement and explain further the needs of European maritime end-user communities, facilitating the dialogue with the space industry and the uptake of satellite services. Read the paper here.

The 72nd IAC 2021 has been an exciting opportunity to meet our members and exchange with space professionals from around the globe in person. New initiatives will follow, waiting for IAC 2022 in Paris.

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Galileo Masters 2020

Galileo, Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and the accurate, reliable positioning data it delivers will be an essential element in the uptake of autonomous vehicles such as cars, drones, or robots. The technology is not only omnipresent in the global transport sector, it also fulfils a key role in numerous others sectors, especially in healthcare given the current circumstances. Today, the widespread of GNSS-enabled devices such as smartphones and smartwatches enable us to locate distress calls for emergency interventions, but also give us access to fun and educational mobile apps. From sports performance monitoring to animal tracking, tourism, and many other applications you might not expect. While we have come to take it for granted, it is difficult to imagine the workings of our world without satellite navigation capabilities.

By fostering entrepreneurs and startups, the Galileo Masters’ long-term objective is to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness with high-tech space solutions on a global scale. This year’s overall winner of the Galileo Masters 2020, Angsa Robotics, developed Germany’s first autonomous trash collection robot “Clive”. The robot gathers up minor rubbish left on grass or gravel that would otherwise cause ecological and economic problems. “Clive” can move independently, detect and localise individual objects based on its unique artificial neural network architecture. Individual objects such as crown caps or cigarette butts are targeted for collection, while insects are spared. Furthermore, since conventional sweeping machines designed for flat asphalted surfaces cannot be used, other types of areas typically have to be cleaned manually. Hence, “Clive” also creates an economic benefit for its customers. Its target use cases include the cleaning of festival venues after events and the daily cleaning of parks and other green spaces. Precise localisation via GNSS is essential to its operation. With better positioning, the robot can plan a more efficient path and clean a given area faster.

The founders of Angsa Robotics (from left to right): Karl Schulz, Lukas Wiesmeier and Bilal Tariq, © Angsa Robotics

The Galileo Masters has given a significant boost to the rise of the GNSS industry in Europe:

• Annual competition for satellite navigation applications
• More than EUR 1 million worth of prizes
• More than 13,000 Galileo Masters participants since 2004
• Top 100 companies created more than 3,300 jobs
• Generated EUR 178 million in total turnover in 2019
• Raised around EUR 524 million in venture capital

Copernicus Masters 2020

Acting as “Europe’s eyes on Earth”, the Earth observation programme Copernicus provides open access to up-to-date information that can help better understand and sustainably manage our planet. Companies and entrepreneurs can benefit from vast amounts of data related to climate, atmosphere, land, marine, security, and emergency management in developing new solutions for global challenges.

Since 2011, the Copernicus Masters has been driving entrepreneurial talent and new business models that are needed to convert Earth observation data into sustainable services for a wide variety of industries. The international innovation competition awards prizes to outstanding products and services based on Earth observation data.

Reef Support is an automatic warning system that uses artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to detect coral bleaching, algal blooms, sediment plumes, and debris caused by humans. This pioneering technology was crowned the overall winner of the Copernicus Masters 2020. Reef Support addresses both the environmental and economic aspects at hand with state-of-the art technology. Its user-friendly online monitoring and maintenance tool combines artificial intelligence with satellite imagery to track coastal reef health and also provides guidelines for crowd and pollution control, debris management, and coral restoration. Different types of data can be combined to form a picture of reef ecology across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Its deep learning algorithm adapts to user applications and regional tendencies. The Reef Support platform can be used for strategic planning and resource management in aquaculture farming as well.

The Team of Reef Support (from left to right): Crystle Wee, Yohan Runhaar, Marcel Kempers, Marijn van der Laan, Eilidh Radcliff, © Reef Support

The Copernicus Masters has given a significant boost to the rise of the Earth observation industry in Europe:

• Annual competition for commercial Earth observation applications
• More than EUR 550,000 worth of prizes
• More than 4,300 innovative ideas since 2011
• Top 100 companies created more than 2,800 jobs
• Generated EUR 153 million in total turnover in 2019
• Raised around EUR 274 million in venture capital

The Galileo and Copernicus Masters’ close cooperation with institutional, industrial, and regional partners promotes the development of high-tech products and services for Europe on a global scale. Eurisy is proud to be a Regional Associate supporting the awarding of innovative solutions, developments and ideas that use Earth observation and satellite navigation data to tackle the challenges of today.

Join the community and contribute with your own ideas. Next year’s submission phase starts on 1 April 2021!

Our mission is to diffuse space-derived innovation. We are always on the lookout for information about operational satellite applications. Send us your success story and we might showcase it!

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Improved mapping services

Beeline is a prime example of how satellite data can encourage more people to cycle leading to a positive impact on traffic congestion, pollution and health. During a Demonstration Project within the European Space Agency’s Business Applications programme, the London-based company has developed a Bluetooth device and a mobile app allowing cyclists to easily use their smartphone location. Beeline provides a routing and mapping service enabling more pleasant rides for individual cyclists, or faster and safer tracks for bike sharing and delivery companies. Depending on the user’s needs, the app considers sources such as road elevation maps derived from Earth observing satellites, as well as data on cycle infrastructure, or accident hotspots.

Another example is the Bike Citizens app which provides a smart route calculation feature, an option to record activities and collect individual data, as well as campaigns to motivate people to cycle. With this app, Bike Citizens builds a community and connects cyclists. The user base provides statistics and heatmaps which in turn helps to promote and enhance the cycling experience. Additionally, the app stimulates cycling through gamification, rewards, and by involving its users. The gathered information on how people cycle can be analysed to get new insights, for instance on the quality of roads, popular routes, as well as to detect untapped potential. The app helps cities and governments to better plan infrastructure and prioritise improvements, resulting in more cyclists in urban areas. Bike Citizens also participates in research projects such as climate-fit.city to gain a better understanding of how climate (e.g. heat waves, floods, pollution, etc.) affects cycling. It shows urban planners which areas of their cities need specific adaptations to improve their climate resilience. Reducing cyclists’ sensitivities to weather and climate variability can play an important role in promoting cycling as a green mode of transportation.

Apart from commuting to work, people are also considering the bike more often for a physical workout. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the use of fitness apps rose significantly. In the peloton of fitness-tracking apps, Strava is one of the most popular ones. This year, the ride logging and training platform hit 60 million users. Sports practitioners, amateur and professional, can upload their satellite navigation (GNSS) data recorded by a bike computer, smartwatch, or can even track their workout directly with the app on a smartphone. Once uploaded, users can view their activity on a standard or a satellite map, with satellite imagery sourced from DigitalGlobe, NASA, and Mapbox. Even amateurs nowadays ride with bike computers and sensors, allowing them to read various parameters such as power output in watts, heart rate, speed, and distance. The app enables athletes to dive in their data to compare previous efforts and optimise their training. It also stimulates people to stay active with all kinds of challenges as well as with the competitive element of segments, marking popular stretches of a road or trail (such as your favorite local climb) linked to a leaderboard of times set by every Strava athlete who has been there before.

Apart from performance measuring, the app also features a mapping tool to create routes. Satellite imagery allows users to preview the track so that they can filter out specific types of roads according to their preference. Furthermore, the social aspect of the app includes the option to share recorded activities with photos on a feed where friends and followers can give kudos and leave comments on each other’s activities. As a social network for athletes with most features relying on satellite data, the app is an excellent example of how we benefit from space technology in everyday life. The app has always been free, although features such as the route builder, training analysis and complete leaderboards have been restricted to paying subscribers only. Earlier this year, the developers released an open letter explaining their decision. “We think that $5 a month for Strava is money well spent. But we also know, especially lately, that there are athletes struggling to make ends meet and that the free version of Strava must remain high quality and useful.” Despite the sanitary crisis, the shift towards a subscription model indicates the growing market for sports performance tracking.

The data collected on fitness-tracking apps can be utilised for a number of purposes. Relive for example, generates 3D video stories of bike rides and runs using the data collected from its users’ activity tracking apps, as well as their personal photographs. The app maps the GNSS data on satellite imagery from the ESRI World Imagery basemap, enabling athletes to share their rides via virtual 3D video tours. By combining performance tracking data with digital maps, Relive makes short 3D animation videos that exhibit the highlights from a cyclist’s trek. The animation can include the route the athlete took with metrics such as terrain elevation, the length and average speed of the ride, and it can be combined with pop-ups of photographs taken during the activity. As such, athletes can share their outdoor adventures in a one-minute video.

An immersive indoor cycling experience

Cyclists are spending more time indoors than ever. According to the 2019 Year in Sport Data Report, virtual cycling technology adoption by cyclists has nearly tripled since 2016. As virtual riding platforms continue to grow, pedaling indoors has become a convenient way to stay fit all year round. It might be surprising, but also for these indoor rides satellite data makes a difference.

There are numerous platforms offering gamified virtual courses based on iconic roads and climbs like the Mont Ventoux or the Passo dello Stelvio. GNSS data enables the replication of exact gradients and road profiles of real-world locations. When paired with a smart trainer, the resistance changes based on the terrain, simulating the way you would feel if you were actually climbing it in the real world. Some apps offer a gamified virtual world, others aim to simulate the real world as much as possible with augmented reality. An example of an indoor cycling app offering a combination of virtual reconstruction, satellite imagery, and video footage is Rouvy. It integrates with Google Earth allowing users to create custom routes by selecting a start and then dropping points on the map, in a similar way as when using a mapping software to create routes for a GNSS-enabled bike computer, but users can also upload ride videos from an action camera like a GoPro and synchronise them with these routes.

The emerging trend of online racing is partly due to the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic. With numerous races cancelled throughout the year, cycling organisations have played a major role in the rise of online racing. From the Tour of Flanders to the Tour of Swiss, major events turned towards the virtual alternative. This greatly increased the visibility of virtual cycling, leading the technology for a fun and immersive indoor cycling experience to go mainstream. As the pedal power of the athlete drives the scenic view on a screen, the technology combines social interaction with graphic elements for a realistic physical workout from home. More than any other year, this brings like-minded cyclists together.

Let’s pedal to prove our mettle

Cycling has many benefits for society and our health, especially given the ongoing pandemic. It offers an important alternative for crowded public transport and a good way for some physical exercising, even from home. While satellite-based innovations continue to improve the cycling experience for those who venture through the real world, indoor rides are also becoming more realistic and effective thanks to satellite imagery and the widespread of GNSS wearables. Often without even realising it, people are connected with the infrastructure orbiting our planet. We all use satellite data, and a large part of it originates from the European space programme. Whether commuting to work or staying fit, satellite applications enable a better cycling experience both outdoors and indoors!

Our mission is to diffuse space-derived innovation. We are always on the lookout for information about operational satellite applications. Send us your success story and we might showcase it!

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Stichtsche Cricket & Hockey Club (SCHC) is a Dutch sports club based in Utrecht. The club exists since 1906 and is best known for its field hockey department. While their men’s hockey team currently plays in the second division, the women’s team has played at the highest level since 2004 and is one of the top teams in the Netherlands.

Lucas Judge is a former field hockey international. In 2018-2020 he was the assistant coach for the Netherlands’ national women’s hockey team, the reigning world champion, and he is currently head coach of the SCHC women’s team.

The challenge

During the 2020-2021 season, the club is competing for a spot in the playoffs with the four best teams of the national league. Six players within the team are also preparing to play in the national team in the Olympics. For the club, maintaining fitness levels during the season and avoiding injuries is essential to performance. Lucas and his staff were looking for reliable ways to improve performance monitoring of their athletes that would not be perceived as stressful or invasive.

The satellite solution

Lucas is a strong supporter of performance tracking technologies. He witnessed the very early stages of GPS technology around 20 years ago, when Catapult Sports was starting up in Australia and had the opportunity of testing tracking devices during his playing days.

In 2018 the club decided to start using the JOHAN Sports tracking system. Ever since, players have been wearing a compression vest featuring a sensor between their shoulder blades. The trackers geolocate the movements of the players on the pitch with satellite navigation and provide in-depth data on a wide range of parameters including velocity, deceleration, acceleration, positioning, covered distance, and player load.

An analysis platform allows data to be stored, processed and analysed online. The coach can then see a list of statistics of all the players on a tablet, smartphone, laptop, or any other kind of digital interface. The software offers additional analytical tools to make training reports, providing quick feedback and a better overview.

The results

Better knowledge of individual player performance allows sports scientists and coaches to make informed decisions about training content and enables more accurate and tailored programme planning, for instance extra rest when a player is at risk of injury due to fatigue. The data can also be used to trigger the curiosity of players, as they are now able to verify how intensely they have trained.

While the data should not be sacred, it is a valuable source of information and when interpreted in the right way it contributes to a better training plan resulting in a fitter team. “It is hard to identify a causal relationship between the use of the trackers and a decrease in injuries, but I am convinced that it makes a positive contribution to our overall training programme as it allows us to make better informed decisions. Being able to monitor players remotely is also an asset, especially given the COVID-19 situation. Players can take a sensor with them and wear it during a workout at home.”

The trackers have become an integral part of the game for today’s top clubs. JOHAN Sports strives to make their system affordable for sports teams on all levels. At SCHC both the men’s and women’s first teams make use of the trackers and a limited number of trackers are made available to the coordinators of the youth teams.

“Personally, I consider the technology a must at the highest level and in recent years I have really seen the usage of satellite tracking technology become mainstream within most professional clubs.”

Lucas Judge, head coach of the SCHC women’s team.

Our mission is to diffuse space-derived innovation. We are always on the lookout for information about operational satellite applications. Send us your success story and we might showcase it!

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