The agenda covered various topics – from the overview of major strategic prerogatives in the space domain of the upcoming Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU to the insights into the ESA space accelerators and ESA Scale up Programme. The participants also discussed the critical shortage of skilled workforce in Europe, that eurisy will actively address in 2024 thanks to the Erasmus+ project SpaceSUITE, the role  and activities of the newly established EU Space Support Office (former Copernicus Support Office), the current activities of standartisation related to space downstream segment and how this could support the procurement of spaceborne services. Members were also challenged to brainstorm how to better connect emerging and established space nations revamping the concept of Members’ Corner.  The meeting was an occasion for the Eurisy secretariat to present the yearly results of its activities and projects and give a flavour of new initiatives. The Agenda of the day with the link to download all the presentation is available at the end of the article!

The meeting kicked off with the opening address of Mr. Julien Beclard, BELSPO representative, who introduced the audience with the most recent developments in the European space sector and the priorities set by the future presidency of Belgium in the EU. Acknowledging the importance of space activities as a strategic asset, particularly in domains such as security, defense, climate change mitigation, and the empowerment of New Space actors, the Belgium presidency will aim to advance cybersecurity and secure connectivity and to promote the safe, sustainable, and secure use of space. In dealing with these challenges, including also responsible international cooperation, the commitment to nurturing the EU’s open strategic autonomy will run as a common thread. Mr. Beclard outlined that an increasingly congested orbital space raised the necessity of regulation and development of the EU space traffic management approach to contribute to security, sustainability and protection of space. As a result, the EU Council adopted on 8 December conclusions on space traffic management urging on the Commission, the European External Action Service and the European Defence Agency to work with member states to ensure that defence and security aspects are given due consideration, while stressing the civil nature of the EU space programmes.

Ms. Isabelle Duvaux-Béchon, ESA Senior Advisor from the Accelerator Core Team, presented the ESA Accelerators which is a new concept developed by the Agency to boost the use of space based solutions. With the focus on a user-driven approach, there is a need to build a virtuous circle starting from the needs of the users defining the offer and back. To bring this idea to a new level, this concept of accelerating the use of space has been introduced. Resolution adopted by the Ministers at the Space Summit on 6 November 2023 encourages the Space for Green Future Accelerator and supports Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response Accelerator, as well as Protect Accelerator shielding space assets from debris and space weather events. ESA is currently partnering up with relevant stakeholders to each of the three accelerators. Ms. Duvaux-Béchon mentioned the accelerators’ generic development plan for 2023-2026, with the beginning of full operations going beyond 2026.  She also touched upon the Civil Security from Space Programme adopted in November 2023 and being the first multidomain programme at ESA.

ESA at the last CM22 presented an overarching strategy to support space companies in their commercialisation endeavours in all the possible aspects. The ESA Scale up Programme was illustrated by Dr. Gianluigi Baldesi, Head of Ventures and Financing Office. He gave an overview of European public investments into space estimated at 14 billion euros (3% growth) in 2022 and 1 billion euros (66% growth) of private investments in European space ventures the same year. With the ScaleUp Innovate ESA is supporting the pre-commercialisation and R&D programmes for aerospace companies, while ScaleUp Invest is supporting the development of ventures in new space markets, enabling aerospace companies with a vision to scale up their operations to become the next big European player on the global space market.

Evolution of the Copernicus Support office into the EU Space Support Office was addressed by Mr. Stéphan Ourevitch who before delving into the novelties highlighted the numbers of users of Copernicus Data Store mounting to 200 000 persons in June 2023, passing beyond the 250 000 marker in September and in November. Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem was reported to be a new data access platform launched in January 2023, easy in use and navigation to retrieve data from Sentinel without any particular expert knowledge. Talking about the Copernicus Expansion mission, Mr. Ourevitch outlined that the re-entry of the United Kingdome in Copernicus has played a role in reinforcing the funding of the Programme and its prospects.  He also highlighted that a political agreement on UK participation in Horizon Europe was reached in September 2023 which was an important milestone of the year.  Another achievement was the launch of the first four Copernicus thematic Hubs during the EU Space Week in Sevilla with the aim to improve the user experience and streamline access to key information for different stakeholders, policymakers and users by leveraging the open data and information available from different Copernicus core services and providing thematic one-stop-shops. The areas of interest of the HUBs lanched are health, coastal zones, the Arctic, and energy. In addition to this, Copernicus is expanding geographically, with its Data Centers being launched in Panama, the Philippines and Chilly, thus broadening the range of users across the globe. Explaining the transition from Copernicus Support Office to the EU Space Programme Support Office, Mr. Ourevitch emphasized that the change came from the fact that, following EU regulations, all the components of the EU Space Programme are now under one roof with the Commission trying to promote synergies and mutualise some resources. Since 1 September 2023 the new EU Space Programme Office has been addressing the questions coming from users, citizens and media regarding the IRIS 2, GOVSATCOM, Cassini, Space TManagement, etc.

Mr. Miguel Oriz, Deputy Head of GEOLOC Lab, ISO-TC20-SC14-WG8 convenor at Gustave Eiffel University elaborated on the downstream standartisation services. He enumerated several reasons  why the downstream standartisation is needed as follows:  federation of experts, operators and industries in one domain; development of common international downstream standards to promote the downstream market, enhancement of interoperability and promotion of fair comparison of performances. Ms. Stefka Domuzova, EO Consultant from Climate-KIC elaborated on the PROTECT project – a Horizon Europe project operational for 1,5 year now with the goal to raise awareness and build capacity for the use of pre-commercial procurement in the field of climate services and Earth observation. Pre-commercial procurement is being regarded as one of the many tools that have been emerging over the past years that support the co-creation and co-development of solutions.

Being procurement of EO enabled services one of the biggest challenges currently experienced by public administration the capacity these kinds of projects are building is essential to support a wider uptake of the solutions and services for a multifaced objectives.

Ms. Anna Purkhauser, Senior Consultant at Space.tec partners and project manager at Stars*EU project tackled the issue of the shortage of skills in downstream space value chain in Europe. It was concluded that the space industry does not receive enough qualified applications from graduates, and those applicants who are selected still need training on site. Among the key gaps identified by the research conducted by Stars*EU were fragmentation of skills and education ecosystem, absence of an established accreditation framework, difficulty to attract new talent and limited focus on space for kids, limited activities aimed at fresh graduates and young professionals.

The meeting was concluded by Eurisy President Dominique Tilmans who called upon the participants to discover more about Switch to Space initiative which came about in 2018 as an answer to the lack of young graduates in the space sector. The Switch to Space is seen as a national event that will collect young graduates and students, research centers and space experts under one roof in Brussels. Ms. Tilmans with the support of eurisy has the ambition to internationalise this unique event and to hold similar events in other countries across Europe.

The Members’ Day has also been the stage to present major results from the projects currently populating eurisy’s initiatives. Ms Annalisa Donati emphasised a preliminary overview of the aggregated results of the needs analysis performed in conjunction of the national workshops co-organised with EUSPA on the topic od Disaster Risk Management. To support a deeper awareness of the benefits of satellite solutipons for climate resilience and adaptation a roadmap related to the activities of the project Copernicus Connection was illustrated, the project aims at sharing knowledge and experience among European regions and at promoting the operational uses of Copernicus data and services by local and regional authorities, with a geographic focus on France, Germany, and Switzerland.

2023 marked the end of two major eurisy project e-shape (the flagship EC project Moving away from a data-centric approach to a user-driven era) and GIS4Schools, two others have been kicked off. To delve into the possibilities offered by EO for the monitoring and protection of cultural heritage eurisy joined the consortium led by ICCS for THETIDA.

To address the need to train the trainers, equipping teachers with a set of GEO related skills eurisy also joined the GEO-Academy.

Much more is part of the activities of the association including the members’ corner, the online platform to discuss national activities of our members, our use cases developed to ensure an easy understanding of the benefits of satellite solutions for sector of our society not related to space, we invite all of you to follow our social media to discover what space can offer to all of you!

AGENDA

10:00 – 10:15 Welcome and introduction, Ms Dominique Tilmans, Eurisy President
10:15 – 10:30 BELSPO representative opening address. Overview of major strategic priorities of
the Belgian presidency in the space domain
10:30 – 11:00 Overview of the Eurisy activities during the past year, Ms Annalisa Donati, Eurisy
Secretary General, introduction of new team members
11:00 – 11:30 Isabelle Duvaux-Béchon, ESA Senior Advisor – Accelerator Core Team, Interactive discussion: Outcomes of the European Space Summit. Insights into the ESA Accelerators.
11:45 – 12:15 Dr. Gianluigi Baldesi, ESA Head of Ventures and Financing Office, ESA Scale up Programme: how to boost commercialisation of European space solutions.
12:15 – 12:45 Stéphane Ourevitch, the newly established EU Support Office role and activities to boost users uptake

14:30 – 15:15 Interactive discussion on standardization and PROTECT, the case for pre-commercial procurement
Miguel Oriz, Deputy head of GEOLOC Lab, ISO-TC20-SC14-WG8 convenor, Gustave Eiffel University and Stefka Domuzova, EO Consultant, Climate-KICSkills

15:15 – 16: 00 Ms Anna Purkhauser, Senior Consultant at Space.tec partners, STARS*EU shortage of GEO skills in Europe 
Switch to Space Dominique Tilmans, Eurisy president

At Eurisy, our goal is to build solid relations with communities new to space, to encourage innovative uses of satellite applications to respond to today’s challenges and to share experiences among professionals from different backgrounds. Are you interested to contribute to our mission to bridge space and society? Then do not hesitate to download the vacancies below!

The Eurisy Project Officer will support and lead different activities, including research, communications, events organisation, surveys, interviews, externally-funded project proposal development, presentations and any other tasks which are part of the ordinary activities of Eurisy. The Project Officer will work under the supervision of the Secretary General and in close collaboration with other team members and external partners.

The post-holder will oversee project’s inputs according to the approved project documentation, in line with Eurisy´s mission and operational rules. S/he will contribute to the production of substantive project contents and communication activities, and will be responsible for the timely achievement of high-quality outputs within the assigned areas of work.

Closing date for applications: 19th of November  2023

Download the vacancy to apply 

In a nutshell:

We are looking for a junior candidate with a Master’s degree in any scientific/technical or social science discipline, fluent in English, highly articulate, with the ability to write in a clear and well-structured way, and with at least 1 year of relevant professional experience.

Experience in multicultural environments, preferably in non-profit or international organisations, as well as proficiency in spoken French will be considered as a distinctive advantage. The following competencies and skills are required for the position:

• Solid analytical, drafting and organisational skills;
• Good communication and problem-solving skills;
• Good computer literacy: Google Docs, MS Office, presentations, spreadsheets, databases, web-meeting platforms;
• Ability to learn quickly, think on your feet, be practical and adapt to a variety of situations and settings;
• Ability to develop and build a strong network of relevant partners;
• Highly motivated, curious, energetic, sociable and sensible;
• Ability to work both autonomously and in teams;
• Ability to interact sensitively and appropriately with interlocutors from different backgrounds and in different settings.

The Eurisy Communication and Administration Officer is expected to support and/or lead different activities, including planning, revision and implementation of Eurisy’s annual Communication strategy as well as the writing of articles and user cases, reports, social media posts; doing interviews, organising events, managing large networks of partners, and of externally-funded projects, and any other tasks part of Eurisy ordinary activities. The candidate will work under the supervision of the Secretary General and in close collaboration with other team members and external partners.

The post-holder has to be flexible and motivated as well as highly organised and an open-minded, enthusiastic and pro-active team worker by participating in various and transverse activities overseeing project’s inputs according to the approved project documentation, in line with Eurisy´s mission and operational rules. S/he will contribute to the production of substantive communication materials and project contents. S/he will be responsible for the timely achievement of high-quality outputs within the assigned areas of work.

Closing date for applications: 28th of November  2023

Download the vacancy to apply 

In a nutshell:

We are looking for a junior candidate with a Master’s degree in Communication, Public Relations, Social Sciences, Business administration or equivalent and with at least 1 year of relevant professional experience. A proven experience in the space sector or in sectors related to innovation technology as well as proficiency in spoken French will be considered as a distinctive advantage. The following competencies and skills are required for the position:

• Excellent knowledge and/or mastery of digital communication channels and tools including:
  • Social Media (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter, )
  • Graphic editing software (e.g., Canva and Publisher)
  • WordPress – programming skills are NOT required
  • SEM (e.g. Google Ads) and SEO
  • Other tools (e.g. MailChimp)
• Strong copywriting ability for multiple platforms and audiences (e.g. social media, websites, newsletters);

The working language of Eurisy is English. Excellent command of the English language, written and oral, is a prerequisite.

Who can apply?

Diverse participants from city consortia, industries, SMEs, researchers, and experts.

Why apply?

Elevate your profile within the expansive EU Smart Cities community, fostering connections with influential EU-level initiatives and collaborative projects through the Smart Cities Marketplace. Engage in meaningful peer exchanges, potentially forging consortia to drive tangible, cross-regional, and Member State-reaching actions. Your ideas, your impact.

What is expected?

Members in the Discussion and Focus groups contribute on a voluntary basis. Focus groups meet online or in person, while Discussion groups exchange ideas in an online forum.

When to apply?

Applications for both calls must be submitted by 29 September 2023 at 18:00 CET.

Explore the possibilities, shape your project ideas, and close a deal for launching your Smart City solution!

For inquiries, contact info@smartcitiesmarketplace.eu. Apply now and be a part of the future of smart cities!

Apply here

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

Who is it for?

Quasar is for Italian startups active in the space sector, more in particular early-stage startups (constituted or underway) with high technology potential in three macro categories:

• Space Infrastructure (In-Space propulsion, Space debris mitigation, Intersatellite communication, Space miniaturization)
• Space-Enabled Applications (Logistics & Mobility, Environmental monitoring & Agritech, Insurtech, IoT & Connectivity)
• Tech For Space (Data Management & Cybersecurity solutions, Advanced materials & Energy solutions, Edge computing & Quantum tech)

What is there to gain?

Successful applicants will benefit from multidisciplinary support with industry mentors in the fields of Tech, Business, Funding, Policy & Legal. Moreover, they will have direct access to a dense network of entrepreneurs and industrial managers. They will also have the opportunity to present in front of a crowd of selected investors.

How does it work?

Applications will be collected through a dedicated form within the official website. Projects will be evaluated by a team of experts from both technical and business strategy. The top six applicants will have access to a one-to-one mentorship journey adapted to their needs. The mentor pool includes professionals with specific skills in four verticals: Tech, Business, Funding, Policy & Legal. Finally, teams will present their startups during the final event in front of a crowd of investors, industry companies and institutional bodies.

The final event, held in Milan on 3 December 2021, will be an opportunity to discuss the most important developments in the New Space Economy and create new opportunities for collaboration between ecosystem actors.

Are you ready to ignite the Italian space ecosystem? Apply here by 22 October 2021!

Start-up companies and SMEs make a significant contribution to building a globally competitive European space sector. To support these entities in their internationalisation efforts, ESA, together with the operational support of Eurisy, has organised the Global Space Markets Challenge. Small promising space-based companies, specialised in upstream or downstream activities and looking to enter new international markets, have now another chance to join the challenge as the deadline for applications has been extended to 30 July.

Three upstream and three downstream SMEs (including start-up companies) with excellent internationalisation plans will win prizes and promotion opportunities, including the chance to showcase their business at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), expected to take place in Dubai from 25–29 October 2021 and to connect with the investor community and with financial institutions.

Eurisy especially encourages downstream companies to apply. In addition to the six overall winners, three more downstream companies will be offered the opportunity to have the presentation of their products and/or services embedded in an immersive 3D web platform. These will also be featured in a unique Virtual Reality tool and in a video, to be presented at ESA or Eurisy roadshows, booths, and international events and fairs. The VR tool and 3D web platform have been designed to overcome some of the major obstacles in the integration and adoption of satellite-based services. Avoiding technical jargon, and with a strong focus on the use and benefits, these will become effective marketing tools.

On 10 September, ESA will announce 12 finalists. On 28 September, the delegates of the Industrial Policy Evolution Working Group (IPE-WG) will select the six best-placed applicants who will be proposed for nomination as winners to ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher who will grant the awards: three for the upstream category, and three for the downstream category.

Click here to find further information on this competition and apply.

The competition offers SMEs a novel opportunity to present their plans to introduce their space products and/or services to identified target markets. The selected applicants will benefit from awards and support to help them reach new potential users, customers, investors and partners.

If you are working for a space company in an ESA Member States, Associate State or Canada, then this will be of interest to you. The Challenge’s benefits are designed for both the upstream and downstream space sector. Completing the application process only requires a few steps, so there is still time to apply before the end of June!

Competition awards will be available in two categories: upstream and downstream.

Downstream space companies

The Challenge’s downstream category encompasses daily operations of space infrastructure and “down-to-earth” activities that directly rely on the provision of a space capacity (satellite technology, signals or data) to exist and function.

ESA will design, with the assistance of each of the category’s winners, a prospective ESA mentoring programme, addressing the specific needs of each winner to their internationalisation plans (1^st place: EUR 15,000; 2^nd place EUR 10,000; 3^rd place EUR 5,000).

A total of six applicants from downstream companies will also be offered by Eurisy the opportunity to have the presentation of their products and/or services embedded in a Virtual Reality tool and in a video, to be presented at ESA or Eurisy roadshows and booths and international events and fairs. The video will also feature on an associated 3D web platform. The VR tool and 3D web platform have been designed to overcome some of the major obstacles in the integration and adoption of satellite-based services. Avoiding technical jargon, and with a strong focus on the use and benefits, these will become effective marketing tools.

The downstream winners will also be given the opportunity to attend a prestigious third-party event (currently foreseen is the International Astronautical Congress of October 2021 in Dubai), where each winner will have the opportunity to present their company as well as their products or services to potential customers.

Upstream space companies

The Challenge’s upstream category encompasses scientific and technological foundations of space programmes, as well as manufacturing and production of space systems.

ESA will design, with the assistance of each of the category’s winners, a prospective ESA mentoring programme, addressing the specific needs of each winner to their internationalisation plans (1^st place: EUR 15,000; 2^nd place EUR 10,000; 3^rd place EUR 5,000).

The winners of the upstream category will be given the opportunity to attend an event organised by ESA (currently foreseen is the next edition of the ESA Industry Space Days). They will also be given the opportunity to attend a prestigious third-party event (currently foreseen is the International Astronautical Congress of October 2021 in Dubai), where each winner will have the opportunity to present their company as well as their products or services to potential customers.

For more information, visit the official Challenge page and apply by 30 June 2021!

Developments within small European companies continue to advance Europe’s expertise in technologies, create jobs, stimulate the space economy and benefit daily life through applications such as telecommunication, science data, Earth observation and navigation. This competition serves to extend their reach into international markets.

All entrants should meet the criteria set out in the General Terms and Conditions of the competition and send in their applications to ESA by 23 June 2021.

Six SMEs (including start-up companies) with excellent internationalisation plans will win prizes and promotion opportunities, including the chance to showcase their business at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress (IAC), expected to take place in Dubai from 25–29 October 2021 and to connect with the investor community and with financial institutions.

European space revenue in the upstream domain accounts for €9 billion – 35% of the global market. Revenue generated from downstream applications accounts for €70 billion which is just 25% of the global market.

ESA, in line with its Agenda 2025, has set up this competition to grow and support European space-based businesses by improving their visibility and worldwide competitiveness to help them be part of opportunities in the global space market.

Applicants can win by presenting the most promising and convincing plans to take their products and/or services to their target international markets.

Winners of the upstream category will also be offered the opportunity to attend an ESA event, such as the Industry Space Days. At this event winners of this category will be offered a company booth for a chance to network, create partnerships and introduce their business to a wider community of space-based companies and potential customers.

In the downstream category, Eurisy, a European non-profit association of more than 15 national space agencies and other organisations involved in space activities, which is partnered with ESA in this competition, will offer the top six downstream companies, the opportunity to have their products or services showcased in a virtual reality environment. This environment will be available online as well as through a virtual reality headset which will be used by Eurisy and ESA at international events and fairs.

On 10 September, ESA will announce 12 finalists. On 28 September, the delegates of the Industrial Policy Evolution Working Group (IPE-WG) will select the six best-placed applicants who will be proposed for nomination as winners to ESA’s Director General Josef Aschbacher who will grant the awards: three for the upstream category, and three for the downstream category.

Find further information on this competition and apply here!

What is IoT? Internet of Things is a connected technology that aims at filling the gap between humans, machines and data. More specifically, IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital gears with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interactions.[1]

Satellite technology will play a critical role in supporting the development of the IoT sector in order to maximise the potential of the IoT interconnected devices. In this context, satellite technology can deliver multiple frequencies, coverage to provide tailored services for smart applications such as solutions for shipping and transportation systems.[2]

Figure 1. Kinéis nanosatellites constellation to be deployed by 2023. Source: Kinéis

According to the InMarsat Report “Industrial IoT on land and at sea: Maritime”[3], different subsectors in the maritime domain are already adopting IoT-based solutions to achieve efficient services, in terms of operations (e.g. the logistic domain), reduce human errors and risks (e.g. maritime traffic), and enhance the offered services (e.g. shipping).

Ifremer (French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea) and the satellite operator and global connectivity provider Kinéis, are launching the Call for Expression of Interest (AMI- Appel à Manifestation d’Intérêt) “Development of marine and maritime services based on spatial data using IoT Kinéis technology”. The call is supported by the clusters Pôle Mer Bretagne-Atlantique and Pôle Mer Mediterranée.

The AMI aims at developing pre-operational solutions using Kinéis technology in the areas of activity of Ifremer, such as ocean knowledge and protection, and the development of the blue economy. In particular, Ifremer aims at financially supporting 5 to 8 projects between the period 2021-2023 through 4 calls for this AMI.

1. First call: 14 May 2021
2. Second call: 17 September 2021
3. Third call: 17 January 2022
4. Fourth call: 17 June 2022

The expected innovative projects will have to target the following sectors of applications:

Halieutic, fishing, aquaculture

• Traceability of the halieutic resources and the associated exploitation process;
• Connectivity of fisheries devices (fishing net, FAD, fish traps, buoys, etc. );
• Use of Biologging in the process of evaluation and exploitation of resources;
• Monitoring of farming

Biodiversity monitoring and assessment

• Biologging
• Observation of natural and artificial habitats
• Monitoring of the chemico-physical status of the marine environment

Maintenance and logistics of surface marine infrastructures and vessels

• Monitoring and positioning of marine equipment seeing by satellites
• Industrial facilities on the sea (offshore, etc.)

The participants to the call should be a consortium composed of one (or more) socio-economic partners and one Ifremer team. The AMI is open to everyone regardless their nationality. What matters is the link of the project with the blue economy sectors and their further development.

The selected demo projects will have a duration of 24 months. At the end of the two years, the proposed solution should reach a TRL 5 (Technology Readiness Level), meaning that the technology has been validated and tested in an industrial environment.

For each selected project, Ifremer will set up a partnership agreement. Based on the eligible costs, the economic support agreed to the partners is limited to:

• €100k per partner;
• €150k per consortium (not including Ifremer teams’ costs).

The laureate projects will receive a minimum of 2 Kinéis development kits that includes:

• An Arduino evaluation board;
• Multiple Kinéis modules;
• A technical support of about 2.5 days per project;
• Access during the 24 months of the project to the unlimited data available on the platform Argos Web/Kinéis and unlimited Airtime with a tailored strategy for each use case.

The AMI is open until May 14^th 2021 at 14:00 CET. The laureates projects will be announced in July 2021. Don’t miss this opportunity, submit your proposal here. For additional information: ami-ifremer_kineis@polemermediterranee.com

[1] Baibhav Mishra, Role of Internet of Things in Shipping and Maritime industry, Sea News. Sept. 7^th 2020. https://seanews.co.uk/features/role-of-internet-of-things-in-shipping-and-maritime-industry/

[2] EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), Internet of Things (IoT) and the Role of Satellites, https://www.esoa.net/cms-data/positions/1695%20ESOA%20IOT%20%20Sat%20Brochure%20Proof%204.pdf

[3] InMarsat, Industrial IOT on land and at sea: Maritime, InMarsat Research Programme 2018. https://www.inmarsat.com/content/dam/inmarsat/corporate/documents/maritime/insights/Inmarsat_IIoT_on_land_and_at_sea_Maritime.PDF

The Copernicus Masters is the leading innovation competition for commercial Earth observation (EO) applications. Open for submissions until 6 July 2020, the competition awards prizes to innovative solutions, services, and business concepts that use EO data to solve important societal and environmental challenges. With more than EUR 550,000 worth of prizes, businesses and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to innovate with big data from space.

Similarly, the Galileo Masters annually awards prizes to the best services, products, and business concepts that use satellite navigation in everyday life, spurring the development of respective market-driven applications. Open for submissions until 6 July 2020, the competition awards prizes to innovative solutions at each development stage, with the objective of turning them into real businesses. With more than EUR 1 million worth of prizes, there is an opportunity for great minds to boost their business with Galileo/EGNOS.