The "Eyes on Plastic" conference, organised by Enel with the participation of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Municipality of Genoa, was held today as part of the Ocean Race event. The meeting was attended by the Mayor Marco Bucci, Marco Campomenosi, Deputy of the European Parliament, Sergio Liardo, Admiral Inspector (CP) Maritime Director of Liguria, Sonia Sandei, Head of Electrification at Enel Group, Davide Coppola, Head of Space Applications Initiatives at ESA and Alfredo Viglienzoni, Director of the Technology Office Area of the Municipality of Genoa.

The initial results from the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the use of space technologies and applications to accelerate green and blue innovation, which was signed by the three parties in January 2022, were presented during the conference. As part of the MoU, the three parties have committed to supporting the development of innovative space applications relating to the blue economy, green mobility, the port and infrastructure.

"Eyes on Plastic" is the first project to be born from the signing of the protocol and is linked to the monitoring and reuse of plastics at sea from a circular economy perspective. The project - presented by Stefan Mühlbauer, EOMAP Project and Product Manager, and by Stefania Traverso, Head of the SIT Office at Genoa Municipality Technology Office Management, is being developed by the European consortium EOMAP. It combines data from satellite earth observation, sensors and on-site platforms, as well as innovative IT and algorithms, to identify the presence of plastic waste in water. The artwork "Ocean Gyre" by Raul Orvieto, made with plastic collected after the storms, was also presented.

”I am proud that Genoa has been chosen as a pilot city for this project” commented the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci. “Every action that encourages innovation and improves the quality of life is essential for the city of the future. It is an important opportunity for collaboration: the dialogue between three different entities allows for the merging of skills and visions towards common objectives. Genoa wants to be at the centre of the ecological transition. The Ocean Race represents the ideal opportunity to give visibility to these projects worldwide. Everyone must be aware that ocean water is essential for the life of the planet: by respecting the oceans we respect the world. I thank Enel and ESA for the sensitivity shown on the subject and I am convinced that this collaboration will bring important results.”

“We joined this project with conviction and enthusiasm and today we are proud to present the fruits of the collaboration with ESA and the Municipality of Genoa” said Sonia Sandei, Head of Electrification at Enel Group. “Our contribution, combined with local knowledge, technological innovations and the experience of other interested parties, has made it possible to develop an innovative technology that will bring undoubted benefits to the sea, enhancing the circular economy and confirming Genoa as a leading city in the ecological transition, starting from the port and the blue economy".

ESA’s Davide Coppola said “We are proud of this project which is the first to emerge from ESA’s cooperation with the Municipality of Genoa and Enel. We are confident that this initiative will bring tangible benefits and results that will inspire future initiatives at scale.”   

The age-old craft of predicting the weather has taken a step forward with the launch of the world’s lightest weather sonde, the StreamSonde, developed by Skyfora in Finland with the help of the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications programme. Weighing in at less than 15 grams, the StreamSonde is able to deliver weather intelligence with world-class accuracy, recording atmospheric flows, weather parameters and air quality in great detail. 

The StreamSonde has been designed to be launched from balloons, aeroplanes, drones or UAVs and carried around by natural winds. By using GNSS technology and 3D motion sensors it is able to record winds with a higher degree of accuracy and in greater detail than ever before. It also uses multiple sensors to record a large number of weather parameters. The ESA Demonstration Project enabled Skyfora to evidence a wide range of benefits, not only around its contribution for improved weather forecasting ability but also in taking accurate storm and routine weather measurements.

The Demonstration Project was successfully concluded at the end of 2022 and the StreamSonde is now used by top-level government and research customers around the world. In the second half of 2022, the StreamSonde was launched more than 100 times as part of the ESA Demonstration Project. In several use cases it demonstrated breakthrough measurement accuracy, according to metrics laid out by the World Meteorological Organisation. The usefulness of the data for improving numerical weather prediction accuracy was also proven.

This ESA project has supported the Skyfora team in developing crucial know-how within the very complex and demanding field of measuring weather, processing weather data and weather forecasting. This includes new expertise around sensor placement on weather sondes, calibration procedures, test setups, data analysis, data assimilation to be used into numerical weather prediction, FM radio telemetry, GNSS engineering and embedded software development and testing. As well as developing technical expertise, the team has also been able to hone its commercial capabilities and has learnt to navigate the complex commercial landscape of public sector agencies that form the bulk of the weather sonde market. 

Skyfora’s CEO Fredrik Borgström said “with the support from ESA Business Applications in this project we have been able to develop our solution even further. Our mission is to update weather measurement and forecasting technology to the 21st century to bring accurate, high-resolution weather forecasts for improved industrial operations and for the protection of life and property. Skyfora’s view is that increasingly volatile weather caused by climate change urgently calls for such solutions.”

Enrico Spinelli, ESA’s Technical Officer on the StreamSonde project, said “we are pleased to have supported and worked with Skyfora since they were incubated at an ESA Business Incubation Centre (BIC). The Streamsonde project has already achieved significant technical and commercial success in this complex field.”

Skyfora has recently secured significant investment and the growing team is committed to continuing to innovate and develop technology solutions that address critical weather prediction challenges.