The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) invite experts within your organisation to attend a one-day joint workshop on the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) on 6 December 2023 at EMSA headquarters in Lisbon.

VDES is an extension of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) which is widely used for navigation safety between ships and between ships and shore stations to track and identify vessels. Developed to also work with low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, VDES offers a higher data exchange capacity than that of traditional AIS. This allows for the transmission of larger data sets, which can be crucial for various applications such as real-time weather updates, route optimisation, and other data-intensive services. VDES also supports two-way communication, enabling vessels to exchange not only basic identification and positioning data, but also more complex information. This can facilitate improved communication and data exchange. 

The Workshop

This workshop aims to provide insight into the latest VDES developments, including discussions about the joint EMSA/ESA VDE-SAT initiatives. It will also present Member States' perspectives on potential VDES use-case scenarios, regulatory developments, the industry's advances, and future plans for providing VDES services in the maritime sector.

Event information

The EMSA-ESA Workshop on VDES will be held on 6 December 2023 at EMSA Conference Centre, Praca Europa No.4, Cais do Sodre 1249-206, Lisboa, Portugal. The workshop will be co-chaired by EMSA and ESA and will be held in English without translation. An updated agenda can be found attached.

Registration Instructions

Experts are invited to express their interest in participating in the workshop by sending an e-mail to Nil.Angli@esa.int by no later than Monday, 27 November 2023.

Agenda

The agenda for this event is available to download below.

ATMOSPHERE, a company providing satellite connectivity solutions to the aerospace sector, has developed a pioneering system that brings cutting-edge services to aerial work operators. Created under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, the system uses satellite connectivity to offer real-time information exchange and boost flight mission efficiency.

With satellite connectivity constantly evolving, the ATMOSPHERE team identified a need for bringing advanced features and improved performance to aerial flight missions for users. Building on their PLANET service developed under the ARTES Competitiveness and Growth programme, the new system uses satellite communications (SatCom) to take air-to-ground connectivity for aircraft to the next level. It utilises ATMOSPHERE’s PLANET 9770 terminal, which is built around the next-generation Iridium Certus 9770 modem, providing more than 10 times the capacity of traditional terminals. 

ATMOSPHERE’s latest system can be used to operate diverse platforms, including aircraft, rotorcraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and balloons during special missions, such as flight testing and surveillance flights. The new technology offers bulk on-board telemetry, together with collaboration tools such as tracking, chat functions, geotagging and file transfer, and can support remote operations during single- or multiple-ship missions. The work of the project team also ensured improved service levels, ease of use and alignment with industry standards.  

The system consists of two key components: the onboard and the ground segments. The onboard segment’s server links with SatCom and a bespoke inbuilt application acquires and optimises the assimilated data, such as external telemetry. The onboard segment then transmits the data to the ground segment, which stores and presents it to ground users, using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to enable the integration of third-party applications.

SatCom plays a central role in the overall system architecture of the service, providing the link between onboard and ground segments during flights and offering global in-flight connectivity. Satellite Navigation (SatNav) provides essential carrier tracking and geo-location, while Earth Observation (SatEO) transmits real-time weather monitoring during operations. 

ATMOSPHERE put the new system through its paces, deploying it in pilot operations on fixed wing aircraft and UAVs. The team carried out 14 flights with SAFIRE’s ATR42 fixed wing aircraft, testing system performance and generating early user feedback, and 6 flights on the Dassault F6X, providing further testing of the system at high latitudes. ATMOSPHERE also performed UAV pilot flight tests using multirotors, testing reliability, gaining operational experience and showcasing the new solution.

“ATMOSPHERE’s new system has all the hallmarks of a game-changing solution for aerial flight missions,” said Arnaud Runge, Technical Officer for the project, who also holds a commercial pilot licence. “With ESA’s support, it offers enhanced technological capability, improved performance levels and an array of pioneering features. Alongside the PLANET 9770 terminal, I am confident it will have a significant impact on the sector.”

“ESA’s continuous support was key in delivering mature innovation to the market,” added ATMOSPHERE’s Managing Director, Jean Marc Gaubert. “ATMOSPHERE has been one of the very first to bring Iridium Certus technology to the aviation market. ARTES programme assets, including visibility and credibility, are now translating into business success in Europe and beyond.”

ATMOSPHERE is already established as one of the first companies to achieve certification from Iridium for the PLANET 9770 terminal, with two global reseller agreements already in place and 35 units already sold, and continues to improve and expand its offering. The new system, with this powerful terminal at its core, looks set to transform aerial mission operations for many years to come. 

The ESA Commercialisation Days: Transportation event on 27 November will bring together key players from transport and space to explore collaboration opportunities and the wide-ranging benefits space can bring to the rapidly evolving transport sector. The event comes at a time of significant transition in the sector towards a more digital, sustainable future. It will be spearheaded by a number of ESA programmes, including Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS), Navigation Innovation Support Programme (NavISP), InCubed, FutureEO and Scale Up, featuring representatives from ESA’s Networks, BICs (Business Incubation Centres) and Technology Brokers.

ESA’s BASS programme helps companies harness space technology to solve challenges on Earth, and transportation is a key focus area. Alongside industry leaders, BASS representatives will be speaking at the event, highlighting the achievements and the untapped potential of space to accelerate progress in the sector. 

Three sessions on road, rail and maritime will be supported by elevator pitches from businesses who have enjoyed success developing space-enabled products and services under the BASS programme. These include Darwin Innovation Group, who launched a fully autonomous passenger shuttle powered by integrated satellite and 5G communications at Harwell Campus in the UK.  In the maritime sector, Marketplace, an award-winning platform developed by Finnish technology company Awake.AI, uses space assets to connect port service providers with buyers, and is set to transform shipping by automating the buying and selling of port services and products across the globe.

The range of mobility projects presented at the event provide only a snapshot of the impact space technology is having on the sector through the BASS programme. Since 2016, more than 140 transport and logistics-related projects and studies have been completed under the programme - and there is a great deal more to come. Pioneers across the industry are leveraging the vast commercial opportunities that exist at the intersection of the space and transportation sectors.  

Transportation Day is the second event within the ESA Commercialisation Days Series, organised by the ESA Commercialisation Gateway, which powers innovation in space, enabling companies to exploit commercial space opportunities, while creating a greener, more digital Europe.

The event, being held at ESA – ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands, on 27 November 2023 can be viewed on ESA WEB TV TWO via the link below (event commences at 9.40am).

WATCH LIVE

Find out more and view the agenda

Norwegian agritech company DigiFarm has been honoured with a prestigious ESA Rising Stars award for its groundbreaking solution CropCloud. The Rising Stars awards recognise the most promising European space start-ups in ESA’s ecosystem, based on the strength of the business offering and its socioeconomic impact. Developed under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, CropCloud leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and space-based data to provide highly accurate crop-field analysis. The solution is transforming agricultural operations through the automatic detection of up-to-date field boundaries with significantly higher precision than traditional methods, leading to more sustainable agricultural field management. 

DigiFarm’s solution addresses the need for accurate field boundaries and planted areas, which bring associated benefits to the entire value chain, from pre-production to retailers. The market data currently available, mainly Cadastral, is largely inaccurate and outdated, and requires time-consuming manual updates. While the industry continues to rely on these conventional approaches, approximately 40% of the world’s agricultural fields are over-fertilised and farmers are losing out due to incorrect crop input application. As boundaries and planted areas change every season, existing data becomes ever more unreliable, while almost a third of all fields remain non-digitised.

CropCloud technology leverages AI alongside detailed Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, at 1 metre per pixel resolution, to automatically detect more than 20 million hectares of field boundaries per day, increasing accuracy by up to 15% and reducing the cost and time incurred by traditional manual digitisation by over 99%. Variable rate technology (VRT) enables farmers to reduce their input costs by up to 15% and increase yield potential by up to 10% through the optimisation of fertiliser and fungicide use. It also allows the accurate detection of in-field objects during the growing season, such as non-planted area, wet spots, haystacks, agricultural machinery, animals, electrical lines, telephone poles and windmills. 

DigiFarm’s solution enables the crop insurance, financial lending and MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification) sectors to assess the performance and potential risk of their portfolio, and to monitor and verify sustainable agricultural practices such as crop rotation, cover crops and post-harvest tilling, remotely and automatically. CropCloud’s data processing pipeline efficiently gathers information and delivers it through powerful APIs to clients, who can run their own analytics from the baseline data supplied. 

DigiFarm piloted the solution extensively across Europe, including with KWS, a leading global seed company based in Germany, and Agricolus, an Italian agritech company. The platform was also trialled with the National Paying Agency in Lithuania, CNH Industrial in Belgium and WWF in Myanmar. During the lifespan of the project, CropCloud generated growing interest and demand, leading to an expansion of the pilot, with new users including Bayer Crop Science (India, Europe and Mexico), Limagrain (France), Farmers Edge (Brazil), National Paying Agency (Austria) and Yara International, among others.

Nils Helset, CEO & Co-founder of DigiFarm, says “We are very grateful for the support from ESA and NOSA (Norwegian Space Agency) in helping us develop, commercialise and scale our solution. Thank you for believing in us and supporting our vision for this solution that can contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.”

Guillaume Prigent, ESA’s Technical Officer for the CropCloud Demonstration Project, says “We have been very impressed with the commitment and expertise of the DigiFarm team and are delighted to see their work with BASS rewarded with the Rising Stars award. It is a fitting tribute to the impact CropCloud is having on the sector and the impressive returns the solution has already achieved.”      

Having already secured €1.5M in contracts with both pilot users and new clients in more than 20 countries, DigiFarm has now delivered 3.5 million boundaries across more than 350 million hectares, reaching more than 350,000 farmers and growers in numerous countries across the globe. The success of the project has seen 57 new jobs and 46 key partnerships created worldwide and more than €6M in financing secured. CropCloud brings both vital gains and stability to the sector, while improving the prospects of businesses and contributing to socio-economic and sustainability goals. 

ESA released a new and expanded Green Dossier alongside the Space Summit in Seville on 6-7 November 2023. The latest edition of the flagship report highlights the unprecedented growth in green and sustainable activities carried out under ESA's Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme. The scope of the new dossier reflects the accelerating momentum in this core area and ESA’s commitment to safeguarding our future on Earth.

Through its BASS programme, ESA supports businesses of all sizes to develop commercially sustainable space-based products and services for adoption on Earth. Since 2010, €183M has been invested in 300 activities related to the green transition, addressing both the challenges and the opportunities faced by key non-space sectors that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, such as transport, protection of biodiversity, agri-food and energy transition. The green transition now drives 48% of all BASS activities and, through its work, ESA is reducing waste, preserving habitats, easing energy consumption, lowering emissions, and keeping our waters cleaner. 

Maria Mateo Ibora is the Founder and CEO at IBISA, whose pioneering climate insurance system, developed under the BASS programme, uses satellite data to provide accurate and affordable cover to farmers in the developing world. Maria says “Our collaboration with ESA has truly been a catalyst, bolstering our technological and commercial capabilities, while helping us to combat the everyday impact of climate change. As we look ahead, we see a landscape rich with opportunity.”   

While an effective green transition is a high priority for our environment, it is also estimated that the move towards a low-carbon future will bring $26 trillion in economic benefit*. A drive towards sustainability brings vast opportunity for European industry to innovate and to establish new business propositions using space assets. During 2023 alone, BASS initiated 67 activities in the green arena, receiving €15M investment from industry, and witnessed significant socioeconomic returns, from unprecedented sales of products and services to new jobs and key partnerships. 

"We were delighted to work with ESA in our mission to bring climate-informed decision-making to infrastructure investment and management worldwide,” says Tobias Engelmeier, co-founder and CEO of VIDA, whose satellite-enabled sustainable infrastructure solution developed with BASS subsequently attracted €3M in external funding. “It has empowered us to accelerate our growth, reach new markets and build out our unique assessment tools that help to combat the challenges of climate change."

Strategic partnerships form the building blocks of BASS’s success, strengthening the impact of space-based solutions and driving the acceleration of the green agenda. To date, ESA has partnered with leading global firms in a variety of sectors, including CGFI, Aeroporti di Roma, Power for Planet, One Sea, IVECO, Copa Cogeca and E.ON. BASS has also launched several task forces, with the aim of linking major stakeholders and identifying ways to generate positive social, economic and green outcomes. These include the Space for Smart and Green Cities and Space for Innovation in Energy Task Forces, which will soon be followed by the Space for Maritime Sustainability Task Force.

Geraldine Naja, ESA’s Director of Commercialisation, Industry and Competitiveness (CIC), said “The Green Dossier provides striking evidence of the contribution of the BASS programme to furthering ESA’s green agenda. With almost half of its projects driving the green transition, BASS has its sights set firmly on a sustainable, carbon-neutral future.”

Nick Appleyard, Head of ESA’s Applications and Solutions Department, added “The BASS team have made remarkable strides forward in establishing space as an essential component in the transition to a green future and the new Green Dossier is testament to that. It also comes at a defining moment in the new space age, where space assets are becoming ever-more accessible to non-space actors in the drive to transform life on Earth – long may it continue.”  

BASS’s ambitious green agenda does not stop here. The team will continue to plant new seeds in the drive for a more sustainable future, exploring untapped areas of the green marketplace, promoting innovation and accelerating transformation through action-based partnerships. A multitude of new activities will unearth the latest innovations and help businesses reach their markets and successfully scale their solutions, while Task Forces will accelerate the use of space solutions for the decarbonisation of society, and new reporting systems will quantify green impact. 

Together with advanced Earth Observation technology and solutions, the Green Dossier is also one of the building blocks of ESA's collaborative and multi-partner Space for a Green Future Accelerator initiative aimed at catalysing and scaling green solutions towards carbon-neutrality by 2050. 

The Space Summit will bring together ministers from ESA Member States to continue to shape Europe’s role in space, with a key theme being how ESA is driving space for a green future. The contents of the new Green Dossier are a fitting representation of the advances ESA’s BASS programme is making in this, ESA’s key mission. It presents significant intensification and growth in the adoption of space for a green future, underpinning ESA’s commitment to UN sustainability goals and its mission to strengthen Europe as a space power.

View the Green Dossier highlights

* Global Commission on the Economy and Climate