A Demonstration Project using space technology to develop services to reduce costs and optimise the production of sugarcane in South America has been successfully completed in Colombia. With the support of the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, Netherlands-based eLEAF partnered with Colombia-based AgroAP to launch CostCutting4Sugarcane, an innovative solution integrating SatEO optical imagery, radar-based data and agronomic models to provide an operational service for sugarcane producers.

Sugarcane is the largest global food commodity in terms of production volume and is cultivated on more than 20 million ha in tropical and sub tropical areas around the world (FAO-STATS, 2023). Although the crop is associated with soil degradation and deforestation, the vast global market for sugarcane derivatives (besides sugar, increasingly for ethanol and bioenergy) keeps the industry booming. With the reduction of agricultural inputs and environmental resources forming a key element of the European Green Deal, the impetus to help the sector to produce sugarcane more efficiently, sustainably and in a more economically viable manner has never been greater. This is what CostCutting4Sugarcane is all about, and the industry has embraced it.

One of the main challenges for the sector is the high cost of sugarcane production which is characterised by high agricultural inputs and high costs in harvest logistics which together account for up to 60% of total production costs. With regard to fertiliser usage, this is mainly due to a lack of accurate information throughout the growing season to enable farmers to localise specific nutrient requirements. Farmers have to judge fertiliser requirements using traditional rules of thumb, which generally results in overestimations. Similarly, in the case of harvest logistics, the lack of in-season information on expected yield, results in large fluctuations in the amount of sugarcane supplied to the mill at the end of the growing cycle. This in turn leads to under-utilisation of mill capacity at times of low supply. Conversely, at times of high supply, the mill has to delay the crushing of sugarcane or even discard it entirely, resulting in suboptimal output in terms of both volume and quality.  

The main underlying reason for this lack of accurate information is the substantial cloud cover in the country that limits the use of optical-only information. The CostCutting4Sugarcane project therefore took a multi-faceted approach, combining optical and radar imagery to provide continuous crop production information throughout the growing season. 

To optimise harvest logistics, this new approach was used to map crop performance to long-term average weather condition and integrate a sugarcane-specific yield model. This resulted in accurate yield predictions as early as 4-5 months into the growing season, a huge improvement on the currently common 8-9 month yield predictions, when it is already too late to implement mitigation measures to optimise production and/or to shift mill operation planning. As a result, both farmers and mill owners were able to operate more efficiently with improved cashflow and higher profitability.

By combining this same new approach with soil maps, the project was able to determine the total amount of nitrogen needed to be applied to the field in the upcoming growing cycle. In-field variations were taken into account, showing localised fertiliser requirements on a 10x10 meter grid. Using this method, field managers were able to achieve between 15 and 30% reduction in the amount of urea per hectare. 

“eLEAF data and services bring novel information to understand the gap between actual and potential yields. The development of services based on crop specific variables (quantitative) is a differentiator of current index (traditional vegetation indexes) based applications already used by the sugarcane industry”, said Carlos Mosquera, CEO of AgroAP. 

“The support of the European Space Agency and Netherlands Space Office has been of paramount importance in demonstrating the benefits of the services for reducing the pressure on the use synthetic fertilisers and providing early insight in the volumes of freshly cut sugarcane to be expected in the mill,” said Ernesto Bastidas Obando, Business Line Leader Agriculture of eLEAF.

Kathelijne Beenen, National Delegate for ESA BASS at Netherlands Space Office (NSO) said “NSO supports companies to develop applications that meet the needs of a launching customer, that have added value for society and that can be economically interesting. In this case, eLeaf uses this program to develop services for the sugarcane industry.”

Beatrice Barresi, the Technical Officer from ESA on the CostCutting4Sugarcane project, said “We are pleased to have supported eLEAF develop this important project and support sustainable sugarcane production around the world. The commercial and environmental impact of the service to date is very positive.”

The collaboration between eLEAF and AgroAP is set to continue, with CostCutting4Sugarcane supporting sugarcane mills and small-scale farmers across Colombia who are willing to invest in optimising their operations in 2023, with plans to expand across the region to sugarcane hubs such as Peru and Guatemala in 2024. Further afield, clients in South Africa have already purchased the service with further contracts in the pipeline.

 

As the frequency and severity of humanitarian crises rise across the globe, a new cloud-based application from CGI Germany is set to enable more rapid and effective organisation of emergency response teams, further enhancing the crucial role of space technology in disaster management. CGI Sense360, developed under ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, uses Earth Observation satellite data, combined with Augmented Reality (AR) technology, to provide first responders with advanced situational awareness and location information, even in the most remote or hazardous places.

Gathering information for an effective search and rescue mission is highly time sensitive and critical to safeguarding human life. Response teams currently rely on paper-based printed instructions and maps that are prepared in the hours before rescuers are deployed. CGI, in collaboration with their pilot user International Search and Rescue (ISAR), aimed to enhance these established methods by providing access to the same information via a mobile app running on ruggedised tablets. Using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Augmented Reality technologies, the application analyses information from a wide range of sources and presents the results to responders in an easy-to-use interface.

CGI Sense360 integrates a broad set of interactive components, including Sentinel-2 and commercial satellite data to map terrain, alongside drone imagery and geospatial, weather and environmental data. Using CGI’s bespoke algorithms, the application interprets and enriches this data, identifying features such as streets or buildings and providing automated analysis of key infrastructure. Satellite navigation is used to locate users’ positions, while a central operations manager shares relevant real-time information with teams in the field. 

On the ground, first responders accessing the information through the mobile hand-held devices benefit from an advanced visual impression of the analysed data, which also incorporates incidents reported during an ongoing operation. An AR module, supported by user position information derived from the tablet’s satellite navigation functionality, provides teams with a detailed overview of the operational area. Further development of the platform aims to enable users to interact with objects displayed in this view and use AR markers to share relevant information with co-workers in the disaster response zone.

CGI Sense360 is born out of a BASS Demonstration Project supported by ESA and DLR (German Space Agency), which started in 2022, following a successful six-month Kick-Start Programme in 2019. The application has since been piloted extensively by ISAR in two training campaigns held in simulated disaster settings. It was also successfully tested in three additional scenarios modelled on real events: the earthquake in Turkey and the conflict in Sudan during 2023, and the floods in Pakistan in 2022.

Dr Steven Bayer, Project Coordinator at ISAR, said, “We provide international assistance in humanitarian missions; for example, after natural disasters and accidents or in war zones. The immediate availability of detailed situation images and current data is crucial for efficient, rapid rescue measures and it is precisely this information that the new cloud-based data analytics platform CGI Sense360 can provide.”

“In rescue operations, analogue processes still dominate in many cases,” adds Stefan Wichert, Senior Vice President of CGI’s operations in Northern Germany. “However, an exact situation picture and an unrestricted flow of information are indispensable in the event of a crisis or disaster. In addition, the time factor is important. With CGI Sense360, we offer a high-performance, intelligent and secure platform that meets these criteria. It delivers all the information needed for time-critical coordination and relief operations in near real-time. We see a very large market potential for our new platform, which takes the benefits of digitalisation a decisive step forward.”

Francesco Feliciani, Head of the Company-led Projects Section at ESA, said, “We are delighted at the success of the project with CGI and are excited by the potential that the CGI Sense360 application has already shown. We look forward to seeing it improve the efficacy of search and rescue operations, and contribute to helping save lives across the globe.”

The CGI Sense360 platform, powered by space technology, is primed to transform operations for emergency response teams and help protect life on Earth, whether in war zones or in the event of terrorist attacks, accidents or natural disasters. Building on its experience of natural disaster planning and recovery programmes, CGI is continuing to develop and adapt the platform for use in different sectors across the international community, including in the armed forces, police and fire departments, and organisations with safety critical infrastructure such as utilities, airports and container terminals.

Finnish technology company Awake.AI has been honoured with two prestigious awards at the Ship Technology Excellence Awards for its Smart Port Marketplace platform. Developed with funding and support from ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, this innovative platform automates the buying and selling of port products and services using space-based assets. Awake.AI was recognised in the Innovation and Product Launch categories.

From 2024, new regulations mandated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will require all ports to implement Maritime Single Windows (MSWs), facilitating the electronic exchange of essential information when ships arrive in ports. Awake.AI's project utilises advanced AI techniques to offer enhanced transactional capabilities to port authorities, terminal operators, shipping agents, shipping lines, port service providers, and cargo owners. In doing so, it ensures more efficient, recurring, and even automated trading for ships during port calls.

The Awake.AI Marketplace is built on top of the company's existing maritime platform for ports, providing a modern, secure, and cloud-hosted solution. Leveraging space-based assets, the platform offers an array of services, including air and sea weather observations, forecasts and warnings, and ship arrival predictions based on satellite vessel positioning, accurately predicting a ship's arrival in port. The platform also incorporates machine learning and dark ship detection, enabling the identification of vessels that do not emit AIS signals.

Through powerful APIs, the Awake.AI Marketplace platform empowers other companies to develop and host digital products, facilitating the buying and selling of port services globally, thereby improving operational efficiencies, enhancing trade, and reducing costs. Currently undergoing pilot testing at several Finnish ports, the platform is expected to be rolled out across Europe later this year.