Belgian company Ovinto’s integrated predictive analytics platform, further developed with support from ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, has taken the ability to monitor and track hazardous rail freight to a new level. Thanks to innovative space technology, Ovinto is making great strides in a competitive rail market with a platform that enables real-time monitoring and control of moving rail cars by combining satellite connectivity and navigation with telemetric and cloud technology.

Transporting hazardous rail freight efficiently and safely is a challenging business. With railways already underutilised, especially in the UK, the ability to monitor critical parameters of tank containers (such as temperature and pressure) and track their location at any given time is essential to ensuring their safe transportation and in making rail a safe, efficient and attractive option for freight operators. In 2010, Ovinto started work on new systems enabling rail freight customers to monitor and track wagons carrying potentially harmful or toxic cargoes in real time. 

With funding from BASS, Ovinto subsequently began to collaborate closely with ESA and was able to develop its telematics capabilities further still, using the latest satellite connectivity to provide accurate, real-time data from rail freight containers, regardless of where they are located on the planet. The project delivered a unique data integration and predictive analytics service, bolstering the existing software infrastructure, and connecting internal and external data sources to make typically non-flexible software modules/silos extremely flexible through collaboration, data exchange and integration. The new technology automated and optimised the interaction between shippers, as well as with the owners, operators, freight forwarders, workshops and infrastructure managers, to reduce costs, manual work and the possibility of human error. The team also developed data integration and exchange services specifically for the UK, offering new hi-tech incentives to freight operators and adding value to the country’s underused rail network.   

Using the space-powered technology, the Ovinto service sends GNSS (global navigation satellite system) data processed by a telemetry device, together with other sensor data, via satellite communications or via a terrestrial network to the cloud, where it is combined with other databases to provide a tailored one-stop solution for rail freight and enabling users to exchange data with other stakeholders. The technology is also effective when rail cargo is moved onto other forms of transportation, thanks to multi-constellation chipsets, which enhance satellite navigational signals, allowing operators to monitor assets until they safely reach their destination.

Ovinto co-founder Frederick Ronse said, “Rail cargo seemed like it was being handled 100 years ago. All other forms of transport seemed to be automated except trains, allowing companies to know where their products were. But trains are greener and more sustainable than most other types of transport. So, we realised that if we could track trains safely over long distances – which wasn’t possible before we arrived – it would make rail freight a more viable and efficient option for hazardous goods.”

Former ESA Business Applications Ambassador for Belgium, Nicolas Helssen, has followed Ovinto’s rise since 2012. “We always saw great potential in Ovinto and their ambitious plans,” he said. “Frederick’s infectious enthusiasm and unrelenting confidence when expounding the capabilities of his business were always compelling and engaging. Witnessing the recent growth of the company is very satisfying.” 

Through its project collaborations with ESA, Ovinto has been able to offer cutting edge new services to rail freight users built on space asset-generated data, adding value to the sector and repositioning rail freight as the reliable, greener option to transport goods. The use of satellite communications to transmit the data from the sensors to the computing environment has the potential to transform the fortunes of the industry in the UK and beyond, with Evonik and Ineos already equipping their fleet with the devices, and Ovinto now rolling the new technology out across the globe.

With the number of vehicles on our roads continuing to increase, tackling congestion – particularly in urban areas – remains a major challenge for local administrations. ITS Equant, a Demonstration Project managed by a consortium led by Valerann with Excelerate Technology and co-funded by the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Business Applications and Space Solutions programme, is bringing a new generation of cost-effective satellite-enabled Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) to market to do just that.

The ITS Equant project combines Excelerate Technology’s proprietary satellite communications-enabled CCTV cameras with Lanternn by Valerann™ (LbV), a powerful AI-driven real-time traffic analytics platform. LbV enhances floating car data – speed and geo-localisation data collected directly by moving vehicles and date-stamped - with additional datasets (including critically important satellite-derived positioning data) taken from social media, mobile apps, and legacy sensors.

Traditional ATMS deployment can cost as much as £100,000 per kilometre, putting it far beyond the reach of smaller local authorities and road operators. With ITS Equant, Valerann and Excelerate Technology are making world-class road safety technology available to previously inaccessible markets. 

One of the largest projects undertaken was in the form of an innovative traffic management solution developed together with Milton Keynes Council (MKC). This space-enabled solution empowered MKC to manage local road traffic surrounding the Milton Keynes Stadium efficiently for the duration of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 event. 

The scale of the challenge for MKC was daunting. With more than half a million visitors expected to descend on the town via a rural network of previously unmonitored winding B-roads with blind corners in need of maintenance; safety was paramount. MKC needed a solution which would keep traffic flowing, reduce bottlenecks, and keep engineering personnel and the visitors safe and happy. 

By deploying the ITS Equant technology, MKC were able to keep the many thousands of drivers using these small country lanes moving. Drivers were able to avoid the frustration of long traffic jams and the uncertainty of unpredictable oncoming traffic. They also benefitted from real-time instructions and warnings delivered by Variable Message Signs stationed strategically along the B-roads. Traffic was diverted immediately when accidents occurred, reducing the severity of the incidents, and keeping those involved – including emergency services personnel – safe. 

Whilst the project delivered exactly what it set out to do – a vastly improved traffic flow at a major event – the impact of the technology went much further. Avoiding traffic build up meant that crowds could easily be managed and dispersed and consequently the overall security at the venue was improved. Free-flowing traffic also meant that there was no high build-up of CO2 emissions from static traffic, keeping the event in line with UEFA’s sustainability drive to reduce carbon emissions. 

“Valerann and Excelerate have successfully showcased the impact of satellite technology in unison with AI on the mobility sector. In validating their system at a major event during the ITS Equant project, it is clear that its value will in future extend far beyond Milton Keynes in creating safer, less congested and greener roads for us all.” said Christopher Frost-Tesfaye, Technical Officer at ESA Space Solutions.

MKC are certainly convinced of the value of this technology. “This is really exciting, showing the way forward in managing our transport networks,” said Brian Matthews, Head of Transport Innovation at MKC. “We especially want to see how we can make our roads safer and to help manage congestion so that we see a positive difference in our local environment. Well done to all our partners in making this a reality.” 

"The ESA programme was a cornerstone in developing some of Valerann's most compelling USP's.”- says Michael Vardi, CBO and co-founder of Valerann. “The work we did in the ITS Equant project has enabled us to serve road operators globally and enter new markets such as South America and the USA".

With ATMS deployments typically resulting in a 20% reduction in congestion and a 35% reduction in accidents, the ITS Equant project is a cost-effective solution to bolster road safety and protect the drivers, patrols, and emergency services that use our roads, wherever they may be.

The project with ESA didn’t only have a positive impact on drivers’ and road safety during the UEFA tournament. This successful deployment has also helped to raise Valerann’s profile and supported further company growth. Valerann has now raised $25M in funding, more than doubled their staff in the UK and secured customers across Europe, South and Central America and the US, with plans for further deployments in the future.