Following an initiative of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), an open competition on the topic of Space Assets for Demining Assistance (SADA) was launched by ESA. Three consortia have been awarded a contract. To ensure the intended services are directly relevant their target users, the Mine Action community takes the driving seat in the activity.  In particular, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) plays an important role as ESA.s external advisor. GICHD supports ESA in the definition of the study objectives and by providing a neutral perspective during the course of the study.

In a recent interview with ESA (see embedded video below), GICHD representative Dr. Daniel Eriksson shares his views on the added values of space assets, the relevance of the envisaged services, and acknowledges the necessity of a user driven approach:

The three studies will be run in parallel, providing complementary approaches to the complex and multi-faceted problem. They are expected to produce multiple concepts for space enabled services supporting land release in Mine Action, at its various stages.  As part of each feasibility study, the added value, fieldability, affordability and viability of the proposed services will be investigated. The studies will also propose a detailed way forward for one or more pre-operational demonstrations.

Following the information meeting, a User Requirement Consolidation Meeting took place on 27 January at EMSA in Lisbon. Close to 100 participants from representatives from EU Member States, ESA, European Commission Services, the user community, service providers and industry were in attendance.

The detailed results of the EMSA User Benefits Analysis were presented and consolidated as well as the scenario descriptions for the Phase B1 system activity. At the meeting it was recommended to establish a User Group that would support the validation of the user needs, support’s the further definition process of the scenario description as well as the trade offs at mission level.

Close to 50 representatives from EU Member States, ESA, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and ESA JCB delegates attended the second joint EMSA/ESA SAT-AIS initiative information meeting in Lisbon on 26 January. This meeting reviewed the achievements and work in progress since the first information meeting held one year ago.

“One highlight at this meeting included the presentation of the user benefits questionnaire. A total of 53 entities from 28 nations had responded,” said Mr. Carsten Tobehn, Head of SAT-AIS Programme Office Section. “The presentation gave attendees a good overview of information and current status of the EMSA/ESA SAT-AIS Programme.”

The status and functions of the common EMSA/ESA Data Processing Centre (DPC) was discussed. The DPC, an equivalent to the regional server of the terrestrial AIS, will form the space segment or "space node" of EMSA’s SafeSeaNet. The DPC is currently under development in partnership with EMSA through element 20 of ESA's Advanced Research In Telecommunications Systems (ARTES)programme.

The next steps for the Operational Demonstration Mission (ODEM) were also introduced. The ODEM shall demonstrate the SAT-AIS capabilities in a user-driven operational environment and will allow for early provision of services based on a dedicated geographical use-case area, explained Mr. Tobehn.

Presentations given by EMSA and ESA were complemented by a presentation from the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) which focused on the AISSat1 background, in orbit experience, cooperation activities with ESA and future plans. Following the NSC presentation, EMSA showed a live demonstration of the Norwegian Satellite-AIS data embedded in SafeSeaNet.

One of the biggest challenges for widespread commercial deployment of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) is to be able to fly the unmanned aircraft in non-segregated airspace, i.e. in an airspace that is available to any user. In the IAP feasibility study "SINUE (Satellites for the Integration in Non-segregated airspace of UAS in Europe)" it has been investigated how satellites can be used for providing a Beyond Line-of-Sight connection between the Ground Control Station and the unmanned aircraft, both for the purpose of Command & Control and Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication, required to fly the unmanned aircraft itself, as well as for payload communication. Within the project a demonstration scenario has been worked out, which is expected to be able to pave the way for integrating UAS in non-segregated airspace using satellites.

The suggested scenario is focused on maritime surveillance needs as brought forward by a number of end-users. The UAS would be equipped with various sensors and flown over large areas of water to gather surveillance data to detect for example illegal immigration, suspicious shipping, or environmental pollution. Link-budget evaluations as well as simulations verified that satellite communication is capable to supply a reliable high-bit rate communication link to transmit e.g. high-quality video from the aircraft.s sensors to a ground station. The analyses also verified that a two-way Command & Control/ATC relay link can be provided by a satellite in the whole mission area.

A part of the SINUE study has been dedicated to investigate issues related to ATC communication and procedures when flying UAS in controlled non-segregated airspace, which is considered the next main step for UAS air traffic insertion and is also the baseline of the potential demonstration mission. The investigations made use of the NARSIM simulation environment, with which a realistic air traffic control environment can be created and challenging situations can be simulated without having to fly any aircraft for real. The simulations were concentrating on general ATC handling of UAS, both when using terrestrial communications for Line-of-Sight conditions as well as satellite based communications for Beyond Line-of-Sight conditions, and contingency procedures in case of communication loss. The simulated scenarios were demanding involving dense airliner traffic next to the unmanned aircraft.

The main conclusions from these simulations are the following:

. In the considered scenario, handling a UAS did not pose particular problems for the Air Traffic Controllers and the latency caused by the satellite communication had no influence on the controller.s work.

. It is important that the Emergency Procedures for the UAS are well known by the controllers. Emergency routes need to be developed in consultation with the local ATCs.

. A telephone connection between the ATC and the pilot of the UAS needs to be available as back-up and procedures for its use need to be established.

. There was no negative effect on the safety caused by flying the UAS in the considered scenario. Click here to see a video showing how the NARSIM simulations were carried out.

This initiative is carried out in partnership with EDA.

The following is the second part of the interview done to the team in charge of the INTOGENER activity.

This initiative is aimed to give users and companies the opportunity to bring their thoughts and insides from a non-ESA perspective. It will be used by IAP as an additional feedback to find ways of improving towards future projects.

To see the first part of the interview please click here.

Q4. IAP: Your activities are really wide, but it is hard to imagine at first glance a utility using space technology. How will this be done?

Dr. José M. Pardos-Gotor, Head of Technology Projects, ENDESA Corporation

As part of ENDESA.s strategy there has always been an interest in using new technologies to meet operational needs. A practical case reflecting this is the attempt to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of water-flow prediction.

In this context, as earlier mentioned, ENDESA launched the Novare Awards, which are part of ENDESA.s Global Strategy for Sustainability, led by the scientific community and SMEs with the ambition to promote technological innovation; one of these awards led to the HYDRO project, during which, ENDESA had the opportunity to assess the potential of using space technologies for hydropower management.

ENDESA believes that it is necessary to promote the innovative spirit in all matters related to the value chain of the energy industry to successfully address the environmental challenges that are expected in the future economic world development. ENDESA Novare Awards promote the development of R&D&I projects in SMEs and in relevant areas to ENDESA innovation strategy, contributing to serve in a more sustainable way the society energy requirements.

Q5. IAP: What makes you believe that space-based services is what you need in order to solve your issues, and therefore to co-fund this development?

Soledad Zenteno, Technical Support and Technology Management, ENDESA Chile

ENDESA has always had a strong interest in keeping close to the latest technological developments available that can benefit our field of activity, and space-based solutions are part of this. Moreover, the fact that some of our facilities are located in remote areas of difficult access, exploring the use of Earth Observation (EO) technologies seems a natural decision, in complex areas where the use of in-situ sensors is not always possible, remote monitoring solutions could provide a significant advantage.

ENDESA has supported the use of EO data in water-flow predictions, as shown with the support and funds to HYDRO project carried out by Starlab. We expect that HYDRO results will feed into the launch of INTOGENER service and at the same time incorporate new elements and added value for ENDESA. Therefore, both projects are complementary, HYDRO being the R&D foundation project and INTOGENER serving the transition to an operational service. ENDESA once again will support Starlab, providing manpower and logistical support during the INTOGENER execution.

As already mentioned, ENDESA has its own R&D&I programme, funding initiatives coming from companies on several topics related to energy. Starlab achieved one of these contracts in the past, so we have taken the opportunity to ask them how different it is to work for ENDESA or ESA. Laia Romero, INTOGENER Project Manager answers us these questions.

Q6. IAP: Can you explain to us how it is to work with two so different customers such as ENDESA and ESA?

Laia Romero, INTOGENER Project Manager, Starlab

Although both customer relationships are based on a well defined proposal in terms of tasks, timing and outputs, the management approach differs. While ESA tends to be very demanding at technical level and in the reporting of project results to understand how things are done, a company like ENDESA is less worried about the .how. and more focused on the operational results, including what benefits the technology can offer. From our experience, the level of detail on deliverables is much more demanding in ESA projects and requires meticulous documentation. On the contrary, ENDESA appreciates concise reporting and specially values demonstration results.

Another difference is that work with ENDESA usually requires the interaction with more than one department at managerial level, sometimes located in different geographical regions. This makes the relationship more fruitful but more complex as well. In the case of ESA, a unique project officer manages the interaction with the provider through a clear reporting line of communication.

In addition, we have to consider that a client like ENDESA is, at the same time, the final user of the service and technology proposed. This means that some flexibility in the project implementation is required since the operational requirements might vary according to the project progress and final results.

We feel very comfortable working for both kinds of customers. The important thing is to understand well the motivation behind each one and to boost common interest within the project results.

Q7. IAP:How did you hear about IAP? What made you apply to this programme and not to other ESA programmes?

Laia Romero, INTOGENER Project Manager, Starlab

We heard about IAP through our National Delegation . CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial). CDTI organised an information day where we had the opportunity to hold a short meeting with an IAP representative, to whom we presented a summary of the idea and obtained more information about the IAP application process.

We saw the IAP programme as a great opportunity to fill the gap between the service idea and the commercialisation phase. In our market it is not always easy to launch a new service since this requires major investment, not only for technical development, but also for essential matters such as user federation and promotion. This investment is especially difficult for an SME like Starlab. The IAP co-financing supports the bridge between a mature technology idea and its market commercialisation.

IAP.s long term vision facilitates the link between the service provider and the user, making them work together for a significant period, including further stages such as the demonstration and pre-operational phases. In our opinion, this makes it easier to establish a solid relationship with the user and assess properly the service definition, architecture and validation, aiming to boost the operational phase with minimum risk. Issues such as market prospects and business case are deeply analysed. At the same time, IAP requests the involvement of the user in the service concept definition, making them express their requirements from the beginning and participate directly in the service evolution.

In addition, the IAP programme offers other added value, such as technical advice and a good promotional platform by disseminating the project results within a number of workshops attended by stakeholders and users.

We would encourage other companies to participate in the IAP programme if they have service ideas with an identified target user and with a clear willingness to commercialise the service once operational. The co-financing mode is for sure a good support to companies to achieve results and market success.

Farmers traditionally keep a close eye on their fields, but a new IAP-led project seeks to build on their vigilance with monitoring from space.

The TalkingFields initiative is now showing how to combine satellite observation with satellite navigation to benefit European farmers.

Sustainable food production and food security are critical challenges. TalkingFields will help by using precision farming methods to produce crops more efficiently. For instance, by optimising farmers’ use of fertiliser and giving early warning of plant disease risks, both costs and environmental impacts can be reduced.
“There are existing services variously employing Earth observation data, satellite navigation, farm management software and crop growth models, but TalkingFields is the first to combine them all,” said Tony Sephton, ESA's Integrated Applications promotion (IAP) programme.

 â€œWe’re setting up an end-to-end service that is simple to use and sufficiently cost-effective to be self-sustaining.”

How does it work? The farmer requests the service for an area defined using satnav. Satellites gather information on the land’s potential – observations over several years can reveal variations in crop growth through soil changes – as well as current crop status.
 
These results are combined with information from field sensors such as weather conditions and soil moisture. The farmer adds in his own knowledge, and in return receives detailed satnav instructions on where and how much fertiliser to spray, for example.

A variety of satellites can be employed, although priority will be given to free data sources such as Landsat and ESA’s forthcoming Sentinel-2 satellites, due for launch in 2012.

 â€œIdeally, we might have weekly satellite acquisitions, but cloud cover makes that unfeasible,” explained Dr Sephton.

“Instead, we need only two to four satellite images per growing season, which are fed into a sophisticated crop growth model”.

“With TalkingFields the emphasis is on service: we’re not giving raw satellite data straight to farmers. Instead, we advise them directly on actions to be taken throughout the growing season.”

Following a 2009 feasibility study, TalkingFields is now being demonstrated in real fields, led for ESA by German Earth observation company VISTA with partners PC-Agrar, a German company specialising in providing farm management information software, and Ludwig Maximillians University Munich, which developed the hydrological and agricultural production model.

Farmers access TalkingFields via familiar farm management systems.
“The quality of farming advice improves dramatically when all the available information is used,” said Heike Bach of VISTA.

“Factors like crop variety, seeding date, row distance and fertilisation measures conducted so far are stored in the farm management system”. 

 â€œSince TalkingFields is integrated with this software, we also have access to this information, improving our crop growth models.”

Large intensive farms across Germany and Russia are participating in the demonstration. Customers can choose from a portfolio of services, such as estimating a crop’s yield some two to four weeks before harvest. Even before a farmer decides to use precision farming, he can obtain a detailed cost-benefit analysis for each field. Daily information on biomass and density will help to protect crops by revealing the onset of plant disease.

To know more about the TalkingFields project please click here.

INTOGENER, ESA IAP.s supported activity on improving the forecasting of available water resources for better management of hydroelectricity power plants, is moving forward. The active commitment of the user (The Spanish utility ENDESA S.A.) is already showing many interesting results, not only about of information collection, but also about organising and managing all the communications and logistics in Chile, the target region of this activity. This is a clear indication that IAP.s user-driven approach is being successful and beneficial for both the users and the space industry.

The IAP team has approached the leader of the industrial team as well as the user to interview some of their key staff involved in the activity, to give us their impressions on several topics, and also to encourage other users without a clear knowledge on the capabilities of space technologies to find similar partnerships in the development of new services.

These types of partnerships are particularly well suited for SME.s. They can be supported by well-known larger companies, opening for them the doors of markets otherwise difficult for them to access. Ms, Araceli Pi, Service Business Development Manager of Starlab, explains this to us.

Q1. IAP: Starlab is a company with two different profiles: Space and neurosciences, quite an interesting combination, and not very common to find, particularly in an SME. Can you explain to us why such a division in these two areas that apparently have nothing to do with each other?

A1. Space and Neuroscience are to be found in the origins off our company. We believe that both of them are key areas for the 21st century and have a common element: the increasing availability of streams of information. Starlab believes in multidisciplinarity as a key element for the creation of knowledge, so even other research areas may develop in the future. Both sectors are not only key and strongly linked to cutting-edge technologies, but in addition, both activities rely on signal processing, being the background technologies not so different in terms of concept. We believe in innovation and this is one of the reasons that Starlab is working in these two areas.
When addressing a new challenge we put special care of building complementary and synergic working teams that may be composed of persons from Space and Neuroscience backgrounds, endorsed always by market guidance. Innovation includes not only technical skills, but also the way you do business.

Q 2. IAP: You have established quite a solid relationship with ENDESA in previous years. But actually, ENDESA being a company not related to either of your two main lines of activity, what made you start such a relationship?

Araceli Pi,A2. The relationship with ENDESA started some years ago through ENDESA.s Novare Awards initiative. Novare Awards are part of ENDESA.s Global Strategy for Sustainability whose aim is to promote technological innovation. Starlab foresaw a great opportunity to perform R&D in direct contact with the end user and in a real environment, and therefore we applied to these Novare Awards.

After hard competition, Starlab eventually won the Novare Awards in 2008 with the HYDRO R&D project. HYDRO proposed the use of Earth Observation (EO) in the prediction data of water flow in collaboration with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). 

During the two years HYDRO lasted, the relationship between ENDESA and Starlab became more solid, based on results and on the day-to-day work. Both companies. interests converged; while ENDESA believes in technological innovation to meet the energy needs of society in a sustainable way, Starlab is committed to cutting-edge technologies with impact on Society. Additionally, while ENDESA's strategy has always included interest in using new technologies to meet operational needs, Starlab has been willing to build up operational EO services aiming to support the management decision process. 

Now INTOGENER aims to go further than HYDRO by implementing a water-flow monitoring and prediction system aimed at hydro-power production companies. This system will use satellite-based Earth Observation data, in-situ information based on reflected GNSS signals measured from remote places and transferred by satellite data links, and finally, assimilation of this data into a hydrological model for the proper forecast of water flow. 

INTOGENER represents an ideal framework to design and demonstrate an innovative service hand-in-hand with ENDESA as key user and stakeholder. 

Having ENDESA involved from the beginning of the project idea ensures the service market orientation and the transfer to a sustainable service once the project is finished. Starlab is willing to make INTOGENER a success story as an operational service in response to market user needs. 

ENDESA is a company whose name is synonymous with Innovation. For a number of years ENDESA was one of the top-five companies of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index as well as the Dow Jones Sustainability Stoxx Index of the New York.s Stock Exchange. Apart from measuring the financial health of the company, these indexes are a clear indicator of the role Research, Development and Innovation are playing in the strategy of the company. ENDESA dedicates a significant part of its budget to develop new technologies and services, but until recently, they were not really aware of the fact that space technologies could help their business.
We approached two of the responsible persons in charge of INTOGENER, Dr. J.M. Pardos-Gotor from ENDESA Corporation (Madrid, Spain) and Ms. S. Zenteno, from ENDESA Chile (Santiago de Chile, Chile)

Q3. IAP: ENDESA is currently part of one of the world's largest utilities, with a big market in South America. Can you explain to us briefly what the problems you are facing there are regarding the management of hydroelectricity?

Dr. José M. Pardos-Gotor, Head of Technology Projects, ENDESA Corporation

A3. In Chile, 50% market share of energy comes from renewable energy with water resources. Due to the nature of the terrain, all basins are connected to the grid with a large number of resources managed by different power companies. The availability of accurate information of the current water flow and forecasting of it is fundamental to correct management and operational planning.
Currently, only in situ measures and local models are being used in a region where it is difficult to place a network of in situ instrumentation; many of the areas are remote and difficult to access. In addition, the instrumentation used today is costly and the information provided is not well suited to our requirements.
This is why the proposed service resulting from the INTOGENER initiative could produce a substantial improvement in the management and operational planning related to water resources. Even a slight improvement in the prediction model would represent a very important impact in terms of efficiency and energy savings.

Three years of collaborative activity between ESA and RDT, aimed at identifying suitable solutions to the provision of sustainable satellite-enabled telemedicine services for the commercial aviation market, is demonstrating commercial success with the recent announcement by Etihad Airways of its decision to install new state-of-the-art technology Tempus IC onboard health monitoring system on its long-haul and ultra long-haul aircraft.

Tempus IC can monitor the condition of passengers who display signs of illness in-flight that might require immediate medical attention. It is designed to enable non-medical users, such as cabin crew, to gather vital information about a passenger's health quickly and efficiently, by monitoring and transmitting to a ground-based response centre vital signs routinely measured in an Emergency Room - including blood pressure, temperature, glucometry and 12-lead electrocardiogram. The crew will be able to simultaneously talk to and send clinical-quality data along with still pictures and moving video to a ground-based medical team of experts specialised in assisting in-flight medical contingencies for diagnosis and support.

Pierluigi Mancini, ESA, Head of the Awareness Activities and Feasibility Studies Division of the Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) programme adds: "The objective of the activity was to develop and validate a system that enables airlines to manage in-flight medical emergencies more effectively and to reduce the number of costly unnecessary medical diversions. With the emergence of ultra long-haul aircraft such as the A380, this kind of technology is really the only way forward to contain the component of risk that an in-flight medical incident presents, not just for the airline but for the passenger as well. The combination of medical data with the ability to actually see and talk to a patient and crew is a real breakthrough".

Graham Murphy, CEO of RDT, the company that designed and manufactures the ground-breaking medical device, comments, "With the rise of larger aircraft and lower air-fares, the number of people of all ages travelling by air is increasing. As a result, the probability of a medical emergency occurring in-flight has risen and the pilot will often divert the flight to the nearest airport where medical attention can be provided. Commercial airlines are interested in telemedicine technology as a tool to improve medical provision for customers as well as to support their staff and crew. In simple terms, better diagnosis that enables a diversion to be avoided is of direct benefit to the airline and its passengers".

Mancini continues "ESA has been active in the field of satellite-delivered telemedicine for a number of years and this development addresses the use of telemedicine in support of the management of medical emergencies onboard commercial airlines. By investing in new applications ESA acts as a catalyst for European industry to develop and exploit innovative services and markets while, at the same time, fostering and organizing user demand to gain the critical mass necessary to sustain those services. We are extremely pleased with the sustainable service resulting from this project and look forward to further developments".

Starting with an assessment of the user requirements, the goal is to design an integrated, easily-operable system. This will be a bespoke tool to be made available to emergency responders and decision makers. The system's final shape will be determined based on the user requirements, and it will give responders strong situational awareness using various services in combination, such as:

In March 2011 the government will carry out a National Flood Event exercise to test national flood preparedness. 
It is being coordinated from the national ‘COBRA' level down to local authorities. In an exciting opportunity, the project team has been invited to observe the event then debrief the exercise ‘players' outlining how existing space assets could have been used during the exercise.

The project is being run by a consortium of five organisations: DMCii takes the lead role, with Infoterra Ltd supporting the Earth observation components, Avanti Communications the satellite communications role, Nottingham Scientific Ltd working on satellite navigation and the British Geological Survey providing additional expertise on geohazards.
For more information please visit the dedicated project web page.

The International Astronautical Congress will open in Prague on 27 September. Joining the world’s major space players, ESA will participate with experts in a rich and varied programme. The conference program also includes sessions dedicated to the Integrated Applications domain. ESA-IAP will contribute with papers and presentations about the findings of the IAP program as well as with the recent outcomes of some IAP projects.

The annual IAC is organised by the International Astronautical Federation and its associates, the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space Law. This year, the local organiser is the Czech Space Office. The event will be held in the Prague Congress Centre. The exhibition is open to the public on Friday, 1 October, from 14:00 to 17:00. To know more about the IAC please visit the Congress web page.