Author: nchimonides

InCubed co-funded SaferPlaces platform maps aftermath of Emilia-Romagna floods

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The Italian region of Emilia-Romagna was devastated by severe floods in May 2023, claiming lives and displacing thousands of people, resulting in an estimated €8.8 billion in damages. With the region still grappling with the aftermath, satellites have been instrumental in assessing the damages of the affected areas.

Between 16-18 May 2023, 350 million cubic metres of water, equivalent to six months’ worth of rain, fell within 36 hours across Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy’s most important agricultural regions. The heavy rain led to the overflow of 23 rivers across the region, affecting 100 municipalities and triggering more than 400 landslides, which in turn damaged and closed off hundreds of roads.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Φ-lab-WMF AI4EO competition inspires European New-Space start-ups to rise to the challenge

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At a recent award ceremony, Φ-lab announced the four winners of the AI4EO Call, a competition launched in conjunction with the We Make Future event. The top entries received a range of prizes, including an all-expense-paid trip to the ESA EO Commercialisation Forum in October.

As a seed bed for innovation in commercial Earth observation (EO), ESA Φ-lab actively promotes and encourages ideas from start-ups and entrepreneurs. We Make Future (WMF) is the largest digital and social innovation festival in Southern Europe, and so provides an ideal forum for Φ-lab to interface with today’s and tomorrow’s success stories in the space sector. In fact ESA has enjoyed a major presence at the gathering since 2020, and this year’s edition in Rimini in Italy featured a popular ESA booth with exhibits that included activities, products and mock-ups from Φ-lab. The multitude of visitors to the booth comprised enthusiasts, start-ups and companies among others, with each taking the opportunity to interact with Φ-labbers and other ESA representatives.

A notable attraction at this year’s event was the AI4EO Call, a joint initiative of Φ-lab and the organisers of WMF. The competition concerned applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and data processing in aerospace and EO and aimed to reaffirm the value of these sectors in international development and the protection of our planet. Entries were assessed by a panel consisting of ESA and industry representatives, based on criteria including project feasibility, degree of innovation, competitive positioning and potential for further development.

Sixteen of the start-ups were shortlisted and invited to WMF to pitch their proposals to the panel. At a dedicated ceremony in the ESA booth, Φ-lab AI Ecosystem Manager Sabrina Ricci announced the four winning applications:

  • FlyPix AI, a geospatial platform that extracts insights from satellite and drone imagery, enabling customers to detect and segment objects of interest, identify their characteristics and monitor changes and anomalies over time
  • SaferPlaces, an AI-based digital twin solution that uses satellite and climate data to deliver flood risk intelligence for urban environments
  • Terroir from Space, a service for the wine industry that both detects unexploited planting sites and monitors existing vineyards through AI processing of EO data
  • Latitudo 40, an analysis engine that draws on Deep Learning algorithms to provide customers with satellite-derived information on topics such as land use, carbon sequestration and coastline erosion

The first-prize winners, FlyPix, won a trip to the ESA EO Commercialisation Forum in October, where they will participate at an ideas-pitch session with private investors. Other prizes for the runners-up included access to business and technical coaching on EO and a subscription to the Sentinel Data Hub.

“We’re truly grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in the AI4EO competition at WMF 2023 and were overjoyed to be selected as the winners,” commented FlyPix co-founder Sergey Sukhanov. “Not only did this experience allow us to showcase our progress, but it also provided a platform for networking with other participants and exploring potential collaborations. In addition, the EO Commercialisation Forum will be a fantastic chance for us to present our product to a new audience.”

Head of the Φ-lab Invest Office Michele Castorina was impressed by the competition’s take-up: “There has been a striking response to the AI4EO Call, with an extremely broad range of ideas that amply demonstrate the vigour and continuing growth of European innovation. We’ve also had a great deal of interest shown in the ESA InCubed programme, giving a number of possibilities for future co-funding of EO start-up activities.”

To know more: ESA Φ-lab, ESA InCubed, We Make Future, AI4EO Call, ESA EO Commercialisation Forum

Image courtesy of WMF – WeMakeFuture

Register for ESA’s first Earth observation commercialisation event

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Registration is now open for ESA’s first-ever Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum. Taking place at ESA Headquarters in Paris from 30 to 31 October 2023, investors, institutions, entrepreneurs and companies of any size from the Earth observation sector will now be able to come together and discuss the commercial potential and challenges of Earth observation, together with the technical, industrial and risk-capital support available to European companies.

Advancing commercial space in Europe is a vital component of ESA Agenda 2025 and the Earth observation sector has an abundance of possibilities that private businesses can capitalise on, from satellites and ground infrastructure through to applications that solve real-world problems with data from space. ESA’s Earth Observation Programme Directorate is organising the first Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum to bring leading stakeholders of the fast-growing Earth observation commercial space sector under the same roof.

Read the full article on www.esa.int.

Additional commercialisation innovation opportunities for Portugal with InCubed

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After confirming their support to ESA InCubed at the 2022 Ministerial Council, Portugal and ESA are announcing a new call for co-funding innovative Earth observation (EO) business cases.

With its mission to support commercially successful business activities in the Earth observation sector, the ESA InCubed programme has a fundamental role to play in promoting growth and competitiveness in the space economies of its Participating States. Portugal is a well-established subscriber to InCubed, and has recently confirmed its intention to open a new call for applying for InCubed co-funding.

Portuguese entities can now submit ideas, which will then be assessed by InCubed and the Portuguese Delegation. Activities selected will need to meet the needs of the Portuguese National Space Strategy, demonstrate a credible return on investment for the company and provide a balance of subject areas and geographical locations within Portugal.

Proposals can be submitted at any time, with two evaluation periods per year. In 2023, the first evaluation is scheduled for early July and the second for Quarter 4. Further details can be found on the Portuguese Space Agency website, and an online webinar to explain InCubed opportunities in Portugal will take place on 23 May at 11:00 CEST. Applicants for InCubed support from any participating state should submit their proposals on ideas.esa.int.

“This initiative from Portugal amply demonstrates the broad commitment to InCubed,” commented Head of the Φ-lab Invest Office Michele Castorina. “We will continue to work hand in hand with our participating states to increase access to finance for the European EO sector, and I look forward to seeing a host of new proposals from Portuguese enterprises.”

Carolina Sá is the Earth Observation officer at the Portuguese Space Agency: “Earth Observation and all its potentialities are a central component of Portugal’s National Strategy for Space. The Portuguese Space Agency believes that this funding opportunity for innovative products and services will give a fundamental boost to our national Earth Observation ecosystem.”

To Know more: ESA InCubed, Portuguese Space Agency

New call released for UK InCubed proposals

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The latest ESA InCubed call for the United Kingdom is now out. UK entities are invited to submit proposals seeking to develop innovative and commercially viable products and services that exploit the value of Earth observation. The deadline for submissions is 31 May.

The ESA InCubed programme focuses on co-funding commercial development activities across the entire Earth observation (EO) value chain, including satellites, ground applications, downstream applications and new EO business models. InCubed works in very close cooperation with its participating Member States and periodically issues dedicated country-oriented calls.

The most recent national call has been released in collaboration with the UK Space Agency and is open to UK industry and academia. A total of £1 400 000 of funding has been made available, with no upper or lower limit for individual activities. Idea pitches and proposals will be jointly assessed by InCubed and the UK Space Agency, based on criteria such as financial return for the British space sector, level of innovation and wider environmental, social or economic benefits.

Selected activities must finish within 18 months of starting and be able to demonstrate market readiness at completion.

There will be a webinar on 24 April to guide entities on the application process and answer questions relating to the call. Requests to join the event can be sent by completing the online form.

Details of the call can be found here. Applicants should submit their proposals on ideas.esa.int, and the closing date for entries is 31 May 2023.

To Know more: ESA InCubed, UK Space Agency

ESA Φ-labbers share stories about their Earth observation activities

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A new video provides a chance to meet researchers and business innovators from ESA Φ-lab and get an overview of their stimulating working environment.

The work of ESA Φ-lab covers a remarkably wide scope in both Earth observation (EO) research and support to the commercialisation of EO products and services. In this brief but informative video, Φ-lab members from both the Explore and Invest offices talk about some of the fascinating activities they are involved in, embracing topics such as dengue outbreak risk assessment, embedded artificial intelligence on satellites and collaborating with EO start-ups.

Φ-lab is always looking for new recruits, so if you are interested in pushing the boundaries in leading-edge EO research, please get in touch.

Boosting market traction for agri-monitoring service

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Support from ESA’s Earth observation InCubed commercialisation programme has enabled two companies, GeoVille and EOX, to secure a major contract to provide an Austrian Area Monitoring Service. The consortium’s EO-WIDGET software provides the farming sector with critical satellite-derived information and is a key tool in compliance monitoring for the European Common Agricultural Policy.

Agricultural monitoring has gained ever-increasing attention recently in the face of a major global food crisis and growing concerns over food security. Within Europe, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a fundamental pillar of the continent’s food supply. The CAP now requires national governments to carry out increasingly extensive checks and controls of agricultural production and payment claims from farmers.

Read the full article on www.esa.int

ESA Member States boost EO Commercialisation at Ministerial Council

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At the recent 2022 ESA Council at Ministerial Level, Member States affirmed the success of InCubed by renewing the programme with a 65% budget boost. InCubed’s new, wider remit encompasses a host of actions designed to further stimulate and accelerate European innovation and competitiveness in commercial Earth observation.

The ESA Council is the governing body that provides the policy guidelines within which the Agency develops the European space programme. The Council meets periodically at ministerial level, and at the last meeting, the 2022 ESA Council at Ministerial Level (CM22), Member States gave a ringing endorsement of ESA’s work, with an exceptional 17% subscription increase compared with CM19. This equates to a total of €17 billion, of which 16% is destined for the Earth Observation Programme (EOP) for continuing and developing its efforts in facing the global challenges of 2023 to 2026 and beyond and ensuring European strategic autonomy.

As an ESA Earth observation commercialisation initiative, InCubed is an optional programme for Member States and so is heavily dependent on the outcome of Ministerial Council meetings. For CM22, the Φ-lab Invest office submitted proposals for expanding the scope and reach of InCubed, leading to the successful allocation of additional funds amounting to €176 million overall programme size. Two new countries, Slovenia and Hungary, also joined, bringing the InCubed family to a total of 21 participating states.

Dubbed InCubed-2, the latest incarnation of the programme comprises a suite of enhancements termed ‘Invest Actions’. These have been added as a result of lessons learnt during previous InCubed phases and are intended to create a framework of partnerships and collaborations that will strengthen the InCubed offer and further support the evolution of the commercial Earth observation (EO) sector. Examples of planned activities include research on promising EO markets, awareness campaigns, creating InCubed ambassadors, start-up coaching, InCubed Business Innovation Factories, and a new, faster route for rapidly delivering proofs of concept using emerging technologies.

“The funds granted at CM22 will further empower us in our quest to advance European commercial EO,” comments InCubed Programme Manager Michele Castorina. “InCubed strives to bring together technical capabilities and investment to enable European entrepreneurs to operate in the global EO domain, and the Invest Actions will help underpin this vision by reinforcing relationships with private investors, venture builders and other key stakeholders.”

One Invest Action that is already underway is thematic calls. Conceived as competitive initiatives aimed at selecting and coaching promising companies, thematic calls are based on current societal issues that may benefit from EO technologies and data. The first call, covering the topic of Cultural and Natural Heritage, was launched recently and will be followed by further such competitions in the future.

Other InCubed events and campaigns are also on the way this year, including EO Commercialisation Days in May. This forum for entrepreneurs, investors, institutions and established companies will provide an ideal platform for commercial collaboration. Details of the event will be published shortly.

To know more: CM22, InCubed, Cultural and Natural Heritage Thematic Call

Image courtesy of ESA – S. Corvaja

ESA and Sinergise to collaborate on promotion of EO space entrepreneurship

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ESA has signed a letter of intent with Slovenian company Sinergise Ltd to foster Earth observation (EO) entrepreneurship and encourage the development of EO commercial solutions. The collaboration will target companies supported by ESA Φ-lab, the InCubed EO commercialisation programme, ESA’s Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) and ESA Technology Brokers.

Sinergise Ltd has extensive expertise in developing advanced geospatial information systems (GISs) based on cloud and web technologies. Established in 2008, the company focuses on high-impact fields such as Earth observation, making it easy for individuals, institutions and companies to retrieve actionable insights.

The intended partnership on Earth observation commercialisation with ESA is aimed at joint efforts between the two entities for bolstering the development of an active and vibrant EO commercial ecosystem, strengthening the usage of innovative technologies and raising awareness of EO-based services. The collaboration is particularly focused on enhancing the business cases of companies that are or have been supported through Φ-lab or the InCubed EO commercialisation programme, ESA BIC or ESA Technology Broker activities.

One of the key actions for accelerating entrepreneurship will be a free one-year enterprise-level subscription for Sinergise’s Sentinel Hub, an award-winning satellite imagery archiving, processing and distribution service. Located either in a cloud-based GIS or within the client environment, Sentinel Hub provides easy access to satellite data from missions such as Sentinel, Landsat, Planet, Pleiades and WorldView, and can help both space and non-space players leverage a wealth of EO-powered information.

Further details on the collaboration and how to take advantage of the Sentinel Hub offer will be communicated to InCubed and other ESA Φ-lab-supported companies in the coming months, and will also be distributed via the ESA BIC and ESA Technology Broker Network.

To know more: Φ-lab, InCubed, ESA BIC, ESA Technology Broker

Copernicus Sentinel-2 image courtesy of ESA

HiVE microsatellite constellation to provide early crop-health monitoring

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At a ceremony today at ESA’s ESRIN establishment, German company constellr signed a contract extension to design, develop and customer-validate its HiVE solution with ESA InCubed technical and financial support. Through the development of a microsatellite with an innovative Thermal Infrared (TIR) payload, HiVE will place advanced-warning data on crop stress at the fingertips of agribusiness companies, smart-farm operators and government policy makers.

Traditional approaches to measuring crop water-stress conditions include monitoring irrigation systems, indirect measurement of field temperatures, or aerial remote sensing of temperature via drones, all of which have drawbacks. Satellite remote sensing is available, but generally relies on optical imaging of leaf colour changes, meaning that at the time of detection irreversible crop damage has probably already occurred. Thermal infrared satellite measurements, which eliminate these drawbacks, are however becoming increasingly available.

constellr GmbH, a New Space start-up with offices in Freiburg and Brussels, saw an opportunity to provide immediate monitoring of crop health through specifically created TIR Earth observation satellites. By directly measuring leaf temperature from space, changes in plant transpiration can be spotted so that farmers can take remedial action days or weeks before critical crop deterioration ensues. constellr’s HiVE (High-resolution VEgetation monitoring) system will encompass a constellation of microsatellites with miniaturised TIR sensors in combination with a global ground-station-as-a-service infrastructure and cloud-based data platform. HiVE’s toolset will give both commercial and institutional customers actionable insights on crop conditions, helping to reduce the risk of crop loss and improve yield predictions.

The HiVE development is technically supported and partially funded by the ESA InCubed programme. At the contract extension signing today, constellr CTO Marius Bierdel commented on the significance of the investment: “Supported by the technical expertise and funding of InCubed, constellr is able to expedite the development of its first commercially operational satellite. This is a critical early part of our rapid infrastructure development cycle – a major driver for our competitiveness in the market and the key to bringing us a step closer to being a successful player in the space ecosystem.”

The German National Delegation to ESA was also represented at the meeting. “HiVE is the largest investment that we have made so far within InCubed,” explained Michael Nyenhuis, InCubed Programme Coordinator at the German Space Agency at DLR. “Given the current global issues of drought and food shortages, today’s launch of this development initiative is particularly timely, and we are sure that the final product will have a decisive role in optimising future irrigation management and biomass output.”

“This is a great example of how ESA can aid private-sector advances on solutions to climate problems and support a promising business initiative relevant to the agribusiness sector,” added ESA Director of Earth Observation Programmes Simonetta Cheli. “The technical support and business advice from ESA will undoubtedly provide an essential springboard for constellr in its journey to mission readiness and ultimately the delivery of this crucially important service.”

To know more: constellr, ESA InCubed, DLR