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Wildfires continue to rage across Chile this week. At last count, there were 323 active fires, including at least 90 that officials consider to be out of control. Not only have they burnt an estimated 889,000 acres of forests, they’ve destroyed 1,500 homes and have left thousands homeless. At the time of writing, the wildfires have caused at least 26 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. 

Unfortunately, these fires are not an isolated incident. Wildfires happen around the world and, because of climate change, with increasing frequency and ferocity. In 2021, fires burned an area nearly two times the size of New York City in Greece, while last summer, 25% of the forests in Portugal’s famed Serra da Estrela range were lost to fire.   

Whether it’s wildfires in Chile or a deadly earthquake in Turkey, natural disasters highlight the importance of having innovative tools and solutions for resilient risk management and response. 

The key to building those tools and solutions? The EU Space Programme.

From GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) to Earth Observation (Copernicus) and satellite communication (GOVSATCOM and IRIS²) , each component of the EU Space Programme brings added value to different phases of the disaster risk management and mitigation chain. For example, while firefighters and emergency first responders rely on the precise positioning provided by EGNOS and Galileo to safely guide themselves through smoke, fog and flames, Copernicus provides decision makers with critical geospatial information, including continuous observations and forecasting for flood, drought and fire risks.

Detecting and monitoring wildfires with Copernicus 

Copernicus data is currently being used by decision makers in Chile to control the wildfires happening there. Specifically, ARAUCO, the country’s largest commercial forestry company, is using a solution developed by OroraTech, a German thermal-infrared data intelligence company, to track the fires’ evolution and estimate damages.

By combining satellite images provided by Copernicus with thermal infrared data, the OroraTech Wildfire Solution enables stakeholders like ARAUCO to detect and monitor wildfires better. “With space technologies, we can provide real-time data on the location, extent and behaviour of fires – information that can improve fire management and response efforts,” says Liene Lapsevska, Head of PR & Communications at OroraTech. 

According to Lapsevska, the company’s technology significantly reduces fire detection time while also offering substantial cost savings over traditional detection methods like aircraft surveillance. Furthermore, its on-orbit processing capabilities will allow customers to receive data from anywhere in the world just three minutes after the satellite passes over the affected area.

OroraTech is participating in CASSINI, a EUSPA-backed initiative organised by the European Commission that supports entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs developing innovative applications and services that leverage the EU Space Programme. 

The power of synergy and the strength of Horizon Europe

While GNSS and Earth Observation are powerful tools in their own right, the Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid sector stands to benefit the most when these solutions are used in synergy. That’s why EUSPA is supporting such initiatives as the OVERWATCH project through Horizon Europe scheme.

The project is a collaboration between several aerospace, technology and innovation companies from across Europe. Using GNSS positioning and Copernicus data, along with such emerging technologies as Artificial Intelligence, drones, 5G connectivity and Augmented Reality, the project is building an integrated holographic management system for the response, recovery and mitigation of emergencies and disasters.

“Our goal is to provide the decision support tools authorities need to quickly deploy and manage air, water and ground assets and personnel, all integrated into an immersive and completely decentralised command platform,” explains Vanina Fissore, a researcher with the project. 

The OVERWATCH system will be fed by geospatial data coming from Copernicus satellites. It will also leverage the Copernicus Emergency Management Service for the rapid mapping of a disaster area. “This data gives authorities a clear picture of the current situation, allowing them to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively,” says Katarina Spasenovic, the OVERWATCH project’s communication lead. 

One of those resources is the use of drones, which are becoming an increasingly important tool in the wildfire fighting arsenal. “Unlike the ground-based systems and manned aircraft traditionally used in firefighting prevention, drones can operate over long distances, at night, in all weather conditions, in remote areas and with little to no infrastructure,” explains Vasilis Kalogirou, Space Downstream Research & Innovation Officer at EUSPA. “Proven to be effective and safe, they have the potential to be a real game-changer in firefighting missions.”

To tap this potential, OVERWATCH drones will use the precise positioning and accuracy offered by Galileo, including the recently launched Galileo High Accuracy Service, to safely navigate through a fire event. Equipped with a payload that includes sensors and cameras, these drones can serve as a valuable eye-in-the-sky during emergency situations, collecting three-dimensional data about the terrain, providing real-time tracking of a firefighter’s location in the field, and monitoring and identifying assets on the ground. 

All this data, whether it be coming from Copernicus, GNSS-enabled drones or another source altogether, is then sent to the central OVERWATCH platform. Here, the data will be analysed using, at least in part, AI algorithms, which can quickly extrapolate important information that will then be presented via an intuitive, augmented reality-based user interface.   

“When companies leverage the synergy of EU Space, they can help improve the speed and accuracy at which wildfires are detected and facilitate the faster, safer and more effective responses we need to contain the damage and save more lives,” concludes Kalogirou.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Wildfires continue to rage across Chile this week. At last count, there were 323 active fires, including at least 90 that officials consider to be out of control. Not only have they burnt an estimated 889,000 acres of forests, they’ve destroyed 1,500 homes and have left thousands homeless. At the time of writing, the wildfires have caused at least 26 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. 

Unfortunately, these fires are not an isolated incident. Wildfires happen around the world and, because of climate change, with increasing frequency and ferocity. In 2021, fires burned an area nearly two times the size of New York City in Greece, while last summer, 25% of the forests in Portugal’s famed Serra da Estrela range were lost to fire.   

Whether it’s wildfires in Chile or a deadly earthquake in Turkey, natural disasters highlight the importance of having innovative tools and solutions for resilient risk management and response. 

The key to building those tools and solutions? The EU Space Programme.

From GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) to Earth Observation (Copernicus) and satellite communication (GOVSATCOM and IRIS²) , each component of the EU Space Programme brings added value to different phases of the disaster risk management and mitigation chain. For example, while firefighters and emergency first responders rely on the precise positioning provided by EGNOS and Galileo to safely guide themselves through smoke, fog and flames, Copernicus provides decision makers with critical geospatial information, including continuous observations and forecasting for flood, drought and fire risks.

Detecting and monitoring wildfires with Copernicus 

Copernicus data is currently being used by decision makers in Chile to control the wildfires happening there. Specifically, ARAUCO, the country’s largest commercial forestry company, is using a solution developed by OroraTech, a German thermal-infrared data intelligence company, to track the fires’ evolution and estimate damages.

By combining satellite images provided by Copernicus with thermal infrared data, the OroraTech Wildfire Solution enables stakeholders like ARAUCO to detect and monitor wildfires better. “With space technologies, we can provide real-time data on the location, extent and behaviour of fires – information that can improve fire management and response efforts,” says Liene Lapsevska, Head of PR & Communications at OroraTech. 

According to Lapsevska, the company’s technology significantly reduces fire detection time while also offering substantial cost savings over traditional detection methods like aircraft surveillance. Furthermore, its on-orbit processing capabilities allow customers to receive data from anywhere in the world just three minutes after the satellite passes over the affected area.

OroraTech is participating in CASSINI, a EUSPA-backed initiative organised by the European Commission that supports entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs developing innovative applications and services that leverage the EU Space Programme. 

The power of synergy and the strength of Horizon Europe

While GNSS and Earth Observation are powerful tools in their own right, the Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid sector stands to benefit the most when these solutions are used in synergy. That’s why EUSPA is supporting such initiatives as the OVERWATCH project through Horizon Europe scheme.

The project is a collaboration between several aerospace, technology and innovation companies from across Europe. Using GNSS positioning and Copernicus data, along with such emerging technologies as Artificial Intelligence, drones, 5G connectivity and Augmented Reality, the project is building an integrated holographic management system for the response, recovery and mitigation of emergencies and disasters.

“Our goal is to provide the decision support tools authorities need to quickly deploy and manage air, water and ground assets and personnel, all integrated into an immersive and completely decentralised command platform,” explains Vanina Fissore, a researcher with the project. 

The OVERWATCH system will be fed by geospatial data coming from Copernicus satellites. It will also leverage the Copernicus Emergency Management Service for the rapid mapping of a disaster area. “This data gives authorities a clear picture of the current situation, allowing them to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively,” says Katarina Spasenovic, the OVERWATCH project’s communication lead. 

One of those resources is the use of drones, which are becoming an increasingly important tool in the wildfire fighting arsenal. “Unlike the ground-based systems and manned aircraft traditionally used in firefighting prevention, drones can operate over long distances, at night, in all weather conditions, in remote areas and with little to no infrastructure,” explains Vasilis Kalogirou, Space Downstream Research & Innovation Officer at EUSPA. “Proven to be effective and safe, they have the potential to be a real game-changer in firefighting missions.”

To tap this potential, OVERWATCH drones will use the precise positioning and accuracy offered by Galileo, including the recently launched Galileo High Accuracy Service, to safely navigate through a fire event. Equipped with a payload that includes sensors and cameras, these drones can serve as a valuable eye-in-the-sky during emergency situations, collecting three-dimensional data about the terrain, providing real-time tracking of a firefighter’s location in the field, and monitoring and identifying assets on the ground. 

All this data, whether it be coming from Copernicus, GNSS-enabled drones or another source altogether, is then sent to the central OVERWATCH platform. Here, the data will be analysed using, at least in part, AI algorithms, which can quickly extrapolate important information that will then be presented via an intuitive, augmented reality-based user interface.   

“When companies leverage the synergy of EU Space, they can help improve the speed and accuracy at which wildfires are detected and facilitate the faster, safer and more effective responses we need to contain the damage and save more lives,” concludes Kalogirou.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Wildfires continue to rage across Chile this week. At last count, there were 323 active fires, including at least 90 that officials consider to be out of control. Not only have they burnt an estimated 889,000 acres of forests, they’ve destroyed 1,500 homes and have left thousands homeless. At the time of writing, the wildfires have caused at least 26 deaths and more than 2,000 injuries. 

Unfortunately, these fires are not an isolated incident. Wildfires happen around the world and, because of climate change, with increasing frequency and ferocity. In 2021, fires burned an area nearly two times the size of New York City in Greece, while last summer, 25% of the forests in Portugal’s famed Serra da Estrela range were lost to fire.   

Whether it’s wildfires in Chile or a deadly earthquake in Turkey, natural disasters highlight the importance of having innovative tools and solutions for resilient risk management and response. 

The key to building those tools and solutions? The EU Space Programme.

From GNSS (Galileo, EGNOS) to Earth Observation (Copernicus) and satellite communication (GOVSATCOM and IRIS²) , each component of the EU Space Programme brings added value to different phases of the disaster risk management and mitigation chain. For example, while firefighters and emergency first responders rely on the precise positioning provided by EGNOS and Galileo to safely guide themselves through smoke, fog and flames, Copernicus provides decision makers with critical geospatial information, including continuous observations and forecasting for flood, drought and fire risks.

Detecting and monitoring wildfires with Copernicus 

Copernicus data is currently being used by decision makers in Chile to control the wildfires happening there. Specifically, ARAUCO, the country’s largest commercial forestry company, is using a solution developed by OroraTech, a German thermal-infrared data intelligence company, to track the fires’ evolution and estimate damages.

By combining satellite images provided by Copernicus with thermal infrared data, the OroraTech Wildfire Solution enables stakeholders like ARAUCO to detect and monitor wildfires better. “With space technologies, we can provide real-time data on the location, extent and behaviour of fires – information that can improve fire management and response efforts,” says Liene Lapsevska, Head of PR & Communications at OroraTech. 

According to Lapsevska, the company’s technology significantly reduces fire detection time while also offering substantial cost savings over traditional detection methods like aircraft surveillance. Furthermore, its on-orbit processing capabilities will allow customers to receive data from anywhere in the world just three minutes after the satellite passes over the affected area.

OroraTech is participating in CASSINI, a EUSPA-backed initiative organised by the European Commission that supports entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs developing innovative applications and services that leverage the EU Space Programme. 

The power of synergy and the strength of Horizon Europe

While GNSS and Earth Observation are powerful tools in their own right, the Emergency Management and Humanitarian Aid sector stands to benefit the most when these solutions are used in synergy. That’s why EUSPA is supporting such initiatives as the OVERWATCH project through Horizon Europe scheme.

The project is a collaboration between several aerospace, technology and innovation companies from across Europe. Using GNSS positioning and Copernicus data, along with such emerging technologies as Artificial Intelligence, drones, 5G connectivity and Augmented Reality, the project is building an integrated holographic management system for the response, recovery and mitigation of emergencies and disasters.

“Our goal is to provide the decision support tools authorities need to quickly deploy and manage air, water and ground assets and personnel, all integrated into an immersive and completely decentralised command platform,” explains Vanina Fissore, a researcher with the project. 

The OVERWATCH system will be fed by geospatial data coming from Copernicus satellites. It will also leverage the Copernicus Emergency Management Service for the rapid mapping of a disaster area. “This data gives authorities a clear picture of the current situation, allowing them to allocate resources more efficiently and effectively,” says Katarina Spasenovic, the OVERWATCH project’s communication lead. 

One of those resources is the use of drones, which are becoming an increasingly important tool in the wildfire fighting arsenal. “Unlike the ground-based systems and manned aircraft traditionally used in firefighting prevention, drones can operate over long distances, at night, in all weather conditions, in remote areas and with little to no infrastructure,” explains Vasilis Kalogirou, Space Downstream Research & Innovation Officer at EUSPA. “Proven to be effective and safe, they have the potential to be a real game-changer in firefighting missions.”

To tap this potential, OVERWATCH drones will use the precise positioning and accuracy offered by Galileo, including the recently launched Galileo High Accuracy Service, to safely navigate through a fire event. Equipped with a payload that includes sensors and cameras, these drones can serve as a valuable eye-in-the-sky during emergency situations, collecting three-dimensional data about the terrain, providing real-time tracking of a firefighter’s location in the field, and monitoring and identifying assets on the ground. 

All this data, whether it be coming from Copernicus, GNSS-enabled drones or another source altogether, is then sent to the central OVERWATCH platform. Here, the data will be analysed using, at least in part, AI algorithms, which can quickly extrapolate important information that will then be presented via an intuitive, augmented reality-based user interface.   

“When companies leverage the synergy of EU Space, they can help improve the speed and accuracy at which wildfires are detected and facilitate the faster, safer and more effective responses we need to contain the damage and save more lives,” concludes Kalogirou.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).

Accurate positioning is what puts the smart into smartphones. Without it, your rideshare drives right past you, your food delivery ends up next door and your date is left thinking they’ve been stood up. 

In other words, without accurate positioning, your smartphone can leave you looking rather dumb.

The good news is that pretty much all smartphones come equipped with a satellite navigation chip, which automatically calculates where your phone is and provides this information to your location-based apps. The bad news is that not all chips are created equal. 

“Your phone determines its position by accessing the GNSS signals that come from satellites,” explains EUSPA Chief Operating Officer, Pascal Claudel. “The more signals it can access, the more accurate the positioning.”

Gaining access 

So, how can your phone access more signals? 

According to Claudel, the key is to have what is called a multi-constellation chip. “Multi-constellation chips collect data coming from more than one GNSS constellation, such as Galileo and GPS,” he explains. 

The advantage of having a phone equipped with a multi-constellation chip is that location can be calculated using all the available satellites from both the Galileo and GPS constellations, amongst others. This is particularly helpful in urban environments where narrow streets and tall buildings can block satellite signals, rendering many mobile services useless.

“By accessing more satellites, Galileo-enabled devices definitely have an advantage – an advantage that translates into more accurate and reliable positioning for users,” adds Claudel.

Thanks to HAS and OSNMA, Galileo potential is unique 

Looking forward, however, the contribution of Galileo is expected to go way beyond. Being the newest GNSS in the arena, Galileo signal’s features bring many unmatched innovations to its users. Among these, the provision of Galileo HAS (High Accuracy Service) and OSNMA (Open Service – Navigation Message Authentication) is set to be of the highest interest to smartphone users. The recently declared operational Galileo HAS, for example, will provide for accuracy below a few decimetres (<25cm horizontal in nominal conditions of use). Galileo OSNMA, a data authentication function that will be soon freely accessible worldwide, will pave the way towards robust Position, Velocity and Time information (PVT) for the Galileo Open Service users. 

In the upcoming years, once chipset receivers able to make use of those innovations will be integrated into smartphones, users will benefit from both those Galileo services for free. This is expected to fuel a massive development of innovative applications. Within consumer apps, indeed, those new Galileo services will enable innovative solutions and/ or functions. The HAS increased accuracy will have a direct impact on the performance of a wide range of consumer application categories such as Gaming, Healthcare, Robotics, AR and Geo-marketing. Mobile payments and enterprise workforce management and tracking solutions are some of the areas that will benefit from OSNMA. 

Overall, the provision of Galileo HAS and OSNMA is expected to further narrow the distance between consumer and enterprise apps, with professional users across several verticals being able to perform directly in their smartphones activities and tasks once possible only with dedicated devices. The enhanced positioning capabilities provided by Galileo will also further consolidate the role of the smartphone as one of the key devices able to establish a bridge between the digital and the physical worlds in the metaverse and digital twin technologies. 

Find out if your smartphone is Galileo enabled  

EUSPA wants everyone to benefit from the enhanced positioning accuracy and reliability that Galileo provides. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to ensure that the world’s leading chip manufacturers include Galileo in their products. We’re also supporting the industry’s development of such chips through our Fundamental Elements funding mechanism.  

As a result of this work, over 3.9 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones have been sold worldwide. You can see if yours is one of them by visiting www.useGalileo.eu.  

There are also a number of apps you can use to check where your positioning data is coming from. For example, the GPSTest application, which can be downloaded for free from Google Play, provides users with real-time information about which satellites are providing positioning data to your phone. If the Galileo satellite on the user screen (indicated by the EU flag) has a ‘U’ next to it, then you know your phone is using Galileo to calculate its position at that very moment. 

Similar applications are available for iOS users such as here.

Accuracy matters more than ever

Considering the plethora of location-based services out there, many of which we use on a daily basis, accuracy matters more than ever. 

“Thanks to the added accuracy that Galileo brings to smartphones everywhere, you can rest assured that your food will come before it goes cold, that your rideshare will actually arrive when and where it’s supposed to, and that you won’t miss a potential match the next time you swipe right,” concludes Claudel. 

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the EUSPA website (http://www.euspa.europa.eu).