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The 14th International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation took place from 16-18th June 2021.

The 14th edition of the International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation (TRANSAV) took place online from 16-18 June 2021, bringing together scientists and professionals who shared their expertise and research results on all aspects of navigation at sea.  

EUSPA Market Development Technology Officer, Prof. Manuel Lopez, co-chaired the round table on GNSS, together with Prof. Cezary Specht, Head of the department of Geodesy and Oceanography of the Maritime University of Gdynia.

Maritime transportation is the backbone of the worldwide economic growth, representing 80% of the global merchant traffic, and a major domain of human and nature activity. Increased marine traffic and the need of accurate manoeuvring in ports are some challenges pilots are faced with. 

The maritime community is becoming more and more interested in using SBAS for ocean, coastal waters and harbour entrances/approaches especially where there is no DGNSS infrastructure or in poorly covered environments. EGNOS is already used to effectively complement DGNSS for the provision of enhanced accuracy (close to 1m) and integrity information.

Read this: EGNOS Safety of Life: Serving aviation for 10 years

SBAS systems like EGNOS are set to become a complementary augmentation technology for maritime users. The study of V. Anton et al. on the evolution of SBAS/EGNOS enabled devices in maritime, presented at TRANSNAV shows that currently around 90% of receivers in the market implement SBAS. However, these implementations are not certified following a maritime test standard. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently approved a new work item for the preparation of this standard in the next two years. The name of the standard is: IEC 61108-7 ED1 Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems - Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) - Part 7: Satellite Based Augmentation Systems - Receiver Equipment - Performance requirements and method of testing. 

During the session moderated by Lopez, participants also had to opportunity to get a taste of how EGNOS performs in high latitudes and more specifically along the Finnish coasts. The study of R. Gonzalez et al. highlights EGNOS suitability in the border of its coverage area, showing an average accuracy of 0.815m in the Gulf of Finland.

The paper Low Bandwith Network-RTK correction dissemination for High Accuracy Maritime Navigation by S. Alissa et al., funded by EUSPA under H2020 project PREParE SHIPS (PREdicted Positioning based on EGNSS for Ships), was nominated as one of the best four papers of the conference. The study described a real-time kinematics network (NRTK) disseminating corrections for GNSS, including Galileo, by means of the modern maritime communication system VDES (VHF Data Exchange System).

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).

The 14th International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation took place from 16-18th June 2021.

The 14th edition of the International Conference on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation (TRANSNAV) took place online from 16-18 June 2021, bringing together scientists and professionals who shared their expertise and research results on all aspects of navigation at sea.  

EUSPA Market Development Technology Officer, Prof. Manuel Lopez, co-chaired the round table on GNSS, together with Prof. Cezary Specht, Head of the department of Geodesy and Oceanography of the Maritime University of Gdynia.

Maritime transportation is the backbone of the worldwide economic growth, representing 80% of the global merchant traffic, and a major domain of human and nature activity. Increased marine traffic and the need of accurate manoeuvring in ports are some challenges pilots are faced with. 

The maritime community is becoming more and more interested in using SBAS for ocean, coastal waters and harbour entrances/approaches especially where there is no DGNSS infrastructure or in poorly covered environments. EGNOS is already used to effectively complement DGNSS for the provision of enhanced accuracy (close to 1m) and integrity information.

Read this: EGNOS Safety of Life: Serving aviation for 10 years

SBAS systems like EGNOS are set to become a complementary augmentation technology for maritime users. The study of V. Anton et al. on the evolution of SBAS/EGNOS enabled devices in maritime, presented at TRANSNAV shows that currently around 90% of receivers in the market implement SBAS. However, these implementations are not certified following a maritime test standard. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently approved a new work item for the preparation of this standard in the next two years. The name of the standard is: IEC 61108-7 ED1 Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems - Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) - Part 7: Satellite Based Augmentation Systems - Receiver Equipment - Performance requirements and method of testing. 

During the session moderated by Lopez, participants also had to opportunity to get a taste of how EGNOS performs in high latitudes and more specifically along the Finnish coasts. The study of R. Gonzalez et al. highlights EGNOS suitability in the border of its coverage area, showing an average accuracy of 0.815m in the Gulf of Finland.

The paper Low Bandwith Network-RTK correction dissemination for High Accuracy Maritime Navigation by S. Alissa et al., funded by EUSPA under H2020 project PREParE SHIPS (PREdicted Positioning based on EGNSS for Ships), was nominated as one of the best four papers of the conference. The study described a real-time kinematics network (NRTK) disseminating corrections for GNSS, including Galileo, by means of the modern maritime communication system VDES (VHF Data Exchange System).

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).

Complementing Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS, and the forthcoming GOVSATCOM, this new EU flagship programme, will benefit a broad range of sectors, including road and maritime transport, air traffic and control, autonomous vehicle development as well Internet of Things (IoT).  It will also open up more opportunities for synergies between the already existing components of the EU Space Programme that can benefit maritime surveillance or even space situational awareness.

“I want to position Europe as THE hub of space entrepreneurship in the world”. With this remark Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, kicked off the Q&A session with SMEs and start-ups during the Secure Connectivity Initiative online event organized by DG-DEFIS on 14 June 2021.

The landscape of the space industry is being reshaped as we are entering a new era in the field of satellite communications. The use of new frequency bands, optical communications and quantum technology allows for the development of new innovative products and software. Europe is gifted with a satcom industry that has the capacity to make the necessary technological leap while at the same time New-Space entrepreneurs are able to think outside the box and create new services that can benefit users.

The EU is ready to harness this momentum of digitisation and make Europe fit for the digital age under its new European Connectivity Initiative. 

The Secure Connectivity Initiative, announced in early 2020 by Breton during his keynote at the 13th European Space Conference will be a multi-orbital project, combining the benefits offered by LEO, GEO and MEO constellations. It is set to provide secure communication services to the EU and its Member States as well as broadband connectivity for European citizens, private companies and governmental authorities. This new initiative aims to put an end to dead zones, giving high broadband speed to everyone in Europe and some areas of Africa through a resilient & ultra-secure space and ground based system.

Read this: European Commissioner Breton makes first official visit at EUSPA headquarters and highlights the role of the Agency in the delivery of the EU Space Programme

The EU Agency for the Space Programme, is already actively involved in building secure satellite communications infrastructures for Europe through the coordination of the first phase of GOVSATCOM on which the new secure connectivity initiative will be based. Complementing Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS and the forthcoming GOVSATCOM, this new EU flagship programme, will benefit a broad range of sectors, including road and maritime transport, air traffic and control as well Internet of Things (IoT). Such a project will also open up more opportunities for synergies between the already existing components of the EU Space Programme. By combining GNSS data and satcom networks we can significantly improve space situational awareness.  Likewise, the synergies between EO, SatNav and SatCom can be useful for fisheries control and maritime surveillance. 

With the addition of the Secure Connectivity Initiative, the EU is ramping up the digitisation of its society and economy while looking to make space data more accessible and scalable to all interested entities. This will ensure reliance on Europe’s own space resources and infrastructure and therefore strengthen its digital sovereignty. 

EUSPA will be supporting the EU’s digital transition by giving incentives to new entrants in order to scale-up the creation of innovative start-ups. This will be done through instruments such as the CASSINI initiative, Horizon Europe calls and other innovation competitions. 

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).

Complementing Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS, and the forthcoming GOVSATCOM, this new EU flagship programme, will benefit a broad range of sectors, including road and maritime transport, air traffic and control, autonomous vehicle development as well Internet of Things (IoT).  It will also open up more opportunities for synergies between the already existing components of the EU Space Programme that can benefit maritime surveillance or even space situational awareness.

“I want to position Europe as THE hub of space entrepreneurship in the world”. With this remark Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, kicked off the Q&A session with SMEs and start-ups during the Secure Connectivity Initiative online event organized by DG-DEFIS on 14 June 2021.

The landscape of the space industry is being reshaped as we are entering a new era in the field of satellite communications. The use of new frequency bands, optical communications and quantum technology allows for the development of new innovative products and software. Europe is gifted with a satcom industry that has the capacity to make the necessary technological leap while at the same time New-Space entrepreneurs are able to think outside the box and create new services that can benefit users.

The EU is ready to harness this momentum of digitisation and make Europe fit for the digital age under its new European Connectivity Initiative. 

The Secure Connectivity Initiative, announced in early 2020 by Breton during his keynote at the 13th European Space Conference will be a multi-orbital project, combining the benefits offered by LEO, GEO and MEO constellations. It is set to provide secure communication services to the EU and its Member States as well as broadband connectivity for European citizens, private companies and governmental authorities. This new initiative aims to put an end to dead zones, giving high broadband speed to everyone in Europe and some areas of Africa through a resilient & ultra-secure space and ground based system.

Read this: European Commissioner Breton makes first official visit at EUSPA headquarters and highlights the role of the Agency in the delivery of the EU Space Programme

The EU Agency for the Space Programme, is already actively involved in building secure satellite communications infrastructures for Europe through the coordination of the first phase of GOVSATCOM on which the new secure connectivity initiative will be based. Complementing Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS and the forthcoming GOVSATCOM, this new EU flagship programme, will benefit a broad range of sectors, including road and maritime transport, air traffic and control as well Internet of Things (IoT). Such a project will also open up more opportunities for synergies between the already existing components of the EU Space Programme. By combining GNSS data and satcom networks we can significantly improve space situational awareness.  Likewise, the synergies between EO, SatNav and SatCom can be useful for fisheries control and maritime surveillance. 

With the addition of the Secure Connectivity Initiative, the EU is ramping up the digitisation of its society and economy while looking to make space data more accessible and scalable to all interested entities. This will ensure reliance on Europe’s own space resources and infrastructure and therefore strengthen its digital sovereignty. 

EUSPA will be supporting the EU’s digital transition by giving incentives to new entrants in order to scale-up the creation of innovative start-ups. This will be done through instruments such as the CASSINI initiative, Horizon Europe calls and other innovation competitions. 

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).

With an allocated budget of EUR 95.5 billion for the period 2021-2027, Horizon Europe is the new EU research and innovation funding programme, poised to develop sustainable solutions to tackle climate change, boost competitiveness and create jobs. Targeting public authorities, universities, research institutes, companies and other organizations, the Programme also facilitates collaboration, and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting, and implementing EU policies.

Throughout the years, the EU research and innovation (R&I) funding programmes (FP6, FP7, H2020 to name but a few) have been fueling Europe’s future and growth.  As Europe slowly emerges from the pandemic, R&I will become even more crucial to develop much needed solutions to tackle global and societal challenges, and build a more sustainable, secure and resilient European Union. 

While the European Commission fully-fledged #NextGenerationEU recovery plan aims to support and stimulate national economies, Horizon Europe targets solutions to turn our continent greener, more digital and more resilient leveraging on  the European Union excellence in research and academia, and its innovation and creativity capital among industry, SMEs, and entrepreneurs. 

With an allocated budget of EUR 95.5 billion for the period 2021-2027, the enhanced successor of Horizon 2020, is the EU’s vehicle to tackle climate change, boost competitiveness and create jobs. Targeting public authorities, universities, research institutes, companies and other organizations, the new Programme also facilitates the collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies. 

EU Space data based on Galileo, Copernicus and EGNOS is enabling the development of next-generation, innovative applications or technologies especially in the downstream sectors such as mobility, smart farming, shared economy, Consumer solutions, surveying, and leisure, among others. Horizon Europe will feature a set of calls to support R&I within the context of the new EU Space Programme.

Add Info Days to your calendar!

The European Commission is organizing the Horizon Europe Info Days 2021 with the objective to inform prospective applicants and other stakeholders, about the main funding instruments and processes, and the novelties of Horizon Europe. The Info-days will address 9 themes, each featuring a programme with discussions and hands-on sessions, and dedicated to individual clusters or parts of the new Programme.

Cluster 4 Digital, Industry and Space focuses on the following six destinations matching the Strategic Plan: 

1. Climate neutral, circular and digitised production; 
2. Increased autonomy in key strategic value chains for resilient industry; 
3. World leading data and computing technologies; 
4. Digital and emerging technologies for competitiveness and fit for the Green Deal; 
5. Open strategic autonomy in developing, deploying and using global space-based infrastructures, services, applications and data; 
6. A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies

The destination five will provide first-hand information on EU Space related calls. 

This Info-day will take place on 29 June 2021 from 09:00 until 17:00 CET and no prior registration is required. Participants will have the opportunity to first attend a “Welcome and general presentation of the 'Digital, Industry and Space' 2021 Work Programme” while under Destination 5 they will be informed about “Open strategic autonomy in developing, deploying and using global space-based infrastructures, services, applications and data”.

More information can be found here.

There is more

To complement Horizon Europe Info Days 2021, the National Contact Points (NCPs), under Bridge2HE, ID2020 and Cosmos2020, are promoting three different Brokerage events to support the forming of consortia. Interested? Sign up at the links below:

Digital: 24-25th June 2021 https://digital2021.ideal-ist.eu

Industry: 1st July 2021 https://industry2021.b2match.io

Space: 28th June 2021 https://cosmos2020plus-heu-cluster4-space-brokerage.b2match.io

The Europe-Africa Space Earth Observation High-Level Forum held earlier in June examined the evolving roadmap for enhancing EU-Africa cooperation in satellite-based Earth Observation; the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa was there to highlight the role of the agency in unlocking the full potential of EO in Africa through EU Space synergies. 

Africa is a vast continent with a diverse geomorphology, a rapidly growing population and a home to a broad range of ecosystems. Experts have been looking into space-based solutions over the past decades, and in particular Earth Observation (EO) data, enabling solutions that help manage natural resources and better assess the impact of human activities on natural habitats. 

Africa’s EO community is blossoming, benefitting from geospatial data (EO and GNSS) deriving from regional space infrastructures but also relying on international cooperation initiatives. It was within this context that EUSPA Executive Director, Rodrigo da Costa, joined the “Europe-Africa Space Earth Observation High-Level Forum” earlier in June, to speak about the role of the Agency and how the EU Space Programme can help Africa unlock its full potential.

Read this: ASECNA provides Africa’s first early SBAS Open Service

EU Space Programme Synergies to the front

While talking about the role of the Agency in fostering applications and the use of EO and navigation data, da Costa emphasized “the need to involve users in the design of sustainable solutions,” to enhance EU-Africa cooperation from a space point of view”, adding that EO combined with satellite navigation and telecommunication offers a huge potential to develop innovative space products based on synergies between these. “Just to give you one example, Copernicus can provide soil moisture and fertility information on a given piece of land. With the accuracy provided by Galileo, farmers everywhere – and of course also in Africa - can seed precisely where the soil is the most fertile, and that contributes to a more sustainable farming”, he concluded.

The session gathered high-level space actors such as Mahama Ouedraogo from the African Union Council who set the tone by saying that Africa-Europe EO cooperation should go further and consider the new paradigm brought by New Space. The European Commission was represented by DG INTPA Director General Koen Doens, Patrick Child Deputy Director General of DG RTD and Augusto Gonzales, Advisor to the DG DEFIS Director General all of which presented the latest developments and work of their respective DGs in the field of EO. The panel was completed by EUMETSAT Director General Phil Evans who noted that EUMETSAT had been collaborating for more than 20 years with the European Commission and multiple African institutions to ensure access to satellite data and strengthen African capacities to exploit these data and provide added-value services to various socio-economic sectors.

And this: Spanish team wins Farming by Satellite Prize 2020

EUSPA successfully linking users’ needs in Africa

As regards the role of EUSPA, he said that the Agency, with the support of the European Commission, could help Africa accelerate its EO downstream industry. “EUSPA has a successful track record of working with stakeholders in Africa and more specifically with the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA). Together we are developing the “SBAS for Africa and Indian Ocean” based on EGNOS technology. This was a first step to make African airports more accessible and create more commercial opportunities for airlines and new flight routes at a regional and international level, with minimum costs for ground infrastructure and its maintenance,” he said. 

EU leaders and policy makers are ready to strengthen cooperation between the European EO and Africa, and are looking forward to making use of the infinite opportunities offered by the EU Space Programme, all under the same sky.

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).