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A team from Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, took the first prize in this year’s Farming by Satellite competition with FODDERApp, a mobile app for grass and grazing management.

Second prize went to the pan-European team TREASURE for their project "GALILEO for automated transplanting of crop seedlings"; and the project "Copernicus Satellites Data Fusion for Management Zones Definition" from the University of Padua’s Space Junk team took third prize.

The winning teams overcame stiff competition from 42 other young people across 17 European countries. The competition judges selected six teams to take forward to the final ‘live’ judging round, held on Wednesday 5 December as part of European Space Week in Marseille.

The finalists came from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and, for the first time in the competition, Ireland and Finland.

“This was an amazing experience we really enjoyed brainstorming and developing the idea back in Ireland. And meeting all the other finalists and judges here in Marseille was fantastic! We hope to keep these connections in years to come,” Teagasc team member Gabriela Afrasinei said.

Read this: Agriculture and Space: The journey from field to fork

Interesting times ahead

The Farming by Satellite Prize, which promotes the use of satellite technologies in agriculture, is an initiative of the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Environment Agency (EEA) and is sponsored by agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS.

“The outcome of this year´s Farming by Satellite Prize once again showed there is no better way for innovation than investing in and rewarding the next generation of farmers. The amount and quality of the entries we received indicate that we have interesting times ahead in the area of smart farming,” said GSA Market Development Officer Reinhard Blasi, who was part of the judging panel.

Innovative thinking

Commenting on the environmental focus of the entries, Hans Dufourmont from the EEA said: “At a time when we are facing critical environmental and climate challenges, it is of increasing importance that we continue to encourage this type of strong innovative thinking from the next generation.”

And this: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes

Marcel Foelsch, Head of Precision Farming Services at CLAAS E-Systems noted that the past summer, with its unusually high temperatures and low rainfall, had highlighted the need to even further optimise the ecological benefits in the field of agriculture. “The participants of this competition are aware of this and submitted great ideas that tackle the challenges of today. I was impressed by the quality and level of innovation of the concepts that made it difficult to nominate the best one,” he said.

If you missed out on this year’s competition, but think you might have an idea that you could develop for next year, you can find all you need to know about entering the competition here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

December 16 marks two years since the launch of Galileo Initial Services. Timed to coincide with this milestone, the ‘Accuracy Matters’ campaign, officially launched on 15 December 2018, aims to increase public awareness of Galileo’s successes over the past two years and highlight the added value that Galileo brings to the mass market.

Did you know that Galileo is already improving the GPS signal that your smartphone receives, giving you extra accuracy and precision? Most Europeans are unaware that they are already benefitting from Galileo, but this is about to change! The Accuracy Matters campaign was introduced to the public at European Space Week in Marseille in the first week of December and the campaign officially kicked off this weekend. 

The campaign focuses on the fact that a little goes a long way and that today “Accuracy Matters” more than ever before for the latest location-based applications and services. The new awareness-building campaign will include a series of short video clips that give an entertaining glimpse of everyday situations where ‘Accuracy Matters’ to anyone using location data on their smartphones.

The videos can be viewed on a dedicated campaign page on the GSA website. The clips will be released in all EU languages and promoted on the Internet and through social media.

Milestone after milestone

A number of milestones with major significance for the Galileo programme have been reached since the launch of Initial Services in December 2016. In September 2017, semiconductor developer Broadcom announced the launch of the world’s first mass-market, dual frequency GNSS receiver for smartphones - the BCM47755. This was followed, in June 2018, by the launch of the first dual frequency smartphone – the Xiaomi Mi 8.

Now, according to the latest figures, over 500 million devices - most of them the latest smartphone models - are already Galileo-enabled. This new campaign aims to make users of these devices aware of the benefits that they can enjoy thanks Europe’s investment in the Galileo programme. 

Accuracy is particularly important when it comes to emergency response, and Galileo’s increased accuracy is a key enabler in this area too. As of 31 March 2018, all new car and light van models sold in the EU have to be fitted with Galileo-enabled eCall devices that automatically alert rescue services in the event of an accident, sending their position. A mere six months later, in September 2018, the first eCall-enabled car, the Volvo V60, was presented to the market.

These and the many other ways that Galileo’s added accuracy is benefitting end users will be highlighted throughout the campaign. 

Do you have Galileo in your pocket?

How about you? Do you know whether your phone or device is Galileo-enabled and whether you are already benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To find out, check the devices that are already Galileo-enabled here: UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

December 16 marks two years since the launch of Galileo Initial Services. Timed to coincide with this milestone, the ‘Accuracy Matters’ campaign, officially launched on 15 December 2018, aims to increase public awareness of Galileo’s successes over the past two years and highlight the added value that Galileo brings to the mass market.

Did you know that Galileo is already improving the GPS signal that your smartphone receives, giving you extra accuracy and precision? Most Europeans are unaware that they are already benefitting from Galileo, but this is about to change! The Accuracy Matters campaign was introduced to the public at European Space Week in Marseille in the first week of December and the campaign officially kicked off this weekend. 

The campaign focuses on the fact that a little goes a long way and that today “Accuracy Matters” more than ever before for the latest location-based applications and services. The new awareness-building campaign will include a series of short video clips that give an entertaining glimpse of everyday situations where ‘Accuracy Matters’ to anyone using location data on their smartphones.

The videos can be viewed on a dedicated YouTube channel. The clips will be released in all EU languages and promoted on the Internet and through social media.

Milestone after milestone

A number of milestones with major significance for the Galileo programme have been reached since the launch of Initial Services in December 2016. In September 2017, semiconductor developer Broadcom announced the launch of the world’s first mass-market, dual frequency GNSS receiver for smartphones - the BCM47755. This was followed, in June 2018, by the launch of the first dual frequency smartphone – the Xiaomi Mi 8.

Now, according to the latest figures, over 500 million devices - most of them the latest smartphone models - are already Galileo-enabled. This new campaign aims to make users of these devices aware of the benefits that they can enjoy thanks Europe’s investment in the Galileo programme. 

Accuracy is particularly important when it comes to emergency response, and Galileo’s increased accuracy is a key enabler in this area too. As of 31 March 2018, all new car and light van models sold in the EU have to be fitted with Galileo-enabled eCall devices that automatically alert rescue services in the event of an accident, sending their position. A mere six months later, in September 2018, the first eCall-enabled car, the Volvo V60, was presented to the market.

These and the many other ways that Galileo’s added accuracy is benefitting end users will be highlighted throughout the campaign. 

Do you have Galileo in your pocket?

How about you? Do you know whether your phone or device is Galileo-enabled and whether you are already benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To find out, check the devices that are already Galileo-enabled here: UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

December 16 marks two years since the launch of Galileo Initial Services. Timed to coincide with this milestone, the ‘Accuracy Matters’ campaign, officially launched on 15 December 2018, aims to increase public awareness of Galileo’s successes over the past two years and highlight the added value that Galileo brings to the mass market.

Did you know that Galileo is already improving the GPS signal that your smartphone receives, giving you extra accuracy and precision? Most Europeans are unaware that they are already benefitting from Galileo, but this is about to change! The Accuracy Matters campaign was introduced to the public at European Space Week in Marseille in the first week of December and the campaign officially kicked off this weekend. 

The campaign focuses on the fact that a little goes a long way and that today “Accuracy Matters” more than ever before for the latest location-based applications and services. The new awareness-building campaign will include a series of short video clips that give an entertaining glimpse of everyday situations where ‘Accuracy Matters’ to anyone using location data on their smartphones.

The videos can be viewed on a dedicated YouTube channel. The clips will be released in all EU languages and promoted on the Internet and through social media.

Milestone after milestone

A number of milestones with major significance for the Galileo programme have been reached since the launch of Initial Services in December 2016. In September 2017, semiconductor developer Broadcom announced the launch of the world’s first mass-market, dual frequency GNSS receiver for smartphones - the BCM47755. This was followed, in June 2018, by the launch of the first dual frequency smartphone – the Xiaomi Mi 8.

Now, according to the latest figures, over 500 million devices - most of them the latest smartphone models - are already Galileo-enabled. This new campaign aims to make users of these devices aware of the benefits that they can enjoy thanks Europe’s investment in the Galileo programme. 

Accuracy is particularly important when it comes to emergency response, and Galileo’s increased accuracy is a key enabler in this area too. As of 31 March 2018, all new car and light van models sold in the EU have to be fitted with Galileo-enabled eCall devices that automatically alert rescue services in the event of an accident, sending their position. A mere six months later, in September 2018, the first eCall-enabled car, the Volvo V60, was presented to the market.

These and the many other ways that Galileo’s added accuracy is benefitting end users will be highlighted throughout the campaign. 

Do you have Galileo in your pocket?

How about you? Do you know whether your phone or device is Galileo-enabled and whether you are already benefitting from Galileo’s added accuracy? To find out, check the devices that are already Galileo-enabled here: UseGalileo.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The ‘Space for Innovation in Rail’ forum, to be held in Vienna, Austria on 18-19 March 2019, will be an opportunity to discuss innovation and digitalisation in the rail sector, with a special focus on GNSS applications for rail. The event, under the auspices of the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, is being jointly organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), Shift2rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU), and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).

In recent years, the railway segment, which includes the rail industry, infrastructure managers and railway businesses, as well as the R&D ecosystem, has developed a portfolio of innovative solutions to increase the cost effectiveness and safety of rail transport, while at the same time improving passenger experience.

Both the GSA and Shift2Rail, a European initiative that seeks focused, market-driven research and innovation solutions for rail, are playing a key role in leading this innovative push in the rail sector and engaging with all stakeholders involved. ERA, meanwhile, is orchestrating the process from a more strategic and regulatory point of view within the framework of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Read this: GSA Rail report tracks user PNT requirements

The jointly organised event, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology in Vienna, will bring together about 150 people representing Europe’s rail stakeholders, including the rail users’ community, the rail industry and service providers, specialised media, and policy-makers in the areas of mobility, multimodality and innovation.

GNSS on track

Following a welcome address from Norbert Hofer, Austrian Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, discussions will touch on the key role of GNSS in innovation in rail positioning. It will also give an overview of the current state of affairs and highlight the lessons learned from GNSS adoption in various other transport segments – particularly the aviation sector.

Watch this: EGNOS and Galileo for Rail

Furthermore, the event will focus on the progress achieved so far on the implementation of the GNSS Roadmap for Rail as well as on the way forward towards the availability of a GNSS-enabled and certifiable train positioning system for the ERTMS, including the business challenges ahead. A further topic will be innovative solutions for rail-safety and signalling as well as the regulatory perspective towards GNSS adoption for rail.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Vienna and discussing with you GNSS and the future of rail in Europe. Please register here. For more information contact: com@gsa.europa.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

The ‘Space for Innovation in Rail’ forum, to be held in Vienna, Austria on 18-19 March 2019, will be an opportunity to discuss innovation and digitalisation in the rail sector, with a special focus on GNSS applications for rail. The event, under the auspices of the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, is being jointly organised by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), Shift2rail Joint Undertaking (S2R JU), and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).

In recent years, the railway segment, which includes the rail industry, infrastructure managers and railway businesses, as well as the R&D ecosystem, has developed a portfolio of innovative solutions to increase the cost effectiveness and safety of rail transport, while at the same time improving passenger experience.

Both the GSA and Shift2Rail, a European initiative that seeks focused, market-driven research and innovation solutions for rail, are playing a key role in leading this innovative push in the rail sector and engaging with all stakeholders involved. ERA, meanwhile, is orchestrating the process from a more strategic and regulatory point of view within the framework of the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS).

Read this: GSA Rail report tracks user PNT requirements

The jointly organised event, hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology in Vienna, will bring together about 150 people representing Europe’s rail stakeholders, including the rail users’ community, the rail industry and service providers, specialised media, and policy-makers in the areas of mobility, multimodality and innovation.

GNSS on track

Following a welcome address from Norbert Hofer, Austrian Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, discussions will touch on the key role of GNSS in innovation in rail positioning. It will also give an overview of the current state of affairs and highlight the lessons learned from GNSS adoption in various other transport segments – particularly the aviation sector.

Watch this: EGNOS and Galileo for Rail

Furthermore, the event will focus on the progress achieved so far on the implementation of the GNSS Roadmap for Rail as well as on the way forward towards the availability of a GNSS-enabled and certifiable train positioning system for the ERTMS, including the business challenges ahead. A further topic will be innovative solutions for rail-safety and signalling as well as the regulatory perspective towards GNSS adoption for rail.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Vienna and discussing with you GNSS and the future of rail in Europe. Please register here. For more information contact: com@gsa.europa.eu.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) 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 GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).