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Nov. 5, 2015—Australia’s access to vital satellite data has been assured through the signing of a cooperation arrangement in Brussels today between the Australian Government and the European Commission.

The agreement provides access to Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation and Monitoring programme, which captures imagery of our planet and its environment for the ultimate benefit of all citizens.

Australia’s Assistant Minister for Science Karen Andrews applauded the arrangement which provides Australia with access to the most comprehensive Earth observation programme in world history.

“Australia’s economy already benefits from satellite data to the tune of $4.3 billion annually. This agreement secures a reliable long-term supply of high-quality data in an area expected to grow substantially over the next ten years,” said Ms Andrews.

“Through our research sector, spatial industry, and our national science agencies Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, we envision data from Copernicus’s satellites creating great opportunities for businesses small and large, in Europe and Australia, working together to create innovative, economy-changing products and services.”

“The satellites will offer unprecedented capture of the Australian landscape with detailed, around-the-clock imagery to support the management of iconic environmental sites like the Great Barrier Reef, and monitor changes to our lakes and river systems.

The data will also stimulate the development of new applications and services relevant to Australia’s agriculture, fisheries, transport, mining and energy sectors, and help build regional and world economies,” said Assistant Minister Andrews.

The agreement was signed between the Australian Government, represented by Dr Stuart Minchin of Geoscience Australia, and the European Commission, represented by Dr Philippe Brunet, Director of Space Policy, Copernicus and Defence.

Source

(27 October 2015) DigitalGlobe announced an agreement with Intelescope Solutions to enable global-scale satellite imagery data for the forestry industry.

DigitalGlobe’s Geospatial Big Data Platform combines tools, data, and infrastructure to answer challenging questions about our complex and changing world. By coupling an innovative business model with modern cloud computing capabilities, DigitalGlobe enables customers and partners to extract information at scale from the world’s largest library of commercial satellite imagery.

Intelescope, a global provider of forestry analytical services, will run its own patented algorithms against millions of square kilometers of high-resolution earth imagery within the GBD Platform to generate timely and relevant information for its customers. Intelescope’s clients, which include forestry land owners, managers and consultants, timber REITs, TIMOs, and pension and hedge funds, are keenly interested to understand commercial timber volumes and health on a global scale.

“Intelescope Solutions is among the vanguard of cutting-edge companies that are leveraging satellite imagery and big data analytics to answer truly large and difficult questions,” said Dr. Shay Har-Noy, DigitalGlobe’s Senior Director of Geospatial Big Data. “DigitalGlobe’s GBD platform is tremendously valuable to industries like forestry and agricultural industries for its ability to assess the health and size of trees and plants on both an individual plot and aggregate global basis.”

“By partnering with DigitalGlobe, we are enabling more efficient management and a richer knowledge of timber assets, allowing for the optimization and preservation of valuable forest resources,” said Dr. Adam Messer, CEO of Intelescope Solutions. “Our customers will benefit from massively decreased processing times, increased cost-effectiveness, and our ability to take on projects that simply are not feasible without access to the world’s largest library of commercial satellite imagery.”

About DigitalGlobe

DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial solutions that help decision makers better understand our changing planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the world’s leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched coverage and capacity to meet our customers’ most demanding mission requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain actionable insight.

About Intelescope

Intelescope Solutions is a global provider of forest analytic services. Using its own proprietary algorithms, access to vast amounts of Geospatial Big Data, state-of-the-art drone and satellite imagery, the company is reshaping the way the forestry industry looks at timber resources, and manages its assets and risks. Intelescope has offices in Stamford, CT and Curitiba, Brazil, and its global research and development office is situated in Petach Tikvah, Israel.

(source: DigitalGlobe) and spacenewsfeed

(Munich, 06/11/15) European Space Imaging (EUSI) completed the 2015 Controls with Remote Sensing (CwRS) program for the European Commission (EC) with 100 % success rate. The Munich-based company collected and supplied very high resolution (VHR) satellite imagery over nearly half a million square kilometers and demonstrated again its capacity and reliability as Europe’s leading VHR data provider.

Since 2003, EUSI has been the major provider of VHR satellite data to the European Commission’s Controls with Remote Sensing program to control agricultural area-based subsidies granted under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Since 2010, EUSI also provides VHR imagery for the Quality Assurance of the EU Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS). Both programmes require the timely and reliable provision of very high resolution and very high quality imagery over control zones in Europe.

After the 2015 CAP reform, the demand for imagery for the CwRS programme has significantly grown increased by more than 40% reaching 497,000 km² across some 950 control sites. More than half of the sites were collected within 14 days of the window opening and about one third within 7 days. All collections were acquired by the DigitalGlobe constellation of satellites (WorldView-1, WorldView-2, WorldView-3 and GeoEye-1) and in close cooperation with DigitalGlobe.

“With the growing number of areas to be covered and the ever demanding specifications we are extremely proud to continually achieve a success rate of 100% in this challenging and important campaign. Through leveraging our global team, between European Space Imaging and DigitalGlobe, our staff worked around the clock to achieve this goal.” says Adrian Zevenbergen, Managing Director of European Space Imaging.

European Space Imaging takes advantage of operating their own ground station which, in combination with direct satellite tasking and taking real-time weather conditions into account, leads to the speedy delivery of data for distribution to European Union Member State administrations.

In 2016, the demand for VHR imagery is expected to grow further to accommodate the requirements of the CAP of the European Union. European Space Imaging is looking forward to continuing its role as dependable imagery partner and to supporting the EU Commission and EU Member States with data supply into the future.

About CwRS and LPIS QA:

Since 1993, the European Commission (EC) has promoted the use of “Controls with Remote Sensing” (CwRS) as a system to control agricultural subsidies granted under the EC’s Common Agricultural Policy. Following the real time evaluation in 2003 and the successful operational application since 2004, the EC’s Joint Research Centre (Director General (DG) JRC), in agreement with DG AGRI, provides VHR satellite remote sensing data to the EU Member States (MS) administrations for their CwRS area-based subsidies.

Since 2010, VHR Imagery acquired under the CwRS campaign has also been used for the quality assurance of the Land Parcel Identification System – which is the main geo-database in the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS – the main administration tool for managing of farmers’ applications).

The DG JRC provides technical guidance regarding the CwRS strategy as well as managing the image acquisition, ordering and communication with the MS administrations and image providers. Also, in close cooperation with the MS, it supports the definition of the imagery required. Satellite imagery is acquired through third party suppliers selected by the DG JRC such as European Space Imaging who has been a key third party imagery supplier to these campaigns since the programs’ inception.

About European Space Imaging

European Space Imaging (EUSI) is the ‘go to’ company in Europe if you are looking for very high-resolution satellite data. Their current ’best’ offering is 30 cm data from the DigitalGlobe WorldView-3 satellite.
EUSI also operates a multi-mission ground station to provide direct satellite tasking. This enables optimized image collection strategies, flexibility and real-time weather assessments for new collections.
With a reputation for expert and personalized customer service EUSI has been providing tailored VHR imagery solutions from their Munich headquarters to meet the diverse project requirements of their customer base since 2002.

To learn more please contact:
Penelope Richardson, Marketing Manager
European Space Imaging
Arnulfstrasse 199, Munich 80634
Tel: +49 (0) 89 1301420
Fax: +49 (0) 89 13014222
marketing@euspaceimaging.com
www.euspaceimaging.com

(Nov 2015) A group of Russian companies are currently cooperating to develop a cutting edge satellite radar system for the country’s Defense Ministry. The new system will allow for creating a precise 3D model of Earth as well as tracking ground objects.


“In the beginning of 2015, the Defense Industrial Commission decided that Russia will develop the system on its own. Then, a roadmap was agreed,” a source in the industry told the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

According to the project design, the system will comprise five satellite vehicles. The first launch is scheduled for 2019, the source added.

The key component of the new system is an active phased array antenna for the on-board radar station.

Russia’s Roselektronika Company is expected to develop, test and unveil the first Russian-made transmitter-receiver device in the first quarter of 2016.

Earlier it was reported that the Defense Ministry wanted to purchase a radar system from Airbus Defense and Space (ADS).

In 2013, Russia’s Lavochkin Research and Production Association won the tender. The company was expected to buy electronic parts for the radar from ADS and then mount them on the satellite platform. After the West imposed sanctions against a number of Russian companies over the Ukrainian crisis the decision was made to develop the entire system in Russia.

If the project is successful Russia could import such systems, specialists said.

Source

(Nov 2015) BlackBridge is the leading partner of the project ForMoSa, an Innovator III project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the Data User Element.

The project aims at developing methodologies for forest degradation monitoring and algorithms for sensor interoperability in the frame of REDD+ MRV. For this project, BlackBridge has teamed up with Wageningen University and FAO, two world-class organizations with an active involvement in REDD+. Wageningen University provides scientific support for the development of novel approaches for deforestation and forest degradation monitoring, whereas FAO’s role in this project is to validate the outcome methodologies and results from the test sites in Peru, Vietnam, and Ethiopia.

“This is a very exciting opportunity for us to develop methods and workflows to further increase the usefulness of EO data for REDD+ MRV. Advancing sensor interoperability and forest degradation assessment will definitely provide some grounds for that,” said Rene Griesbach, project manager for BlackBridge. Inge Jonckheere, from FAO, states,

“Accurate deforestation and forest degradation monitoring are critical to support developing countries in their readiness for REDD+. We are very pleased to participate in this project with top players in this domain and contribute to the development of new EO-based methods to tackle these challenges and share them with the REDD+ countries.”

Blackbridge

Source

(Nov 2015) Euroconsult today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with the World Space Risk Forum (WSRF) whereby Euroconsult will assist in the WSRF’s commitment to the creation of a comprehensive platform for the global space risk community.

The alliance will primarily be focused on developing valuable insights on space risk data, analysis of industry trends, and providing a global networking platform for the space industry. Since 2010, the WSRF has hosted a series of events attended by industry-leading space risk experts, including manufacturers, operators, underwriters, space agencies and reinsurers.

The main forum event will be held in Dubai, November 2016, to coincide with other UAE-based announced space events including Abu Dhabi Global Space Congress 2016. The 2016 WSRF will develop existing and future themes and aims to attract new industry players to the space risk arena.

Identifying the wide range of space risks to be covered, Lucy Gilchrist, Head of the WSRF, commented: “We have to open our minds to all the risks that could be out there for our industry, such as economic, geopolitical, technology, legal, regulatory, environmental and societal risks, to share knowledge and greater understanding. This is why we strongly believe in working with Euroconsult going forward. They share the WSRF vision that understanding risk is key to a safer space.” Gilchrist continued, “The UAE offers a dynamic and strategic focus point for global space related topics, leading the discussions for the region and helping set the agenda on a global scale.”

Euroconsult CEO, Pacôme Révillon, explained their decision to support the WSRF initiative: “The space sector is currently in a unique transition period, which involves shortened innovation cycles and a larger number of public and private stakeholders around the world. These trends result in new opportunities but at the expense of new risks for space projects. With over 30 years of experience in consulting, research and executive-level events in space markets, we are excited to bring our expertise to the WSRF. Our strategic partnership will aim at broadening the range of risks addressed throughout the event and across the space community to support the success of future space initiatives.”

About the World Space Risk Forum

The World Space Risk Forum is the main space risk forum in the world. Global satellite industry revenues are increasing yearly and are estimated to be in excess of $208bn for 2015. Growth in the Middle-East region, Asia and Africa is expected to hit more than 10% a year over the next 10 years. The region is a significant investor in high technology which makes it a major player in the future of space development. The space risk industry facilitates this development through the provision of insurance solutions for clients that protect their assets, revenues and liabilities to third parties. www.worldspaceriskforum.com

About Euroconsult

Euroconsult is the leading global consulting firm specializing in space markets. As a privately-owned, fully independent firm, we provide first-class strategic consulting, develop comprehensive research and organize executive-level annual summits for the industry. With 30 years of experience, Euroconsult is trusted by 600 clients in over 50 countries. Euroconsult is headquartered in France, with offices in the U.S., Canada and Japan.

PRESS CONTACT
Annette Chatterton
+33(1) 49 23 75 30
chatterton@euroconsult-ec.com
www.euroconsult-ec.com

In the last edition of eomag, I mentioned briefly a report we had just published looking at the economic benefit of satellite data. It was the first case we published in a series about “Satellites Benefitting Citizens”. In it we looked at the enormous return to the Finnish and Swedish economies coming from the use of satellite imagery by the icebreakers. We are about to publish the report on the second case which looks at the use of imagery to support Forest Management in Sweden – which also shows a strong benefit.

We are interested to take a new look at the benefits which satellite technology can bring to governments, businesses and ultimately the citizens; for this analysis we have developed a new methodology. Previous work has always taken a top-down approach; looking at the macro-economic effects. Studies would look at major economic sectors and trends so as to assess how much use could be made of satellite imagery to support them. The consultant would then assign a percentage for each sector and calculate the total benefit.

We wanted to work bottom-up and take a deep look at how the satellite data is used and how this drives a value-chain. In our first case of Winter Navigation in the Baltic , we start with the icebreakers which are using imagery to help ships through the ice, to serve ports and factories and communities which would otherwise by cut-off due to the ice.

Not many people know that Finland is an island! Yes, it is land-connected with Norway, Sweden and Russia but as around 90% of imports and exports are carried by sea, it has one of the main characteristics of an island. It is also the only country where all of its major ports are ice-bound in winter. So navigating through ice is of strategic importance to Finland.

Since 1973, the country has adopted the policy to keep 25 of its major ports open throughout the year. This means using icebreakers which hence play a key role in keeping the economy of the country turning since, without them, many of the ports and the factories and communities which depend on shipping would stop working for several months of the year.

The icebreakers use SAR imagery because it shows the ice conditions and gives the ship’s captain a wide area view of the whole of the Baltic which then means a better course can be plotted than if they only know the ice conditions for a few km around the ship. This was the case before the SAR imagery became available when each icebreaker would have a helicopter on board which flew the captain around to survey the ice. Of course the helicopter could not fly at all when conditions were bad; just when the information is most needed!

Hence the SAR imagery, replaced the use of helicopters (saving money) and allowed the icebreakers to chart better courses (saving fuel) and helped the ships (save time and fuel). The ship arrival in the port is known more accurately (saving the ports money) and with greater reliability (saving the factories money) and ensures that the local communities are served (meaning that citizens work and are supplied with goods). Right from the ships entering Finnish waters through to the individual citizen, there is a tangible benefit.

In our report, we calculate this total benefit to be up to €120m per annum, which is a good return on the few hundred €k that the imagery costs It will get even better next year as Sentinel 1 data will replace or complement that coming from Radarsat. Finland and Sweden have agreed to work very closely together and hence the analysis considered the benefits to both countries which split very roughly 2/3rds to Finland and 1/3rd to Sweden.

The second case report will be published in the next week or two. This again shows significant return on investment where Spot imagery and in the future Sentinel 2, has been used to produce clear-cut maps of the forestry in Sweden. The clear-cut maps, as the name suggests, show where forest has been harvested at the end of its 80 year growth cycle. The imagery and clear-cut maps underpin the light legislation in Sweden so cutting costs for the forest and timber industry whilst enabling best practices for the management of the forests.

It is applied mainly to the forest belonging to the 300,000 private owners in Sweden which is about 50% of the forest land. By encouraging owners to replant cleared land without delay and to thin the new growing saplings and undergrowth in the 1st 10 years, the final harvest volume increases in volume and in value to the benefit of the owner, the forest and timber companies and the country. Overall, we calculate that the imagery generates a value of between €16m and €21m per annum for an investment of less than €0.5m.

We are now working on our third case – which should be available before the next eomag! I look forward to bringing you news on that at that time. It is a very different application to the first two cases and our preliminary work is again showing significant benefit. We shall be very happy to take this approach further and analyse further cases even if the economic value is much less. Please contact us if you know of any instances which we could look at.

In the meantime, this is looking likely to be an extremely significant year for the industry with a lot of change in perspective. We’ll continue to promote this and bring news and comment on what happens. You can follow us on twitter which also points to our other news services, or directly from our web-site. A happy new year to everyone.

by Geoff Sawyer
EARSC Secretary General

At the end of 2015, EUROSENSE was awarded by Het Waterschapshuis with a large LiDAR and orthophoto-project in the Netherlands.

It is common knowledge that the Netherlands are fighting water since many years. In the frame of the update of the digital terrain model (DTM) of the Netherlands, AHN3 (Actueel Hoogtemodel Nederland), Het Waterschapshuis tendered LiDAR-projects for 2016 and 2017 on several areas of the Netherlands. The project consists in a LiDAR-data acquisition during the leafless season with a point density of about 7 points per m². The LiDAR-data need to be processed into an accurate DSM and, after filtering, into a DTM providing detailed information on the (micro)relief in Netherlands. In total, the awarded parcels comprise over 6.000 km² and consist of over 350 flight lines. The flights need to be executed over two winter seasons of which the first season already started on the 1st of December 2015.

Het Waterschapshuis also coordinates and manages the yearly stereo and orthophoto coverage of the Netherlands in 10 cm GSD (leafless season) and 25 cm GSD (late spring/early summer flights).

The airborne acquired imagery needs to be processed into a detailed orthophoto. For the summer flights also a CIR coverage needs to be delivered. This last product is a.o. used by the Ministry of Economy (dep. Agriculture) to update the LPIS (Land Parcel Identification System).

EUROSENSE has been awarded with 2 parcels (Southern part of the Netherlands -10 cm and the complete territory of the Netherlands -25cm). In total, the awarded parcels comprise 15.000 km² for the 10 cm coverage and 50.000 km² for the 25 cm including buffers. Both contracts are foreseen to be executed in 2016 and to be repeated in 2017.

The 25 cm coverage of 2017 will be the 10th countrywide coverage of the Netherlands executed by EUROSENSE since 1996. The importance of this time series is increasing more and more and the data are very valuable for trend analyses, urban sprawl monitoring and change detection.

With these contracts, EUROSENSE becomes one of the most important data providers for these initiatives coordinated by Het Waterschapshuis. Het Waterschapshuis is a cooperation agreement between several Dutch governmental organisations, such as Rijkswaterstaat, the provinces, the water management organisations,….

Source Eurosense

A consortium led by DHI GRAS (Denmark) and including GeoVille GmbH (Austria), ITC (Netherlands) and Brockman Consult (Germany) as well as the technical universities in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Vienna (Austria) has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to carry out the 1.5 million Euro project “GlobWetland Africa”.

African wetlands are among the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems in the world, but they are also experiencing immense pressure from human activities, the most important being drainage for agriculture and settlement, excessive exploitation by local communities and improperly planned development activities. The future of African wetlands lies in a stronger political will to protect them, based on sound wetland policies and encouragement for community participation in their management. Since 1971, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has been the intergovernmental treaty providing the framework for national actions and international cooperation for the conservation and wise usage of wetlands. To date, 169 countries have adopted the Ramsar Convention and have designated 2,220 wetland sites of international importance for a comprehensive area of more than over 214 Million hectares.

The European Space Agency and the Ramsar Secretariat have jointly launched GlobWetland Africa as a major initiative to provide the major actors involved in the implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in Africa (i.e. the African Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention, the Ramsar regional initiatives existing in Africa, the African river basin authorities, and the international/regional conservation agencies active in Africa), with Earth Observation methods and tools to assess the conditions of wetlands under their areas of jurisdiction/study, and to better monitor their trends over time.

Photo: Okavango Delta, Botswana (© DHI GRAS) GlobWetland Africa will help African authorities to make the best use of satellite-based information on wetland extent and condition for better measuring the ecological state of wetlands and hence their capacity to support biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. To this end, an open source and free-of-charge software toolbox will be developed for the end-to-end processing of a large portfolio of EO products (including wetland inventory, wetland habitat mapping, inundation regimes, water quality, mangroves mapping and river basin hydrology) and the subsequent derivation of spatial and temporal indicators on wetland status and trends, from local to basin scales.

The proof-of-concept and proof-of-value of the GW-A Toolbox will be provided through a set of use case demonstrations executed over +70 pilot areas spread across the African continent. In addition, the project will also organize regional training courses for the partner organizations and ensure technical assistance during a period long enough to allow for an appropriation of the provided methods, tools and products.

As an ultimate objective GlobWetland Africa will aim to enhance the capacity of the African stakeholders to develop their own national and regional wetland observatories, and thereby also acting as a key contributor towards the development of a Global Wetlands Observing System (GWOS).

About:

GlobWetland Africa is a project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) in partnership with the Africa Team of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

For further information please contact Senior Project Manager Christian Tøttrup, cto@dhi-gras.com

CGI delivers ground systems, exploitation platforms and space enabled applications.

CGI was founded 40 years ago and is one of the largest IT and business process services providers in the world, delivering high-quality business consulting, systems integration and managed services.

CGI works with the space industry from the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France, Finland, Estonia, Czech Republic and Italy. We deliver complex, mission critical space systems and are a recognised thought leader in space security and space applications.

Through long-standing client relationships, and our dedicated practice of space and satellite experts, we have earned a reputation for solving technically difficult software challenges with secure solutions, delivered on time and proven to work every time. We also share innovative uses of space and satellite technology with commercial organisations to solve their business challenges.

Our Earth Observation (EO) clients include the European Space Agency and its centre for EO, ESRIN, in Italy and its new European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT) in the UK. We work on the Copernicus programme for the European Commission and for international organisations such as EUMETSAT and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).  We also deliver EO based services directly to government and commercial clients, helping them to turn EO data into information they can trust and act upon.

We do this by:

  • providing end-to-end EO ground system solutions that work 24×7
  • ensuring EO data is secure and trustworthy
  • developing applications and services to exploit EO data
  • providing consultancy on end-user requirements including how to address them commercially, technically, organisationally and legally.

Two examples of our recent EO projects, eSurge and VeriSpace, are described below. To find out more about CGI Space please visit www.cgi-group.co.uk/space

eSurge

CGI is leading the delivery of the ESA eSurge project which will enable forecasters and the scientific research community to make the best use of future data streams from the Sentinel satellites which are being delivered as part of Europe’s Copernicus programme.
The eSurge project is also working with users worldwide to facilitate sharing of models and expertise, with the aim of helping countries with less developed infrastructure to improve their surge predictions. The eSurge project aims to improve the modelling and forecasting of storm surges through the increased use of advanced satellite data, including advanced products such as scatterometry and coastal altimetry.

To achieve this, eSurge:

In the UK, storm surge forecasts are provided by the National Tidal and Sea Level Facility part of the UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC). The NOC is developing advanced techniques for coastal altimetry that provides measurements of total sea level elevations close to land. The use of satellite data is unique for areas where in-situ measurements are lacking.
As part of the eSurge project the NOC have developed a new coastal altimetry algorithm utilising the various altimeters currently in orbit. When Sentinel 3 is launched it will provide operational altimetry measurements to better support the storm surge community

The image below shows the eSurge data viewer being used to display data for the North Sea during the storm of 5 December 2013.

CGI has led the project as prime contractor, managing the engagement with the end-users of the system, gathering the requirements and developing the technical specification for the system. We are working closely with the science community, with subcontractors from the Danish Meteorological Institute DMI, the Dutch Meteorological Institute KNMI, the Irish Coastal & Marine Resources Centre CMRC, and NOC who are mentioned above.

You can access the live eSurge information at www.storm-surge.info

VeriSpace

VeriSpace is an ESA funded feasibility study to identify how satellite technologies, such as Earth Observation (EO), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and communication technologies, can be used to bring business benefits to the insurance industry when managing insurance claims.

The insurance industry needs to improve the efficiency of business processes such as initial risk exposure identification, claims identification and validity of the claim. They need improved modelling of the risk exposure of assets, faster response to events and claims, better communication with the loss adjustors in the field and the ability to gather more evidence around a claim.

VeriSpace offers services that will integrate key space technologies, for example, EO datasets to assess insurers’ exposure and the severity of the property damage following a catastrophic event or using GNSS and satellite communications to enable greater transfer of information or intelligence between an office and the loss adjustors.

Using mission planning software and state-of-the-art data processing VeriSpace utilises a range of EO data, including Copernicus and very high resolution (VHR) commercial satellite imagery, to enable the rapid generation and delivery of exposure and damage assessment information responding to the users need for timely geo-intelligence to drive efficiencies in the claims management process. For example, the figure below shows the extent of a flood in Greece, derived from Copernicus Sentinel-1 data.

VeriSpace also provides a service and smartphone app to enable loss adjustors in the field to be able to collect information, such as photos and videos. By utilising space technologies such as GNSS, along with data compression technologies, this information can be accurately geo-located and timestamped and transmitted to a central location for use in settlement of claims. This service is designed to allow insurers and loss adjustors to have confidence in the trustworthiness of field-collected information.


This image shows the type of data that can be collected by an assessor in the field using an app.

The main advantage of the VeriSpace services is to increase the amount of timely information about an asset that can be accessed by those involved within the claims process. Using space assets in the risk exposure assessments, such as in catastrophic events, and in the verification of insured losses gives the advantage of global coverage, consistency and independence from terrestrial infrastructure.

Imagery can also be collected quickly after an event which provides a broader understanding of the situational information than other more traditional methods. The GNSS and Satcoms capabilities allow loss adjustors in the field to have the confidence that they can collect and transmit data with accurate positional information irrespective of the local infrastructure.

CGI is leading a team of specialists from the EO and Insurance Services sectors to define a sustainable, user-orientated service tailored to the needs of the Insurance and Reinsurance sectors.

These services will exploit the benefits of space technologies to make the insurance claims process more efficient. Our VeriSpace team has in-depth knowledge of the claims management business, wider insurance sector, space technologies and integrated downstream service development which is the ideal blend of expertise to realise the VeriSpace solution.

CGI led the initial Feasibility Study phase to a successful conclusion in December 2015. We are now preparing a proposal for a more in depth service demonstration, co-funded by ESA, CGI and its partners. During this demonstration phase the services will be developed and offered to insurance industry users, initially as pre-operational services. Find out more here