| October 2018 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| October 29, 2018 | November 2, 2018 | GEO Week | Kyoto | Japan |
| October 29, 2018 | October 31, 2018 | Space for inspiration | Bilbao | Spain |
| November 2018 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| November 1, 2018 | November 2, 2018 | GEO|Design+BIM | ||
| November 5, 2018 | November 9, 2018 | EVSW2018 | Vienna | Austria |
| November 6, 2018 | November 9, 2018 | 2018 UP³ to Space Int'l Symposium | Tainan, Taïwan | |
| November 6, 2018 | November 8, 2018 | ETSI / IQC Quantum Safe Workshop 2018 | BEIJING, CHINA | |
| November 7, 2018 | ⏶ | Copernicus & Polar Regions Industry Workshop | Brussels | Belgium |
| November 7, 2018 | ⏶ | Blockchain for Development: The Future Now | Cluj-Napoca | Romania |
| November 11, 2018 | November 13, 2018 | ESA Φ-Week Bootcamp | Frascati | Italy |
| November 12, 2018 | November 15, 2018 | Arabian Journal of Geosciences (AJGS) | Hammamet, Tunisia | |
| November 12, 2018 | November 15, 2018 | 1st Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geoscience | ||
| November 12, 2018 | November 23, 2018 | RCMRD 10th Conference of Ministers Meeting and 52nd Governing Council Meeting | Gaborone, Botswana | |
| November 12, 2018 | November 16, 2018 | ESA Earth Observation Φ-week | Frascati, (Rome) | Italy |
| November 14, 2018 | November 15, 2018 | The Commercial UAVSHOW | London | United Kingdom |
| November 15, 2018 | November 16, 2018 | Feny-ter-kep 2018 | Gardony | Hungary |
| November 19, 2018 | November 21, 2018 | UNWGIC, United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress | Zhejiang Province, China | |
| November 19, 2018 | November 21, 2018 | First United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress | Deqing | China |
| November 19, 2018 | November 21, 2018 | The Geospatial Way to a Better World-UNWGIC | Deqing, Zhejiang Province, China | |
| November 21, 2018 | ⏶ | IDEEO Event – Space for Sea | Brest | France |
| November 26, 2018 | November 30, 2018 | Amsterdam Drone Week | Amsterdam | Netherlands |
| November 28, 2018 | November 30, 2018 | GSTIC 2018 | Brussels | Belgium |
| December 2018 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| December 2, 2018 | December 3, 2018 | 8th e-AGE Conference Technically Co-Sponsored | Amman – Jordan | |
| December 3, 2018 | December 4, 2018 | 12th Edition of International Conference on Oceanography & Marine Biology | Rome | Italy |
| December 3, 2018 | December 6, 2018 | European Space Week 2018: Connecting the future | Marseille | France |
| December 3, 2018 | December 6, 2018 | Awards Ceremony – Space Oscars 2018 Ceremony – Space Oscars 2018 | Marseille | France |
| December 3, 2018 | December 4, 2018 | Copernicus Accelerator Bootcamp | MARSEILLE | France |
| December 3, 2018 | December 6, 2018 | European Space Week | Marseille | France |
| December 10, 2018 | December 14, 2018 | AGU Fall Meeting 2018 | Washington D.C. | USA |
| December 11, 2018 | December 13, 2018 | MED 2018 | Frascati, (Rome) | Italy |
| January 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| January 22, 2019 | January 23, 2019 | 11th European Space Policy Conference | Brussels | Belgium |
| February 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| February 19, 2019 | February 21, 2019 | 2019 Conference on Big Data from Space (BiDS'19) Turning Data into Insights | Munich | Germany |
| February 27, 2019 | February 28, 2019 | 3rd World Summit on Climate Change and Global Warming | Prague | Czech Rep. |
| May 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| May 13, 2019 | May 15, 2019 | Living Planet Symposium | Milan | Italy |
| May 22, 2019 | May 24, 2019 | Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event, JURSE | Vannes | France |
| May 22, 2019 | May 24, 2019 | Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event | Vannes | France |
| May 22, 2019 | May 24, 2019 | Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event (JURSE) 2019 | Vannes | France |
| June 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| June 16, 2019 | June 22, 2019 | Innsbruck Summer School of Alpine Research 2019 – Close Range Sensing Techniques in Alpine Terrain | Obergurgl | Austria |
| July 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| July 1, 2019 | July 4, 2019 | EUCASS | Madrid | Spain |
| August 2019 | ||||
| Start Date | End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| August 1, 2019 | August 2, 2019 | 5th International Conference and Exhibition on Satellite & Space Missions | Dublin | Ireland |
| April 2020 | ||||
| Start Date |
End Date | Name | Locality | Country |
| April 20, 2020 | April 24, 2020 | TISOLS2020 | Netherlands | |
Author: EARSC
From Research to Business
We all know the buzz of excitement at the kick-off meeting of a new project and maybe the feeling of satisfaction as it ends and we celebrate a successful outcome. H2020 research projects are no exception, except that the end may also provoke feelings of regret that the team with which we have worked so hard over a period of months or years will disband.
So many research projects seem to end this way, maybe with excellent results but with no plan or prospect for those results to be exploited by business. I have no idea of the statistics, but I am sure that the exploitation rate of the results of projects is rather low. I am hearing more and more examples where project teams, including users, regret being unable to continue as the project ends and a gap is foreseen before new funds may allow continued work. It is a problem with users who have become accustomed to having free access to services which then disappear.
For industry it is very frustrating to face heavy competition for funds at the outset knowing that the chances of success are maybe weak whilst research groups from universities and institutes are far more successful. And this in the knowledge that it is highly unlikely that the results will enable new products or services to be brought to market.
At EARSC we are trying to set up a process to help business to bring the results of research to commercial realisation; from research to business. This will comprise of expert support to researchers and innovators from whatever background, to access the best support for the stage of maturity which they have reached. We introduce the concept of an Exploitation Readiness Level (ERL) which reflects this level of maturity.
We seek to ensure access to expert advice on markets, on legal issues, on technical issues or on finance. Many sources of support for each of these exist and so we plan to link to as many as possible and to connect innovators to experts who are able to support them with the advice that they need. Are they missing a key technology? We have a large database of companies which may be able to help? Do they need a market assessment for the product or service which they are working on? We have the expertise to undertake this assessment and/or the resources to engage with an expert in the domain.
Depending on their situation, they may seek project funds, they may need loans, they may need equity finance. Again, we can connect with many potential sources and are aware of different funding agencies and programmes which may be suitable for the innovator. The ERL will be the guide for the type and degree of resource which is required.
In short, we seek to make our expertise and that of our network available for those seeking to bring new ideas to market.
Now we also wish to deploy this paradigm in projects so that rather than being static, they will develop and evolve during their lifetime. We may not need to be part of a project ourselves, but we should be able to introduce new ideas coming from partnerships which will allow the project to also benefit from the approach. A favourite project style at the moment is to have a number of pilot projects which are supported by a project team. This is great; but the project starts with x pilots and ends with x pilots or maybe less. What if we can help introduce new pilots to the project so that it is developing? It is in effect growing as it progresses. This helps the project to develop ideas which have a better chance of generating new commercial products and services.
We hope to start work on this next year. Ironically, since we also need funding, it depends on the success of a proposal. But as there was only one proposal with a very strong team behind it we are quite optimistic. Once we start, we shall of course communicate further on our progress and I really hope that we can be successful to support many new businesses, or old business with new ideas, to develop their commercial success. From Research to Business.
IDEEO event: Space for Sea – How Earth Observation services can benefit European companies?
It is our pleasure to invite you to the second IDEEO event “Space for Sea – How Earth Observation services can benefit European companies?”
The event will take place from the 21-22 November, Brest, France.
Register here:https://anaisturpault.typeform.com/to/de12RW
About IDEEO:
the IDEEO project is funded under the COSME Cluster Go International action. The consortium is coordinated by the EARSC and composed of 2 sectorial clusters Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique (France) and Cluster Lucano di Bioeconomia (Italy).
The overarching objective of the IDEEO project is the creation of a new European partnership which will promote internationally the use of European Earth Observation capability in different sectors such as marine, agriculture, energy etc.
If you are a cluster interested in IDEEO’s objective, please contact Rory Donnelly.
You can follow IDEEO on:
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EARSC position paper: The EO Services Industry Views on the EU Space Programme Proposal
The European EO Services industry welcomes the proposal for an EU Space Programme and looks forward to making a strong contribution to its’ success. Copernicus remains an extremely important programme for Europe and for our sector. It has demonstrated how to deliver critical information to European policy makers whilst enabling the services industry to develop business in new markets so delivering more highly-skilled jobs in Europe.
The industry already plays a key role in the delivery of the Copernicus Services, but we consider that a great deal more is possible; the proposed programme lays out a number of key measures which can help. Industry has invested strongly in the development of new products and services, many based on the Free and Open data from Copernicus and is ready to invest further. We believe that a partnership between industry and government will enable the best returns for all parties. In this paper we set out our views on a number of the factors which can help deliver these increased benefits for Europe and its policy makers.
European Association of Remote Sensing Companies – EARSC:
EARSC represents the Earth Observation geo-information services sector in Europe with today 101 members (92 full members and 9 observers), coming from 23 countries covering the full EO services value chain including commercial operators of EO satellites, resellers of data, value-adding companies, geospatial information suppliers, consultancies and system/software providers. The sector plays a key role in providing value-added, geo-spatial information to its customers in Europe and the world. In 2016, the sector revenue in Europe was over €1.2b giving work to 7700 highly skilled employees; The sector is dominated by SME’s with over 95% of the companies having less than 50 and over 60% less than 10 persons employed.
This paper has been prepared and issued by the EARSC board of directors on behalf of the members of EARSC which are commercial companies, coming from Member States of the EU or ESA, providing services (including consultancy) or supplying equipment in the field of remote sensing or using EO data.
Interview with MEP Constanze Krehl (S&D)
We had the pleasure of interviewing German MEP Constanze Krehl , S&D Shadow Rapporteur for EU Space Budget to take a closer look at the proposal. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms.Krehl for her time and her work on this proposal.
1. Last year you were the rapporteur for the Space strategy, and you recommended « further development of Galileo and Copernicus to benefit downstream economy” Do you think this EU space budget allows for this?
The space budget as proposed by the European Commission is designed to ensure the continuity of the successful space programmes as well as their evolution. The Commission is right to make this a priority, because the uptake and use of Galileo and Copernicus already generates significant economic added value, which benefits the citizens, and the programmes’ potential is huge.
2. Rapporteur Salini stated that he would support the increase of the overall budget from €16 billion to €16.7 billion in support of the GovSatCom’s project and the development of the space security program (SSA) well-known as new security components. Do you share his opinion?
I strongly believe in the usefulness of SSA – and SST in particular as it serves to protect EU space infrastructure from space debris. Any collision with space debris could lead to the loss of billions that the EU has invested in the space programmes. It is quite doubtful, however, if the proposed allocation of 0,5 bn to SSA and Govsatcom would be sufficient to develop both programmes in a meaningful way. And although I agree with Mr Salini that a higher overall budget for space is desirable, I am not convinced that it is achievable in the current overall budgetary situation and am therefore proposing to cut the Govsatcom component to allow for greater flexibility within the budget proposed by the European Commission.
3. Earth Observation is recognized as a very effective way for the European Commission to meet various information needs in line with its executive responsibilities. We see that some policies do use Earth Observation technologies, such as the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), but the majority, like the water frame work directive do not fully exploit it. What could be done to solve this problem?
The European Parliament has repeatedly called on the European Commission to ‘space-proof’ legislation. In its 2017 Own-Initiative Report on the space strategy, the European Parliament explicitly asked the European Commission to carry out a systematic space check before it tables new proposals – and to remove any barriers to the use of space technologies by the public sector. Doing this would finally ensure that the EU space programmes and their manifold possibilities are put to the best use in the public sector.
Survey on Copernicus Sentinel-powered Innovation and Start-ups
EARSC, under a contract to the European Space Agency (ESA), is investigating the impact of Copernicus Sentinel data on innovation and entrepreneurship, with the aim of improving understanding about emerging applications and business models, their technological and market maturity and the obstacles and challenges encountered by entrepreneurs who want to create businesses based on Copernicus Sentinel data.
The survey is addressed at business or individuals who are (or have been) involved in commercialising a product or a service based on Copernicus Sentinel data.
Participants will benefit from a free 6-months trial EARSC membership, as well as a number of other benefits, including potentially being featured as a “success story” within the upcoming report (after follow-up interview)
The survey is comprised of 13 questions and should take less than 10 minutes to complete.
Interview with MEP Caroline NAGTEGAAL (VVD/ALDE) about the EU Space Budget
We had the pleasure of interviewing Dutch MEP Caroline Nagtegaal, ALDE Shadow Rapporteur for EU Space Budget to take a closer look at the proposal. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Nagtegaal for her time and her work on this proposal.
1. As the ALDE Shadow Rapporteur for the EU Space Budget are you satisfied with the Commission’s proposal?
“Yes, I am satisfied with the Commission’s proposal. It brings together the different existing and new space initiatives of the European Union. I do share the Commission’s assessment that the programme has a significant potential to stimulate innovation, safety, economic activities in the downstream sectors and help us further digitalise our economy. Moreover, it should improve our climate change monitoring capabilities which is an element of the proposal that I warmly welcome. These are all subjects where I believe Europe, and this space package, have a clear added value. At the same time, some member states have expressed scepticism about certain aspects of the proposal. But as far as I am concerned the Commission’s initiative also offers great opportunities for streamlining the current programmes and creating synergies.”
2. You have always been a strong supporter of SME’s. SME’s, especially in our sector (Earth Observation), can find hard to access the EU Space Budget. In your opinion, what could be done to rectify this?
“I believe that awareness is one of the most important aspect here. A lot of the time SME’s don’t even know about all the opportunities they have or if there is a call open. And also simplification of processes and applications is a continuous undertaking.”
3. You have advocated in past for cooperation between EU budgets but not overlapping work and knowledge exchange. Now that the Common Agricultural Policy has authorised satellite data to replace on-farm checks and that other DG’s will certainly use in the future more satellite data, what would be the best practices of this cooperation?
“Best practice would definitely be the knowledge exchange between different DG’s and creating awareness about the free availability of many space data for SME’s and entrepreneurs. With those data, they can build new and innovative products.”
4. You are the vice-president of the Delegation for relations with India. India, like some other non-European country, have signed a Cooperation Arrangement to access satellite Copernicus data. These types of agreement are a good example of the EU helping Earth Observation companies internationalise. What other best practises could the EU do to help Earth Observation companies compete on an international level?
“This market is very complex and it takes years of large investments and technological innovation to have fully developed market actors. I am certain that the EU as well as Member States should continue to develop and support our capacities in this field, among other measures by directly stimulating innovation and the latest technology, which present the only viable means to ensure that we are genuinely competitive. The Netherlands, for example, is leading in the fields of optics and optomechatronics. This allows us to contribute to Earth Observation missions under the Copernicus programme (through the development of the Tropomi instrument). Besides that, in the Netherlands we also have an SME called ISIS (Innovative Solutions In Space) that captures the opportunity of easier access to space. More companies and especially SMEs should be able to do so. Furthermore, the Union as a block has a significant leverage when negotiating trade agreements and establishing institutional and academic links with third countries, which should also be utilized. Nevertheless, it is evident that both public and private sectors need to mobilize more investments if we want to compete successfully with the US, Russia and China in the long run.”
5. The European Commission has stated that they are not proposing a new space Agency in Europe, but just a rebranding of European GNSS Agency to reflect the changes proposed by the draft regulation. In practice this appears to maintain the existing GSA role for GNSS and to introduce a new role to oversee security aspects for the whole space programme. Do you support this proposal?
“I think security is one of the main objectives of the European Union, so it is a good thing to overlook and control the security aspects for the space programme. However, we need to keep a close eye on how the Agency will relate to ESA. I believe that efficiency in the implementation of the programs can be achieved by giving responsibility and freedom to the implementing organizations such as the Agency and ESA (a division between policy and implementation). This prevents duplication. For program components, it is important to define the role of Commission, Agency, member states and other players in order to achieve optimal European added value.”
Discover the Copernicus Sentinel Benefits Website
Through a series of studies, EARSC aims to gather quantitative evidence that the usage of Copernius Sentinel data provides an effective and convenient support to various market application.
These sudies are in the frame of the study “Assessing the detailed economic benefits derived from Copernicus Earth Observation (EO) data within selected value chains”, under an assignment from the European Space Agency (ESA). website
Call for Experts In Earth Observation & Geographic Information Body of Knowledge [EO4GEO]
The EO4GEO project is inviting experts in the Earth Observation / Geographic Information sectors to participate in the process of developing a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for GI and EO. We are looking for professionals ready to support the description of the particular concepts (topics) in different inter-related knowledge areas, by commenting and contributing to the elaboration of the relevant texts.
EO4GEO – Towards an innovative strategy for skills development and capacity building in the space geo-information sector supporting Copernicus user uptake is an Erasmus+ Sector Skills Alliance that started January 2018.. EO4GEO aims to help bridging the skills gap in the Earth Observation / Geographic Information sector by creating a strong alliance of players from the sector/community. Its main objective is to reinforce the existing EO/GI training and education ecosystem and fostering the uptake and integration of space/geospatial data and services in end-user applications.
One of the first fields of the Project’s activity is the development and operationalization of a Body of Knowledge (BoK) for GI and EO. The existing Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge (GI S&T BoK), developed by the GI-N2K project on the basis of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, will be the basis for further development. We assume that describing the Geographic Information and Earth Observation domain should be done by defining the underpinning inter-related concepts (theories, methods, technologies, etc.) that should be covered in education and training curricula. The process of developing the BoK for GI and EO will be carried out by the network of experts covering both fields.
We would appreciate your support in the development of the BoK for GI and EO join the Network of GI/EO Experts. Therefore we invite you to fill the form available at the link http://bit.ly/openEO4GEOexpert.
All personal data of the involved experts will be processed in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). More information can be found in the form.
The candidate experts will be selected by the EO4GEO BoK for GI & EO Editorial Team based on the provided information and will receive upon selection another invitation, followed by the relevant materials and more precise guidance. EO4GEO has no dedicated budget for this type of work, but is currently developing a rewarding mechanism which will include, among others: acknowledgement and visibility of the contributing experts in the BoK and the EO4GEO platform; the joint preparation of scientific and other publications, etc. More information on how this would work and how you can benefit from it will be released together with guidelines for editing the BoK.
Thank you in advance for your readiness to support the elaboration of the Body of Knowledge (BoK) for GI and EO, which will be available for development of the curricula within the Erasmus+ Sector Skills Alliance and beyond.
More about EO4GEO Project: www.eo4geo.eu
Making best use of satellite data for sustainable development will be discussed by attendees of this week’s EUMETSAT User Forum in Africa
MONDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2018
About 170 participants from national meteorological and hydrological services, government agencies and regional institutions in more than 50 African nations are attending the 13th biennial forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Data from EUMETSAT’s geostationary Meteosat satellites are a unique asset for forecasting the weather and monitoring the climate in Africa because of the satellites’ constant and detailed view of the continent. This brings a range of socio-economic benefits in areas including disaster risk reduction, agriculture, transport and water management.
EUMETSAT provides the satellite data free of charge to users in Africa, organises training and provides technical support through EU-funded capacity building programmes such as the GMES and Africa project led by the African Union Commission, which aims at transforming Earth observation data into services for sustainable development.
“This year, an important topic for discussion at the forum will be preparation for the use of data from the next generation of Meteosat satellites, Meteosat Third Generation, in Africa,” EUMETSAT Director-General Alain Ratier said.
“The first of these spacecraft is scheduled for launch in 2021 and will provide new and more data to users. For example, in addition to providing more frequent, more detailed images in more spectral channels, the satellite will map lightning flashes which will open a new era for meteorological observations of the African continent.
“Satellite data are an asset for many applications in Africa”
“EUMETSAT will continue to work closely with user communities in Africa, and relevant African and European institutions, to enable the best possible use of this data.”
A few days before the forum, the Bureau of the African Conference of Ministers in charge of Meteorology (AMCOMET) endorsed the “Abidjan declaration”, which supports increasing capacity in Africa to fully exploit data from the Meteosat Third Generation programme, and encourages the creation of an African Meteorological Satellite Applications Facility (AMSAF) to generate products that meet specific African needs.
“Satellite data are an asset for many applications in Africa,” Amadou Koné, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire Minister for Transport, said.
“With Meteosat satellites, we can predict extreme weather events and monitor climate change. This is crucial to help protect lives and critical infrastructure such as transport and energy facilities.
“Meteosat Third Generation will create new opportunities for Africa – lightning detection from space will be a vital source of information for aviation safety.”
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