On the evening of 6 November, the European Space Expo hosted the official reception for the European Space Solutions conference in Munich. The event showcased a range of space-based solutions for enabling smarter cities that can bring benefits to citizens living in an increasingly urbanised world. The highlighted projects featured both Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Earth Observation technologies.
The packed reception focused on ‘Space Solutions for Smart Cities’ and featured innovative space applications that demonstrated how cities can develop and deliver improved services for their citizens and businesses.
Sabine Dannelke, Chairwoman of the GSA’s Administrative Board, introduced the evening saying that that the projects showed how we can make “Real life laboratories in our towns.” Both environmental monitoring and satellite navigation, such as EGNOS and Galileo, were important technologies for this “urban R&D”.
Roland Mertz, from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Media, Energy and Technology, welcomed the Space Solutions delegates to Munich. He foresaw that space can help solve society’s ecological problems and help societal development. “In particular this exhibition shows the positive interaction between Copernicus and Galileo and the importance of space technology in down to Earth applications,” he said.
Mauro Facchini, Head of Unit for Copernicus Services, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission commented that the exhibition was “an excellent example of political action enabling new opportunities for society and business.”
Horst Faas, GNSS Exploitation Programme Manager at GSA concluded the opening remarks outlining the development of GNSS services in the near future. “EGNOS operational services were now secure and funded until at least 2020, while Galileo Early Services would be online at the end of 2014 or early in 2015,” he predicted.
Urban demos
The Urban Atlas was the demonstrated by Hans Dufourmont of the European Environment Agency. This compares land use patterns and their evolution in major European cities. Using satellite images the atlas creates reliable high-resolution images in a cost-efficient way.
Following an update in 2012 the atlas now covers 695 cities in Europe and includes all cities with over 50 000 inhabitants. Spatial data complements socio-economic data from the Urban Audit to provide a sound evidence base for urban policy-making in the EU.
Another live demonstration popular with reception attendees was TAXISAT. This is a driverless, cost-effective GNSS-based taxi application that is safe and highly reliable. Within private well-defined sites (such as a large factory complex or research facilities) TAXISAT uses EGNOS and GNSS capabilities integrated with other hybridised sensors and video guidance technologies to provide an autonomous, automated cybernetic transport system. Many conference delegates took a TAXISAT trip during the evening.
Project showcase
Four other space solutions for smart cities were featured at the reception.
PANGEO offers free online access to all to geohazard information: providing citizens with information about the stability of the ground on which they are standing! Geohazards include, at the extreme, earthquakes and volcanoes but also any type of ground movement either natural or of human origin. At present the data set covers around 13% of the EU population but this is growing.
Parking in the city can be a real pain, but the AMPIDO project is providing an innovative solution. Originating from a personal need for parking when space was suddenly limited at Cologne University this application helps drivers find and navigate to the closest available parking space. The innovative solution allows drivers to pay online and enables owners to rent out their private driveways and parking spaces on a flexible basis. A great idea!
But why not leave the car at home and use public transport? SMART-WAY is an app that gives you a real-time, turn-by-turn public transport navigation guide on your mobile phone. Imagine being in a foreign city and getting on that tram without the fear you might actually be heading in the wrong direction! SMART-WAY is constantly updating and offering information on the fastest connections to get to your destination.
Last, but not least, the Myair initiative looks to provide citizens with better information on air quality. Air pollution can cause serious health problems – and this is especially a cause for concern in urban areas. By integrating satellite data, models, information technologies and expert knowledge the project aims to improve information on air quality for use by health authorities and to enable informed decision-making by local and regional agencies.
Exhibition features
The free Expo exhibition has been a fantastic hit in cities across Europe with its ‘hands on’ approach to demonstrating space technologies and their benefits. The Expo highlights the critical role of the European Union in space and space-based technologies with Galileo, EGNOS and the Copernicus programmes taking centre stage.
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