Satellite Applications Catapult Limited Public Funding

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Imagine a safer, greener future for UK critical infrastructure. This project is making it a reality. A pioneering UK consortium, led by Flarebright and uniting defence, civil, and charitable expertise, is transforming how National Gas monitors its over 7,600 km of vital buried pipelines. Moving beyond current helicopter inspections---which leave pipelines vulnerable for extended periods, risk human error, and contribute approximately 500 kg of CO₂ per hour of flight---our project enables a shift from periodic surveillance to a refined condition- and risk-based monitoring system. Flarebright are leveraging technologies borne from the defence industry: a robust, scalable flight termination system ensuring "Containment with Confidence," and an advanced regulatory data and simulation platform. These systems, will be rigorously tested and adapted for civilian corridor-based BVLOS drone operations, provide the crucial safety infrastructure and evidence base to unlock vast new commercial airspace for scaling existing commercial use cases. This delivers tangible outcomes and vital support for regulatory policy concepts. National Gas's strong end-user involvement is central. They seek to reduce human error and achieve Net Zero surveillance with potential ~50% cost savings. Our project will establish a regular operational rhythm of real-world flights, streaming dual-sensor data via a control-center-style setup to National Gas, providing near real-time operational insights for proactive pipeline management. This demonstrates a clear path to achieving regulatory approvals, transitioning from project trials to routine BVLOS operations under National Gas permissions. Satellite Applications Catapult provides essential testbed infrastructure and strategic support, drawing on extensive experience in establishing regulatory-approved UAS concepts and enabling safe, coordinated airspace environments aligned with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) policy. RPAS Heroes, a veteran-led social enterprise, manages flight operations, simultaneously fostering social inclusion and training opportunities. This project's public impact is significant. By proving a practical route to routine BVLOS, slashing inspection costs and emissions, and building an inclusive workforce, it directly propels the UK's Net Zero and skills agendas. The project's tangible outputs---validated safety tooling, structured regulatory evidence, and a BVLOS operational blueprint---will be shared with the CAA and wider industry to accelerate regulatory maturity and RPAS scale-up. This project is charting a high-value pathway to a safer, more sustainable UK airspace.

EMMA: Environmental Maritime Modelling & Analytics is an innovative Smart Shipping solution that transforms how we understand, visualise, and manage maritime emissions and their impact on coastal environments. Maritime transport is vital to the UK economy but contributes significantly to air and water pollution in port areas and coastal communities. While existing tools like the DfT Maritime Emissions Model provide valuable fleet-level emissions forecasts, they don't show how these emissions interact with local environments. EMMA fills this critical gap with a sophisticated predictive modeling system that functions like a "weather forecast" for maritime emissions. Led by OceanOS with partners B4T Group, Satellite Application Catapult (SAC) and University of Plymouth, EMMA will create a cutting-edge AI-powered data service that integrates multiple historic and real-time data streams to predict how vessel emissions disperse and concentrate in specific locations. The system integrates vessel tracking information (AIS), oceanographic conditions (currents, waves), meteorological data (wind, temperature), and ground-truth measurements from air quality sensors and satellite observations. EMMA will deliver high-resolution geospatial visualisation(s) of maritime emission patterns, providing insight into: * Where emissions concentrate in port areas and coastal communities; * Determine emissions attributable to port activity and those originating from Europe/Africa; * How changing weather and ocean conditions affect emission dispersion; * The cumulative impact of multiple vessels operating in proximity; and * Seasonal and temporal patterns of emission concentration. Piloting in Plymouth Sound we have access to multiple ports and harbours, including Cattewater Port Authority and ABP, as well as input from Plymouth City Council. We will develop data streams that integrate into existing system architecture to enable evidence-based decision-making. Port authorities can schedule vessel movements to minimise emission hotspots, city planners can better understand air quality impacts on nearby communities, and vessel operators can optimise routes to reduce environmental footprints. The 7-month project will deliver a functional prototype of the EMMA data layers (geospatial maps), validation against ground-truth measurements, and case studies demonstrating tangible environmental and operational benefits. Following successful demonstration, the service will be commercialised as a Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) accessible to port authorities, maritime operators, local/national governments, and environmental agencies. By bringing new levels of understanding and precision to maritime emissions management, EMMA supports the UK's transition to cleaner shipping while creating new commercial opportunities through optimised operations, reduced compliance costs, and innovative data services. This project represents a significant step forward in applying Smart Shipping technologies to create environmental and economic benefits for UK maritime stakeholders.

Soil is vital for our wellbeing: 95% of global food production relies on soil, it is home to a quarter of all terrestrial species, and it plays a crucial role in storing carbon and water, which helps mitigate climate change and prevent flooding. Yet, soils around the world are being degraded. Practices to improve productivity and profitability are being promoted -precision use of inputs, reducing tillage, crop rotations, biological fertilisers. These practices can improve soil health, which in turn improves yields, crop resilience and ultimately a more economically and ecologically resilient agri-food sector in the UK (Soil Association-Save our Soils, 2021). Cost and accuracy associated with current soil sampling and analysing techniques are holding back a potential revolution in the way conventional agriculture views and monitors our most precious asset. This has been validated by several English farmers who strongly advocate for this project. The aim of this collaborative project is to accelerate the automation and standardisation of soil health sampling, monitoring and analysis to unlock soil resilience metrics, productivity gains and emerging markets, and progress towards net zero emissions, for UK farmers & growers. The ability to measure, monitor and verify (MRV) soil health, biodiversity and carbon is becoming more important, particularly for businesses wishing to partake in new government schemes (DEFRA SFI, ELMS and BNG) and carbon markets. The proposal works to the strengths of the respective partners, E-Nano leading this consortium in collaboration with Satellite Applications Catapult (RTO), Harper Adams (academia), listt.io, and Autodiscovery. To achieve its aim, the Robotics & Automation for Soil Resilience (RASR) consortium will develop a cost-effective, 2nd generation, fully autonomous robotic platform designed and tested across a range of terrains and farm types whilst incorporating an agnostic 'plug and play' sensor payload.

The rapid move to decarbonize the economy, towards achieving governments Net Zero 2050 target, is leading to a revolution within the electricity grid. Large scale centralised generation, using fossil fuels, is being replaced by highly distributed generation from renewable resources including solar and wind. This increases the complexity of grid management with many more generators providing power to the grid. Electricity demand is forecast to increase as transport and heating is electrified. This project will help Sygensys develop its innovate products and services which need a resilient timing reference to measure electricity grid performance. Our system needs to be robust, providing reliable operation when subjected to equipment failure, natural disaster, or human action such as cyber-attack.

COVID-19 and post-Brexit trading uncertainty have placed UK food supply chains under unprecedented pressure. COVID-19 demonstrated the absolute reliance of UK's society on the food system. 70% of the UK's imported food is from the EU, including highly perishable products such as fruit and vegetable which for seasonality reasons cannot be produced in the UK. Fresh produce supply-chains are the archetypes of "just-in-time" modality, even delays or disruption leads to food waste and massive financial losses. Volumes moved are vast, food accounts for 23% of UK road freight, but the industry is highly competitive, driven by buyer power from dominant retailer firms. The industry has continuously innovated, removing cost to offset competitive pressure. This served a social purpose to maintain low price inflation to consumers. However, COVID-19 and Brexit have created a new urgency to reformat supply-chains that are more adaptable, resilient and manage risk. TRUSTEDBYTE step changes supply-chain management for the food sector. TRUSTEDBYTE's vision is to drive supply-chain productivity but creating a "whole industry" interoperable ecosystem for trusted data exchange, integrated with new AEO compliant API's to facilitate cross border transition alongside new telecommunications technology that provide ubiquitous accessubiquitous access to data. To deliver this vision TRUSTEDBYTE has the following objectives \[1\] To create the UK's first "data trust" for governance and sharing of data across the fresh produce sector at whole industry scale. \[2\] To develop a novel AEO compliant API integrated to HMRC thatHMRC that facilitates cross border food trade. \[3\] To develop a novel low cost 4G / Sat communications solution that provides ubiquitous access to supply chain data across the EU. \[4\] To exploit these by widening the interoperability of theof the Bluering supply chain management software. \[5\] To demonstrate these capabilities at scale across the UK fresh produce industry. \[6\] To develop new business models to exploit new functionality. TRUSTEBYTE's brings together leading technology developers (Bluering developers, Excelerate Ltd, Satellite Application Catapult, MTC) with key members of the UK fresh produce supply chain (Fesa UK, World Wide Fruit, Davis Worldwide, Histon Sweet Spreads), trade bodies (Fresh Produce Network), HEI's (University of Lincoln), standards bodies (BSi) and support from key regulators (HMRC / FSA) as well as input from Pinsent Masons, the UK's leading legal experts on data governance. It provides a private sector approach to support multiple high-profile elements of government policy (facilitating post Brexit trade, food security, productivity, clean growth).

This project consists of a consortium of organisations with expertise in engineering, aviation, and business to provide a clear path for development, test and ultimately exploitation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The key areas expertise includes heavy lift UAV platforms, radar and radar identification technology, BVLOS communication, UTM data systems and integration, regulatory approval, and public exploitation. This project is particularly innovative as it incorporates technology that has not yet been used on a wide-scale and aims to influence the UK CAA standards and pave the way for commercialisation of drone systems placing it at the heart of the expanding Future of Flight marketplace. This project addresses the challenge of how truly resilient and cost-effective localised communication, navigation and surveillance is possible in high risk very low-level flight (VLLF) environments and how this localised information can augment existing air traffic management (ATM) and unmanned traffic management (UTM) technologies to provide enhanced situational awareness. The potential value of the use of UAVs to provide such services has been demonstrated in controlled environments, however to realise the full societal impact of such concepts requires additional safety systems to be deployed and operated, such that the services may be available everywhere and to everyone in need. The systems developed in this project will demonstrate resilient, accurate and safe operations of a UAV capable of delivery of medical equipment into complex high-risk environments. Trials of this system will help to establish wider commercial business applications for UAVs through demonstrating the significant benefits of localised situational awareness in critical scenarios such as take-off, landing and navigating in complex urban environments. Trials will also provide a platform to deliver and test operational requirements to identify the infrastructure and operational process requirements to provide an integrated ATM/UTM environment for future UAV operations and inform UK CAA of the standards that should be pursued and implemented to enable national exploitation of the technology. The recent pandemic and similar crises have highlighted the need for better logistical support for rural communities, especially for the elderly and those requiring extra care, for instance to ensure rapid NHS testing of patient samples, and also for rapid delivery of critically urgent supplies. There is a requirement within the NHS to move test samples reliably between the location where they are taken and the laboratory. At present this is done by road, which has a heavy reliance on human time, environmental consequences due to carbon emissions and can be easily disrupted by external factors such as traffic, restrictions in movement or lack of infrastructure to obtain access to isolated locations. If a managed UAV flight capability were established this delivery time could be cut significantly. This could also apply to delivery of blood from central blood banks and even donor organs. Establishing managed control of UAVs will also permit the adoption of the technology by the emergency services. In the event of a major incident in an urban area, road traffic can rapidly gridlock delaying the arrival of ambulances. Although motorcycle paramedics are now very common, they are a compromise between speed and equipment carried. Using a load carrying UAV allows additional medical supplies to be quickly delivered to a scene to allow motorcycle paramedics to treat a greater number of patients without expending their available supplies. An example is that additional solid-state oxygen generators could also be delivered. In later stages of the Future of Flight Challenge, we plan to transition to BVLOS trials demonstrating a routine operational drone services in a safely coordinated environment on a regional basis in support of fully identified end use cases with validated robust business cases.

The vision for the Airspace of the Future (AoF) project is to enable routine operational drone services in a safe coordinated environment on a regional and national basis in cognisance of realistic end user requirements; validated by robust business cases, simulation, stakeholder and public engagement; underpinned by an integrated transportation model with aviation at its core and an exploitation roadmap for the UK. The key deliverables of AoF are as follows recognising that activities will transition from the development into demonstration phase: 1. Develop the rules, system of systems and operational safety cases to allow mixed use airspace by manned and unmanned traffic, 2. Develop a virtual experimentation environment and digital twins to test new rules, processes, systems, technology and operating concepts rapidly at scale, 3. Establish a national test and evaluation facility for commercial unmanned vehicles with representative operational environments which are digitally trusted and secure, 4. Develop customer use cases for large-scale virtual and live demonstration in an expanded and open access environment during Future Flight Challenge (FFC) Phase 3, and 5. Develop a blueprint for the future national airspace structures and ground infrastructure. The innovative and new capabilities to deliver the AoF project are: 1. Enable unsegregated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and complex autonomous flights, 2. Establish a Live, Virtual and Constructed (LVC) test environment at Cranfield to support the regulatory system of system safety case, 3. Commission an incremental national test environment with the regulatory and local authorities at Cranfield and expand to explore more complex ground and airspace challenges for the use cases to enable commercially viable operations at scale, 4. Develop innovative surveillance and traffic management capabilities to safely manage airspace interaction with current systems, and 5. Develop a future airspace blueprint while balancing the existing Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems, future Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems, digital trust of users and equipment, cyber resilience of infrastructure and data connectivity. The AoF builds on investment in UK Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre and UK National BVLOS Experimentation Corridor. Research by the members includes Open Access UTM Framework project for the DfT and regulatory activities in the CAA Innovation 'Sandbox'. The AoF consortium has the capacity, skills and world-leading domain expertise, knowledge and facilities to deliver this innovative project which has export potential. This project will drive growth, innovation and accelerate adoption of the air mobility sector and the clean growth challenge.

Major organisations rely on strong encryption, including the process of encryption key agreement. Future quantum computers have the potential to compromise key agreement schemes based on asymmetric encryption and widely deployed Public Key Infrastructure. Over long distances and without quantum repeaters, Business Continuity (BC) can be maintained if commercially and technically viable Satellite Quantum Key Distribution (SatQKD) becomes available in time. Current free space optical approaches are not considered commercially viable because they can only operate at night time and in clear sky conditions; and by waiting for overhead satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The future BC market, anticipated to be worth billions of pounds, will be addressed by this project through accelerated commercialisation of the SatQKD technologies necessary for operation during daylight hours, cloudy skies and other weather conditions. The project will combine and align technical developments from UK SME's within a system context from Airbus: a major provider of UK-developed secure satellite communication systems. The objective of this project is to prepare new modular flexible system architectures, technology landscape surveys and technology development roadmaps for lower cost, longer range, free space optical quantum communications directed towards institutional and commercial customers. The primary focus of Innovation in this project is to extend the envelope of Satellite-to-Ground QKD operations beyond the current state of the art: to enable daytime operation, cloud tolerance and reach key distribution rates several orders of magnitude faster than existing demonstrators. The project will influence and enhance the coherence of academic research, SME developments, and prime system integration readiness for operational quantum secured communications.

"This project is aiming to improve the diagnostic accuracy for lower gastrointestinal diseases, especially inflammations, by applying _machine learning_ to aid the analysis of internal images. Currently, the gastrointestinal tract is analysed using markers in the stool or with images taken via ingestible cameras or traditional tube-mounted cameras. While the former is limited to detecting cancers (FIT) or generic inflammation (calprotectin) and therefore rather unspecific, the latter is undertaken by human operators and therefore prone to human errors resulting from fatigue, distraction, variable experience or other cognitive limitations. The volume of images and the volume of patients requiring screening, places unmanageable loads on the operators in terms of effort and quality. This project focuses on Video Capsule Endoscopy -- ingestible 'capsule' cameras which are increasingly likely to become the dominant approach to gastrointestinal imagery, where the capsules capture images as patients go about their daily lives rather than attending a hospital or clinic. Through the project we will test the latest approaches to automated image analysis, quantify benefits to the patient, clinician and NHS -- financially and clinically -- and make recommendations on how to implement the solution. When successful, this approach can remove the 'diagnostic bottleneck' that limits optimal IBD treatments, bowel cancer prevention, early detection and other disease investigations."

Awaiting Public Project Summary

This project develops AI techniques to automatically extract insights from satellite video, together with complementary satellite and terrestrial data sets, for risk monitoring of complex construction project progress and critical global supply chain assets. By providing ongoing proactive change detection and analysis, these services will provide indicators and warnings to increase monitoring efficiencies and help reduce or prevent the significant costs associated with construction progress delays and asset failure, respectively. Through this project Earth-i is developing advanced AI-based analytics using automated interpretation of satellite high definition video together with other correlative geospatial Earth Observation data including colour optical, infra-red and radar imagery, from a range of sources including satellite, drone, aerial and ground-based sensors. This data is fused with additional non-Earth Observation data sources, such as weather, news, activity, pollution and IoT sensors, to extract factual understanding and generate predictive and more accurate insights for businesses and government organisations within construction, supply chain management and infrastructure, on a global scale. Satellite video has the potential to provide unique insights to a wide range of customers as it offers improved and faster object recognition, more accurate 3D modelling, as well as enhanced change detection, object movement identification and analysis. This project will provide reusable techniques for satellite video, as well as multi-sensor and high-resolution earth observation still imagery data sets, that can also be adapted for further commercial applications in future.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Introduction to COLCO The COLombian COcoa control system project (COLCO) aims to optimise cacao (cocoa) production and quality in Colombia. Colombia, a potentially significant producer of fine cocoa, wishes to foster agro-sustainability and socioeconomic equality, particularly for growers. Cocoa requires a clear strategy for production, quality assurance and monitoring for traceability. A successful project implies growth potential, revitalising post-conflict regions. By demonstrating satellite, IoT, manufacturing and IT solutions, COLCO will develop an ecosystem between Colombian and UK organisations to improve the quality, yield and management of the Colombian cocoa value chain. Colombian private sector, government and research partners will develop impact through innovative solutions that will help optimise farm productivity, quality control, and industrial productivity. The project will be managed by research and technology organisations from the UK, and will also engage other UK based businesses and institutions. Summary of Activities and Outputs COLCO will deliver a data repository with production and post-harvesting process information, business forum, bean quality assessment tool, pest and disease management capabilities, yield prediction service, fermentation and drying monitoring technology, and a framework to develop integrated production and post-harvesting technologies. COLCO will build in-country capacity in precision agriculture, in the prepare-to-dispatch process and in general farming practices. All developments will be transferred to stakeholders in Colombia. Business-to-business links, workshops, exhibitions and farmer meetings will also be a significant part of COLCO. COLCO will address two phases of the Colombian cocoa value chain: • Production, when cacao trees are in their main productive phase; • Post-harvesting, when cacao is fermented, dried, and quality assessed for trade. Cacao volume is determined in the production phase, while quality is shaped post harvesting. COLCO will validate improvements during commercialisation. Summary of Envisaged Impacts COLCO's intended beneficiaries are cacao producers. COLCO will promote prosperity, resilience, enhanced agricultural job opportunities, competitiveness, export growth, land productivity and quality control, and industrial productivity across the supply chain. COLCO will increase agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers and will implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production. It will reduce food losses along production and supply chains.

This project is focussed on development of a differentiated smart edge appliance for the nascent high value Commercial & Industrial IOT cross-sector opportunity. The product will be an evolution of a proven industrial grade WiFi AP/Level 3 Router (the Datasat Quadraflex 200). The evolved product will combine Linux Server-class computing with 10 Gbps Level 3 IP router capabilities as well as support for the diversity of required Northbound & Southbound wired & wireless data communications methods on a mix & match basis using feature cards. The product will be presented as a compact one box, rugged, IP67 compliant, passively cooled, future proof appliance that can be deployed in fixed indoor/outdoor & mobile situations to meet a diversity of Use Cases. Distribution will be via globally positioned full-stack Solutions Providers operating in each of many key market verticals. The appliance will conform to emerging industry consortium frameworks that promote interoperability & broad adoption, & will be engineered to meet cross-industry & global certification requirements.The product will consolidate functions that currently need several appliances that tend to be engineered for indoor use only

Awaiting Public Project Summary

VEOWARE's project focuses on delivering timely very high resolution imagery data at significantly lower price than current market offering, enabling more data analytics business and high potential market growth . The company believes that data captured from space at a resolution of less than 50cm is the complementary tool to the low resolution Copernicus Sentinel data, which is now freely available. Very high resolution data has exciting potential to unveil the finest details of our society and unlock tremendous value on the downstream application market. Such imagery can simplify business operation globally by monitoring one's facilities from space (instead of hundreds of drones). One can understand why facilities or asset have trouble, without the need to go on-site. The better the resolution the smaller objects one can see and the more information one can extract on that object or event. VEOWARE is thrilled to propose its imagery as a service at a price that is less than one order of magnitude lower than the current offering for very high resolution data. The company plans to disrupt the industry by allowing one to finally close a good downstream business case when using fresh near-real time imagery and - one thing leading to another - to un-lock the intelligence that terrestrial businesses are willing to pay for (e.g. Insurance).

Awaiting Public Project Summary

New developments in quantum technology have resulted in the ability to cool atoms close to absolute zero using lasers and magnetic fields. Laboratory experiments have shown that these "cold atoms" can be used as ultra-sensitive sensors for measuring gravity. Using these sensors in space will enable the mapping of tiny changes in the strength of gravity across the surface of the Earth. This project will investigate the potential applications and markets that these sensors will enable from space. These include the prospect of more accurate monitoring of changes in polar ice mass, ocean currents and sea level thereby enhancing the capability of global climate models. Higher resolution data would lead to the ability to monitor smaller water sources and discover new underground natural resources which are currently not detectable. Similar technology could also be used for deep space navigation and for providing higher precision timing sources in space. The project will also study the technical feasibility of producing a space based system and will propose a roadmap showing the steps to achieving a commercial space sensor.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

A system using ground and EO data to create prescription maps, which constantly learns and becomes more accurate from ground data calibration. Allowing the ground robot to be constantly guided to new found objectives to enable precision targeted interaction including weed killing.

"Manufacturing in space has the potential to positively affect human spaceflight operations by enabling the in-orbit manufacture of replacement parts and tools, which could reduce existing logistics requirements for the International Space Station (ISS) and future long-duration human space missions. In-space manufacturing could enable space-based construction of large structures and, perhaps someday, in the future, entire spacecraft. In-space manufacturing can also help to reimagine a new space architecture that is not constrained by the design and manufacturing confines of gravity, current manufacturing processes, and launch-related structural stresses. The Space Manufacturing, Assembly and Repair Technology Exploration and Realisation (SMARTER) project will investigate the technical feasibility of manufacturing in space. The project will focus on how reconfigurable autonomous robotic technologies can be used to automatically manufacture components, assemble large structures, and service or repair existing space assets. The SMARTER concept, i.e. a manufacturing factory in space, could ultimately lower launch costs, the exploration of space and improve mission sustainability i.e. extend the useful life of assets launched into space. The need for a reconfigurable, autonomous manufacturing space port or factory stems from the market changing the paradigm of space operations and the development of enabling new capabilities that will put mankind's ambition to the test. These changes include: cost reduction of payload launch and sustainable space exploration, creating satellite constellations, exploration further into space and habitation on other planets and carrying out preventative maintenance or servicing of assets in space. This vision has also been recognised by NASAs On-Orbit Satellite Servicing Study, October 2010\. Realistically speaking, this described use of outer space may only truly materialise in 10 -- 20 year timeframe; nonetheless the UK has the prime opportunity to position itself suitably for this opportunity by investing now."

Space Debris is a major global issue that for too long has been treated as a scientific research topic and not been addressed. As of 2013 there were more than 100 million objects of less than 10cm diameter1 , which can damage or destroy satellites and cause major commercial risks. This then impacts citizens as space derived services are impacted. As an example, loss of satellite positioning would cost the UK £1Bn/day. This industry-led project was conceived by Astroscale (a Singaporean/Japanese Company) who will launch two satellites in 2019 for use on this project. The consortia will develop the current Harwell Control Centre to establish a national facility for In-Orbit Services operations. The state-of-the-art system will form the basis for operating missions to clean up space and conduct other In-Orbit servicing operations, providing the UK with a genuinely world leading capability.

The world faces major challenges associated with climate change, city management, the environment, natural resources and population growth. The pace of change means existing monitoring and reacting are no longer appropriate. MAppEO addresses these issues with a platform delivering high-value business analytics powered by Earth Observation data via lightweight digital applications (Apps). MAppEO harnesses enabling technologies in satellite imagery, cloud computing and big data, allowing Apps to meet these challenges. The Apps will be developed by a highly qualified and experienced technical team (Satellite Applications Catapult, Geospatial Insight, Sterling Geo and Specto Natura). MAppEO has already attracted global client partners across finance (World Bank, Permian Global), agriculture (AB Sustain), natural resources (Tullow Oil), Smart Cities (Living PlanIT) and asset management (British Geological Survey) who provide clear insight and true user requirements via an initial set of challenges. These pump prime the expansion of App development and user uptake. Making these Apps, offers the consortium a foundation for export and potential for sustainable growth within the knowledge economy.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Easy Energy Engager is a new way for everyday people and businesses to save money on their energy bills. No longer will you have to be an energy expert to do the right thing for yourself or your community. Once you are registered, we will show you your energy usage in over the internet in the comfort of your home or business with simple pictures including satellite imagery. If there are savings to be made (and there nearly always are) we will display recommendations. Without obligation, you can then request quotations simply by clicking a single button. Without picking up a phone, a huge number of competing but accredited suppliers, will respond to your request. Behind the scenes, Easy Energy Engager will negotiate group-buy discounts for you and your neighbours that also join. You can read reviews of other people's experience in your area and with your potential suppliers. When you are ready, you can accept a quote to receive your energy makeover and start saving money and the planet. You can then tell your friends about your experience over Facebook and other social media channels so they can have the benefit of your experience.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

The project is a feasibility study into the provision of a very low cost IoT service using new or existing space assets. It has a particular focus on the collection and dissemination of measurement data from thousands of devices which individually have a low data volume required at a relatively low update frequency.

Over the next decade, hundreds of Earth observation satellites are expected to be launched as large constellations with the satellites operating in concert to provide intelligence for 100s of applications. In order to support these applications and achieve the maximum possible value from EO constellations SSTL is developing a CONstellation Satellite Tasking And Request (CONSTAR) system. SSTL is drawing on its constellation management experience combined with applications and design expertise from the Satellite Applications Catapult for an efficient, user friendly solution to constellation operations and tasking. CONSTAR is flexible and scalable for both small and large numbers of satellites operated as a constellation. CONSTAR will be the foundation for constellation operators of the future to efficiently manage their satellites; and, it will provide a user-centric interface for non-expert customers to directly task constellations. CONSTAR will be a revolutionary approach to responsive satellite tasking using the latest web technologies to enable a user-centred system with advanced functionality.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

‘Collaborative and AdaPtive Integrated Transport Across Land and Sea’ (CAPITALS) is a 2 year project that brings together 15 organisations and stakeholders covering the land and sea logistics chain. The project will develop novel multi-modal transport solutions for seamless movement of freight and people across transport modes (sea, road and rail). The project specifically addresses congestion and delays around ports and their hinterlands resulting the growing numbers and sizes of vessels, lorries and rail wagons. As an island nation, with more than 95% of imports and exports going by sea, the UK economy is critically dependent on shipping and inland connections. Using pioneering techniques and advanced algorithms to exploit maritime, road, rail, local authority and other data, CAPITALS will develop user-centred applications and services to better synchronise shipping, vehicle and rail movements to achieve greater capacity and efficiency from existing infrastructure. CAPITALS solutions will initially be trialled in Liverpool and Humber to validate the benefits, and then define a roadmap for national and international scale-up.

The Variability Assessment Tool is an cost efficient online tool that exploits the use of satellite Earth Observation (EO) imagery to highlight field crop variability. Typically field variance can be caused by long-term fundamental properties of the field (eg. soil types, terrain, topography, exposure), mid-length manageable properties (eg. nutrient levels, soil structure), and in-season uncontrollable factors (eg. climate, weather events, infestation). Management of variability is complex because many of these factors affect each other in different ways to create an overall yield variability. True variability management requires the identification of the different key factors in a field, and then an appropriate management strategy to minimise the effect on yields. This project will enable farmers across the UK to make smarter decisions about their investment in precision farming technology and services. It seeks to give all farmers a chance to experience the benefit of using EO imagery and demystify the use of this technology within the agricultural sector without the risk of heavy investment.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

This project will develop a cloud based software model for its tyre data monitoring system on commercial vehicles, trailers and PSV's that will offer accurate predictions of tyre and mechanical issues by using real time data from the installed hardware. Tyre data from each vehicle will be linked with satellite communications and intelligent decision making to provide drivers, fleet managers, and tyre service providers with a real time system to prevent unnecessary downtime, such as roadside breakdowns and improve efficiencies in vehicle and tyre management. Tyres have a significant impact on vehicle safety, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Damaged tyres can cost fleet operators tens of thousands of pounds in repair costs, wasted fuel and fines from late deliveries. In response to this, Tructyre, a Hampshire based SME, has gathered together a strong consortium of companies and academic partners to develop predictive software with an automated data exchange capability between vehicle, fleet operator and tyre service provider.

The Atlas Project will study the feasibility of and requirements of the technologies and services required to deliver autonomous navigation ‘anywhere’ in a safe, reliable and resilient manner. Specifically, the project will study the navigation, mapping, data, communications and processing requirements; ,identifying the on-vehicle and infrastructure elements required to support autonomous navigation. The project also considers how data can be reused for the planning of urban environments more suited to autonomy. The consortium partners collaborating on this project are: Ordnance Survey (lead), Gobotix Ltd, Oxford Technical Solutions Ltd, Transport Research Laboratory, Sony Europe Ltd, Royal Borough of Greenwich and Satellite Applications Catapult.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

SmartKlub and its collaborators will develop a free to use tool “Community Action Platform for Energy” (CAPE) in order to make it easy for communities and local suppliers to procure and supply energy efficiency or distributed energy projects at scale. CAPE combines various data sets, including satellite, energy and social information so that communities identify opportunities of highest need and impact for councils and community groups to act upon. By doing this, expertise and scale are socialised to allow citizens to address fuel poverty and sustainability goals without needing to become a lone expert, in order to successfully join the energy revolution. Suppliers (especially local companies with local know how) can then engage with a much larger group of customers with aligned needs, many times more cost effectively, without having to undertake mass marketing that has thus far failed. Suppliers simply pay a commission to access readymade projects. SmartKlub’s ambition is that CAPE allows many cities to scale community energy measures at a significant scale in order to achieve a tipping point in social energy objectives like fuel poverty and climate change.

In the past years Mars Space Ltd and Clyde Space Ltd have developed, qualified and sold to customers the first units of an electric propulsion (EP) subsystem for cubesat applications called PPTCUP. At present PPTCUP is the only cubesat EP subsystem to have been subjected to flight qualification. Nevertheless, since the development of this product started, the cubesat market has significantly evolved becoming a commercial reality with Earth Observation (EO) cubesats attracting investments in excess of 100 M$ and with two big companies representing about 40% of the total market. The goal of this project will be to modify the existing PPTCUP design to increase its performances and to obtain a product that is tailor made for these customers capturing a significant share of the EO cubesat market and setting the standard for cubesat propulsion. To achieve such a goal Mars Space and Clyde Space are collaborating with the Satellite Application Catapult and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre of the University of Sheffield (part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult) to leverage their know-how and experience in the cubesat market and in advanced manufacturing technologies.

This feasibility project will consider the use of Sentinal 1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to aid the arable food production system. The current use of crop biomass imagery from optical imagery (NDVI) is popular with farmers but is reliant upon clear, cloud-free skies. SAR will provide data in all conditions, day and night thus providing a detailed and reliable source of crop growth data for farmers. This project could present a huge breakthrough in non-space related satellite applications. Previous study suggests that SAR data is capable of pinpointing different growth stages which is critical in arable farming for delivering treatments and fertiliser at the right time. This study will use existing NDVI imagery along with detailed SAR data and field data to help model a new crop growth index. Not viable previously, due to the restrictively high cost, Sentinel SAR data is now freely available allowing the development of new applications that could make a real difference to farmers.

The multi-system MicroTag will be the smallest, most power efficient and multi-functional LBS system available anywhere in the world. Its primary objective will be the management and rehabilitation of offenders where the cost of the failure of existing systems and processes exceeds £10 billion per year. This significant advance in wearable location technology, together with very significant power management improvements and innovative design will have applications in any market where location, proximity alert and movement detection are vital. Examples of this, in addition to EOM applications, could include personal anti-collision systems for cyclists or applications in the health and vulnerable persons market.

Satellite imagery is an extremely useful source of data for emergencies and potential emergencies. It provides large scale surveillance of conditions, but now at spatial resolutions down to 0.5m. There are some 140 earth observing satellites in orbit, representing a huge virtual constellation of surveillance capability, expected to double in the current decade. However, in many cases these data are not being used effectively for emergency response because of a reactive approach in the industry to image acquisition. We propose to develop and define a pro-active approach to the tasking of satellite imagery in emergency response by the monitoring and interrogation of social media feeds as well as alerts from relevant organisations, so that the data can be rapidly accessed and exploited by emergency responders. The outcome of this proposed project will be a defined capability to optimise the use of satellite surveillance in a range of emergency situations. The market for this is considerable and currently under-served by satellites for a number of reasons which we intend to address technically and commercially.

Project IConIC (Intelligent Condition monitoring with Integrated Communications) will develop a revolutionary system that provides accurate prediction for vessel performance and operation. It represents a step-change in the marine industry, through linking autonomous measurement systems to existing maritime satellite communications. The performance of marine engines used for propulsion and power generation has a significant impact on efficient vessel operation. Inefficient/failed engines on large vessels can cost their owners £millions. In response to this, STS Defence, a Gosport based SME, has gathered together a strong consortium of companies and academic partners to develop an automated 'machine to machine' and ship-to-shore data exchange capability, increasingly described as the 'internet of things'.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

This project will explore a range of datasets to create new insight and value. The collaborative research and development team will produce a new high value product for the food manufacturing and financial services industry. This new product is needed by these industries to enable lower risk decision making and to help secure lower futures prices when trading soft commodities. The project will explore datasets from wheat futures, the high volume of wheat market news reports and real-world satellite data. From this the product will be developed, enabling users to trade with greater market transparency, enabling surety of raw material cost for food manufacture and higher returns for traders. The product is needed now to help address food security and to help commodity traders meet new legislation. It is further driven by the growth in higher risk, ‘opaque’ alternative asset classes, such as investments in agricultural projects in frontier and emerging markets. It is enabled by the increase and forecast growth in suitable satellite data.

Information describing potato crop canopy development is a key measurement for in-season crop management, irrigation scheduling and final yield forecasting. Output from these systems are used to optimise inputs (e.g. water), maximise crop value and provide data to the downstream processing chain. Traditional, manual methods, of collecting groundcover are labour intensive and provide little information about the spatial variability of crop development. Satellite observations can provide insight into spatial variability but can be temporaly limited and often require collection of expensive ground truthuing data. This project aims to combine low-cost ground truthing data, crowd-sourced via a smart phone app, with satellite radar data, that can meet the temporal resolution required for reliable results in potato crop management systems. This will create fit for purpose data which can be used to improve and expand the accuracy and reliability of potato crop management systems.

Awaiting Public Project Summary