The ceremony was attended by Telespazio’s CEO, Luigi Pasquali and Leonardo’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Giovanni Soccodato.
The winning proposals were presented by the heads of Telespazio’s three business lines, Alessandra Farese (Satellite Systems and Operations), Alessandro Caranci (Satellite Communications) and Massimo Claudio Comparini (Geo Information), along with the Human Resources and Organisation Manager, Jacopo Cuscianna, and Innovation and Technological Governance Manager, Marco Brancati.
Innovation and research have always been distinctive elements and the hallmark of Telespazio, a company founded in 1961 and since then the leader in the development of satellite communications and space services, first in Italy and then at an international level. Today Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), is one of the major operators in the world in the satellite solutions and services sector, in which it can draw on the skills and knowledge of about 2,500 people, most of which are engineers and technicians, working in Europe and South America.
For Telespazio, more than ever before the Innovation Award represents the litmus test for measuring the validity of its efforts in the field of Research and Development, aimed at sustainable development of its Product Policy. The quality and variety of the proposals received are a very positive indication of all of this.
Here are the three proposals that won Telespazio’s Innovation Award 2018:
- Category: Radical Innovation – “Ionosphere Prediction Service for GNSS Users”, submitted by a Telespazio/Telespazio VEGA Deutschland team made up of Filippo Rodriguez (team leader), Roberto Ronchini, Stefano Di Rollo, Gian Paolo Plaia, Luca Preziosi, Vanessa Sicurello, Osman Kalden and Douwe Lambers.
Description: IPS (Ionosphere Prediction Service for GNSS Users) is a prototype for monitoring and predicting potential interference coming from the ionosphere to GNSS users. The innovation relates to creating a weather forecast service related to the behaviour of GNSS receivers, and the impact they will have on the related applications.
- Category: Incremental Innovation – “AWARE”, submitted by an e-GEOS team made up of Elena Francioni(team leader), Dino Quattrociocchi and Marco Corsi.
Description: AWARE (Agile Watching for Asset and Resources) is a geoinformation platform for monitoring critical infrastructures. The innovation lies in management of Big Data and processing Data Analytics, management of critical information, and development of a Cloud architecture.
- Category: Idea – “Automatic coregistration of SAR and optical images”, submitted by an e-GEOS/Telespazio Ibérica team, made up of Massimo Zavagli (team leader), Andrea Bucarelli, Carlos Hernando and Mario Costantini.
Description: A techniue for analysing large quantities of data coming from various sources at different times. This method focuses on automatic coregistration, using multi-modal techniques, of high resolution and optical SAR images.
Two proposals were adjudged to be worthy of Special Mention:
- Bc – CoDES, submitted by a Telespazio team made up of Raul Cafini (team leader), Antonello Rescio, Andrea Bolle and Federico Bunkheila.
Description: Bc - CoDES (Blockchain-based Communication and Data Exchange System) aims to use Blockchain technology (able to guarantee data security and integrity and verification of the sources) in the space sector, for the interface used to exchange data between satellites, the ground segment, and users.
- Intelligent Hybrid Modem for 100% global coverage, submitted by a Telespazio VEGA Deutschland team made up of Osman Kalden (team leader), Olaf Herper and Patrick S. Lewis.
Description: An intelligent hybrid modem that combines land radio communications from those from space provided by satellites in low orbit, to achieve complete coverage and continuous availability of the service.Its applications are in line with Agriculture 4.0 and Digital Farms trends.
The awards ceremony was preceded by a round table discussion on the topic of “Technological and Skills Contamination as a driving force for Innovation”, which involved Chiara Francalanci (University “Politecnico di Milano”), Roberto Magnifico (LVenture LUISS), Paolo Gaudenzi (La Sapienza University), Giovanni Soccodato(Leonardo’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer) and Paola Inverardi (L’Aquila University).
The round table discussion was moderated by RAI journalist Giorgio Pacifici and by Marco Brancati of Telespazio.