The Minister was welcomed by the Chairman of Finmeccanica Giovanni De Gennaro. The CEO of Telespazio Luigi Pasquali explained to Minister Martina the activities of Telespazio and the subsidiary e-GEOS (80% Telespazio, 20% Italian Space Agency), a company specialised in Geo-Information services.
Telespazio also boasts over twenty years of experience in the service of agriculture, in Italy and in Europe. Modern satellite technology applied to this sector, and precision agriculture in particular, enables a better management of different types of crops over large areas. This provides constant and frequent monitoring compared to the past and a broader gathering and analisys of data aimed at supporting the entire production process as well as the control of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
During his visit to the e-GEOS operational rooms, Minister Martina was shown a few applications developed both in GIS (geographic information system) and in the field of cartographic production. In addition, the services that the company has performed since 2012 for the European Commission in support of European and global civil protection agencies for natural disaster or human-induced events were presented at the Emergency Management Centre, operational 24/7 all year.
Minister Martina's visit confirms the attention paid by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to the most innovative satellite technologies, which can provide advanced solutions to the agricultural production sector as well as respond effectively to the modern requirements of environmental monitoring.
In support of agriculture, the Finmeccanica Group offers technologies such as satellite systems for earth observation and geolocation, radars, sensors, secure communications systems, aircraft and helicopters for local operations, and remotely piloted aircraft for surveillance, identification and intelligence operations.