Coronavirus Emergency: Telespazio and e-GEOS win the UN contest with a project that integrates satellite data, the web, and Artificial Intelligence

21 July 2020

The ECO4CO (Earth Cognitive System for CoViD-19) platform designed by Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), and e-GEOS (ASI/Telespazio), has been selected as the winner for the Health Emergency category of the Global Call launched by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to respond to the Coronavirus emergency.

The "Innovative Ideas and Technologies vs COVID-19 and beyond contest attracted entries from 1,101 companies, start-ups, universities, and research centres in 108 Countries.

The Global Call had four categories, one of which was related to "Health Emergency", dedicated to solutions for combating the health emergency, which attracted most entries, with 390 proposals competing. Telespazio and e-GEOS have been awarded the prize, ex-aequo with the Chinese Company, Shanghai Zhizhong Environmental Protection Technology.

 

 

The ECO4CO proposal combines Telespazio's and e-GEOS's know-how and skills, with a view to integrating Earth Observation and positioning satellite data, with non-satellite information generated by the web and social networks, using Artificial Intelligence-based systems. In this way - also using forecasting analysis systems, autonomous satellite data acquisition, and tracking and data learning capacities - the ECO4CO platform supports monitoring areas subject to gatherings (parks, markets, stadiums), providing information on human activity and people gatherings.

The information obtained can then help to isolate new hot spots of the epidemic while, at the same time, monitoring areas in which there is a higher concentration of people. In addition, by combining information and multi-disciplinary skills, and mixing health and geographic data together, the platform provides a dynamic on the epidemic, and offers a forecasting analysis service, to identify needs for medical equipment.

“ECO4CO sets the new standard in terms of conceptualising and implementing innovative services with added value, which are based on Telespazio's and e-GEOS's skills and satellite technologies, along with the non satellite native transverse technologies now available like Artificial Intelligence. This platform is one of the results of a process of constant innovation in progress within our Companies".

Marco Brancati, Telespazio's Chief Technology and Innovation Officer

Along with other winners in the UNIDO contest, the ECO4CO platform will be present at the EuroScience Open Forum 2020 in Trieste in September, and at the Expo 2021 in Dubai.

ECO4CO is part of the ongoing commitment of companies in the Leonardo Group in terms of sustainability, meeting 3 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on the UN's 2030 Agenda. Good Health and Well-being (Goal 3), Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8), and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (Goal 9).

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