From Space to Society. And Back.

This blog is about all matters concerning the diffusion of innovation within society, with an obvious soft spot for satellite applications.

The Climate Change Data Challenge – open innovation for the COP21

2015 is the year France will host the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). The expected results of the C3 initiative – that is, innovative applications relying on data and emerging from the collective intelligence of citizens, companies, start-ups, civil society, students – will feed into the COP21. As far as initiatives of this kind go, C3 is exemplary in making climate change, but also innovation, everyone’s business.

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Thank you, Colin!

Laudatio by ESA DG Jean-Jacques Dordain, given on the occasion of the Eurisy General Assembly 2015 on 17 June 2015 - the last to be presided by President Colin Hicks.

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EO uptake: the Holy Grail?

We’ve interviewed Dr Ian Thomas for some tips to advance EO Uptake based on his three-decade plus career as an Earth Observation (EO) specialist and supporter to end-users. This has been within various local, central and pan-government programmes in the United Kingdom, Western Europe, SE Asia, USA, Australia, Antarctica and New Zealand. (More on his current work at www.eoci.info )

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The Committee of the Regions – a receptive ear when it comes to satellite services. An opportunity not to be left at that.

The Committee of the Regions was among the first user organisations to pick on the potential of satellite services and their use in the Regions. (working notably with Eurisy since 2007). End 2014, the organisation produced another opinion on an EC consultation on the importance of the use of satellite services in the Blue Economy. But for the CoR to go further in its recommendations, industry and SMEs should be more present

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Sentinels & SMEs: threats and opportunities

Dr. Gediminas Vaitkus is the owner of Geomatrix UAB, a small Lithuanian company that has successfully participated in the development of Copernicus core services. It specialises in automated geospatial data processing. Now that the Sentinels are being launched, we asked Dr. Vaitkus about his point of view on the prospects the Sentinels bring for small and medium businesses.

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Sentinels launch: what next?

[...] And so the real challenge ahead lies not in launching the additional Sentinel satellites – though that is a feat in itself of course. The real challenge is in how well connected and “irrigated” the downstream value-added chain is. Is everyone in place for the chain to work out?... [...]

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Innovation is not really the problem in Europe

Europe doesn’t invent anything anymore, at a time when the EU has just decided to inject €80 billion into Horizon2020, Europe’s research and innovation programme. This was the deliberately controversial premise of a recent documentary on whether Europeans have lost their mojo when it comes to innovation and technology. It is easy to fall for the American pitch on why the US is a champion. But there is more to the story, and plenty of scope for European success, including in the aerospace sector.

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SMEs in the Puglian space

The much-debated topic of how to ensure SMEs make the most of public investments in space, along big industry, has been a hot one for both countries with an established space industry who aim to promote their SMEs, and for "new entrants". Arguably, the latter stand to gain most from the development of satellite services, provided they also look after demand. Puglia's model may provide some useful lessons for both.

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Welcome to Eurisy’s blog. (And what it will be about)

As everyone who attends conferences knows, going to a conference is not (only) about sitting through PowerPoint presentations. One learns some of the most interesting things at the coffee break, or during a round table that has gone a little off-script (in a good way).

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