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Telecommunications advanced networks for GMES operations

Exploitable results

Collection of GMES telecommunications requirements During the first phase of the project, TANGO completed collection of telecommunications requirements through major GMES projects dedicated to risk and crisis management, maritime, landcover, atmosphere, security and humanitarian aid services. A systematic approach for assessing the needs was established, relying on the definition of a clear and agreed terminology and reference TANGO architecture. The requirements were filled in a data base through a dedicated web interface developed within the project. Common trends among various themes were identified, highlighting the key benefits expected from telecommunications: 1) a reduction of the time to access GMES services and delay improvements in data collection and data transport; 2) higher data rates expected on all architecture segments from data collection to data dissemination; 3) trends towards global coverage; 4) portability and mobility with fast and easily deployable equipments for emergency situations; 5) combination of position, data and voice communications for effective communications on the field; 6) increased reliability of the links. These trends were documented per each theme and synthesised in a public document. Telecommunication solutions adaptation to GMES needs Key objectives of the TANGO project were to adapt telecommunications solutions and technologies to GMES needs and to facilitate the access to these solutions to the largest GMES community. The following key telecommunication components and technologies have been adapted, developed and validated within the project. - In situ improved data collection, through the integration within TANGO developments of improved Argos-3 processing chain (two way communications with the Argos mobile terminals, higher data rate and long messaging capability). - Broadband to fixed and mobile users for reliable data dissemination, relying on standard technologies (DVB-RCS and Satmode) and adapted within the projects to GMES applications. - Satellite radio broadcast including early warning systems, through the definition of two types of terminals, including on one hand a low cost terminal and on the other hand a two-ways terminal providing feedback data support and advanced mobility and autonomy features. - Broadband combined with terrestrial mobile systems for fast and reliable network deployment in support to rescue teams and civil protections. PMR extension by satellite solution, and GSM & IP/ DVB-RCS transportable solutions have been completed. A fast and easily deployable GSM/satellite solution named Recover based on a kit of small size telecommunications containers have been developed and validated. The full network of three mobile solutions enabling three-sites cell deployment for telephony and internet access in support to crisis context has been operationally tested for usage in risk and crisis and security demonstrations. - Part of the TANGO studied satellite telecommunications solutions, data relay services should actually meet a key expectation from GMES community in reducing the time to access GMES services and providing multi-casting capability. The benefits of DRS (reduction of time between the image request and delivery, increase payload data downloading capability) have been analysed and evaluated with the help of a 'scene acquisition planner' tool developed within the project. The future infrastructure of DRS has been proposed. The benefits of other platforms as UAVs and HAPs and the integration of data relay on these platforms have been analysed. Development of common telecommunication service platform The concept of a 'common telecommunications service platform' was established in order to offer GMES service providers a simple tool to facilitate the access to telecommunications services. The CTSP acts as broker enabling service provisioning and management between GMES service providers (customers of the CTSP through a user-friendly web interface) and telecom providers. The CTSP is in simple terms a web site which allows GMES service providers to identify, to order and manage telecommunications services. It is particularly suited to address urgent procurement needs where location or capacity requirements cannot be known in advance. The CTSP can gather together on one site the offers from a wide range of telecommunication providers, allowing by simple clicks and easy-friendly browsing/select mechanism, to be guided to the different types of offers corresponding to some selection criteria. One of the main benefits of the platform is to provide a single interface to various networks. It allows to co-ordinate resource provision to the community of GMES end-users and to reduce cost of access to telecommunication services. Based on a generic interface easily extendable to other telecommunications providers, the interfaces of the CTSP with the TANGO telecommunications solutions have been specified, developed and integrated. Demonstration of Telecommunications integration in GMES Demonstrations scenarios in relation to five themes: 1) risk and crisis, 2) fisheries monitoring, 3) maritime surveillance, 4) humanitarian aid and 5) security have been settled by the project to meet a two-fold objective: to demonstrate the benefits of a large set of TANGO solutions in an actual operational context (hybrid terrestrial /satellite solutions, innovative Recover concept, enhanced CLS-Argos3 solution, improved UAV including satellite data relay, CTSP platform…) and to allow bringing GMES services into regions suffering of a lack of high speed terrestrial solutions. Two scenario cases have been defined through cooperation with GMES projects, TANGO bringing satellite telecommunications and CTSP platform means in support to GMES projects demonstrations (Respond, Myocean). The demonstration plan confirmed through the large involvement and attendance of end-users and GMES service providers during TANGO Second User Forum in April 2008, was conducted during the last year period from September 2008. Nine demonstrations were successfully performed during the project. A first successful demonstration was conducted in September 2008, in the area of risk and crisis management, where the solution of PMR extension by satellite developed in the project was demonstrated with end-users in Elancourt (France). The next demonstration was a simulation of a crisis management scenario in Cahors (France) in December 2008. The demonstration included the TANGO satcom solutions adapted to crisis context, on-field dissemination of GMES products and applications dedicated to crisis management, to be experimented by civil protection end-users. The risk and crisis management theme was also illustrated in actual fire crisis context in South of France in summer 2009, through liaison with SAFER project. In the domain of humanitarian aid, a real time exercise was performed in Vietnam by Unosat and local civil protections in support to Respond project, dealing with preparedness and crisis phase in the case floods disaster event. TANGO provided support to field team activities with portable Satcom equipments integrating technologies for voice and data communications, location and having GIS capabilities. Telecommunication solutions provided support for contingency planning, preparedness and crisis situation requirements like field information transmission in real time. This allowed to use updated GMES products for better situation awareness and optimised action of the people in the field. To deal with security issues, a simulated exercise of evacuation of civil people from a country affected by a crisis situation outside EU border was run. Transportable and easy to deploy satellite communication solutions adapted for crisis management situations were demonstrated. These solutions successfully established stable and reliable communications between actors involved in the scenario to allow voice, data and internet communications, the transfer in real time of geospatial data and GPS positions collected on the field, and to provide access to near real time earth observation satellite imagery information. The geospatial information was efficiently shared between different actors of the scenario in the three sites, providing an optimised support for decision making. The exercise allowed highlighting the benefits of providing near real time satellite imagery plus advanced real-time communications linking actors in the field with decision-making centres, to improve reactivity and situation awareness for a better management of the crisis. In the domain of maritime applications, two demonstrations were conducted: - Ship tracking and detection capacity demonstration, conducted along Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas, was based on cooperative tracking by ship-borne terminals (LRIT, AIS) and non co-operative detection (detection of the ships through satellite radar and optical scenes). - It demonstrated the added-value of extending coastal surveillance to high seas by merging standard data with satellite earth observation and telecommunication data by exchanging information in almost real time. Satellite solutions enable to reduce time to access to Earth observation data and to have access to global coverage, including high seas, so information can be rapidly transmitted most closely to the end-users. - Met-ocean observing capacity demonstration, based on Argos-3 instruments deployed in maritime environment and processed. Argos-3 Satcom solutions allowed high data rate collection for continuous and consistent elaboration of information related to areas of interest, in particular in collecting meteorological parameters (link to marine core service project Myocean). Three demonstrations were carried out related to fisheries management applications: - Comoros demonstration showed low cost satellite solutions providing broadband connectivity and internet access as enabler to create new GMES services of vessel detection in areas out of reach of satellite receiving station, with poor terrestrial telecom infrastructure and limited skills end users. - UAV and azores demonstrations allowed real time access to collected data enabled by inspection of area of interest and real time access to VDS by patrol aircraft. Whole TANGO demonstration plan showed satellite telecommunications to bring benefits to end-users and citizens at each step of the GMES value chain: a) Satellite telecommunications enable countries with extended needs but relatively poor infrastructure to have access to new technologies and services (e.g. VDS). Combination of real-time information is made available the closest to the end-users providing them autonomy, decision and operation. b) Time is critical at each step of the GMES chain: Telecommunication brings real-time access to information: for crisis management (situation awareness including to and from the field), for security or for environment (e.g. fight against pollution). c) Satellite solutions are rapidly deployable, robust, reliable and therefore particularly suitable in case terrestrial infrastructure is damaged or non-existent (crisis). TANGO has proved that efficient operational technologies are available to meet GMES requirements. Another key step in the project was to give non-telecom aware users access to telecommunications solutions thanks to the development of the common telecommunication services platform. Towards an operational platform One key objective of TANGO was to 'make it happen' through the definition of conditions and recommendations for an operational exploitation of the common telecommunications service platform. A first step in economical viability was performed through cost & benefits analysis, to evaluate the additional costs and additional benefits for GMES community to bring satellite communications and service platform. The second step was to identify and compare candidate role models for the future telecommunication operational platform for GMES, based on the GMES business model and to issue recommendations and to propose a way forward after TANGO. It could include TANGO platform as a major tool in the development of the emergent telecom risk charter concept, which would allow communalising and sharing the potential of satellite telecommunications solutions from operators and institutions to serve the GMES community needs in case of disaster and crisis. Telecommunications should have a key role in the future GMES model. The future and development of GMES itself relies in its pioneering infrastructure and highly-efficient telecommunication services.

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