Luxembourg, 27 April 2021. – The European Space Agency (ESA) has asked a consortium around Inmarsat to develop a natural disaster early warning system.
The London-based satellite operator, the research organization SINTEF and the Norwegian company Geonor have been awarded a three-year contract with ESA to develop a new government grade Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution that can provide early warnings in the event of a natural disaster, even in the most remote locations, Inmarsat said.
Based on Inmarsat’s L-band satellite network, the new satcom‑IoT technology has two important advantages over existing solutions, Inmarsat said: “global coverage and security, thus making it extremely suitable for government applications”.
The IoT solution is capable of monitoring a range of geohazards, such as landslides and flooding, Inmarsat said. The Norwegian pilot will be monitoring landslides in the Trøndelag region of central Norway.
The solution is supported by ESA as a part of its “Space Systems for Safety and Security (4S)” programme, which is part of ESA’s advanced research in telecommunication systems programme, ARTES.
The project is also supported by the Department for Energy and Water (NVE) and the UK Space Agency and Norwegian Space Agency.
