TOP HONORS to: Jean-Marc Gaubert, Director Atmosphère, France
Winner of GMES Masters/AZO* Prize for best application in private sector, as well as Nice/Sophia Antipolis Régional GALILEO Masters Prize.
The start-up Atmosphère scooped these prizes with its COMET project, presented by Nice/Sophia Antipolis region, and geared at sharing data collected in flight by embedded devices placed on private business planes and helicopters. Set-up in June 2008 as a Thales spin-off the company specializes in air traffic technologies and applications. Its team of experts offers its R&D consulting services to the likes of Aerospace Valley, CNES, ESA, Thalès, Airbus and has developed telematics services for general aviation as well. Its COMET project focuses on sharing in-flight data collected on board business planes and helicopters, allowing for real time weather updates and optimized flight paths to help reduce CO2 emissions.
4 questions to Jean-Marc Gaubert, Managing Director, Atmosphère:
1. You’ve won the Nice/Sophia Antipolis Regional Galileo Masters 2009. Can you give us a quick presentation of your project?
COMET is a general aviation solution that is focused on building a shared network to exchange in-flight data. It is composed of a ‘METBOX’ which collects data that can then be shared with users on the ground, as well as with members of the network during their flight. The data is digitally encoded, permitting end-to-end data management and optimal management of all flight information.
2. Can you give some examples to illustrate this?
Measuring atmospheric parameters (pressure, temperature and humidity) at altitude through sensors and sending the data to weather services, which use the information to help draw up weather forecasts, is one example. In addition, the system also gathers information about any local phenomena observed by the flight deck team. This information, which was never collected before as there was no installed system to send it automatically, is also sent in real time to weather centers as well as to other aircraft. COMET also enables weather centers to send weather information in real time to the aircraft. This is also a first as currently, an aircraft’s weather information is not updated during a flight.
3. What’s innovative about this project and what do you think won over the jury?
Firstly, on a practical level this is a real advance for Europe, which has never had such a system, though similar services have been available in the USA for nearly 10 years. In terms of innovation, we’re absolutely in line with the Galileo system as the COMET system uses geolocalised objects to model atmospheric phenomena, which enables information to be manipulated in space and time and reduces communication needs. On the technical level, we’ve harnessed the latest space technology, which we’ve miniaturized to enable the ‘METBOX’ to be installed on all types of aircraft. The factor we think that won over the jury was the system’s package of potential downstream uses, particularly those in the weather forecasting field as well as in the environmental and security sectors. COMET really complements earth and satellite observation systems and opens the door to other new applications, which have still to be defined.
4. What is your outlook for growth today?
It’s an enormous challenge for our young research and design company Atmosphère, which was set-up 18 months ago. The idea is to install METBOX boxes for free rather than sell them as it’s the data that the boxes collect, which will be sold, particularly to weather forecasting services. We will also develop a range of value-added services to make tracking and logistics easier. Our goal is to distribute the product Europe-wide over the coming three years. And the Galileo Masters will give us a real edge in finding new partners who are ready to collaborate with us both in terms of R&D as well as financing on the project.
GMES Masters/AZO* Prize – private sector:
The best application in the private sector gets the opportunity to follow a six-month incubation program at the Satellite Application Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Munich that will include free office space, infrastructure and telecommunications, assistance in establishing a marketing budget and 10 days of coaching by experts in sustainable development. In addition, the winner has a chance to present his idea to internationally leading companies in the GIS, earth observation and to open further cooperation opportunities.
* Satellite Application Center in Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO)
More information: www.atmosphere.aero
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