SatcomWeather and SatcomWeather2

In the year 2015 the SatcomWeather project series was kicked-off. the main goal is to provide real time attenuation data for satcom operators/services providers as well as for the weather sector. Within these projects, signal information for tens of thousands of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) was provided by Avanti plc., who runs the Ka band Hylas satellite fleet with currently four satellites and offers broadband satellite services across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

It could be shown that the observation of the signal level of satellite links can be opportunistically utilized for remote sensing of rainfall and other meteorological parameters and this can be a useful complement for existing sensors such as rain gauges or weather radars, especially for regions were the meteorological infrastructure is poor.

Furthermore, within the project SatcomWeather 2 a set of products were developed that enable satellite operators to increase the productivity of their assets by creating and applying intelligence from VSAT transmission data. The project is a sequel to SatcomWeather whose results showed satellite operators and Weather service providers the benefits of the products.

Instant values of measured satellite signal values (Es/N0) by ground terminals on the island of Ireland. The first plot shows the situation during clear sky conditions, while the following ones represent measurements during a bypassing rain front.

Partner     

  • Space Analyses GmbH (Coordinator)
  • Catalysts GmbH
  • Graz University of Technology
  • UBIMET GmbH 

Funding

  • European Space Agency (ESA), within the ARTES Programme