ESA is positioning itself in the middle of the emerging Automatic Identification System (AIS) business with a program that will evaluate emerging maritime vessel tracking technologies against requirements that ESA is assembling with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
Mr. Ginati pointed out that ESA is not seeking to create a government-backed AIS service to compete in this market. Instead, ESA will refine the requirements of users, particularly those of government agencies including coastal surveillance authorities and determine whether these new technologies are able to meet those requirements.
“We certainly do not want to reinvent the wheel or duplicate what is being done,” said Mr. Ginati. “What we want to do with our ESA and European Commission partners is validate what the market is offering.”
ESA is currently comparing two AIS technologies on its section of the International Space Station, one developed in Norway and the other by LuxSpace. Click on the links located in the coliumn to the right for more information.
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