PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
By focusing on how to optimally create the best user experience for communicating highest quality images (photos and video) over bandwidth-limited communications systems, BEATLES targets key challenges in Mobile Satellite communications in general, and new Alphasat opportunities based on BGAN and GSPS in particular.
BEATLES targets emergency, disaster, safety and security organisations, that need visual situational awareness and GNSS integration with interfaces to GIS and mapping
BEATLES objectives cover the design, development, implementation and validation, through pilot user trials, of an innovative application exploiting the new Alphasat and current Inmarsat 4 satellites using the BGAN and GSPS systems. The project will be developing solutions which provide:
- New opportunities and a major competitive and operational advantage with respect to existing options, by changing the communications paradigm, while substantially improving the visual Quality of Experience of image (photo/video) communications over satellite.
- New features cover image and sensor communications, integrations with more peripheral units, including support for using small UAVs and Android smartphones connected to GSPS:
- Video, exploiting a push-pull approach using an initial storyboard to select segments of interest,
- Adaptive streaming video with QoE priorities,
- Photo communication over IsatPhone Pro at rates of 2 kbps,
- Android interconnection with IsatPhone Pro,
- Flexible, adaptive Network Coding for using multiple bearers.
Challenges
Visual communication in high quality is known to require good bandwidth and capacity. Our overall fundamental technical and operational challenge is that we do not always have that available, and then how to create the best User Experience for communications of high definition multimedia over band limited L-band satellite systems, and systems with similar challenges.
These are fundamental challenges in digital communications, and with increasing ability to capture higher resolution imagery, the challenge is not becoming smaller in the near future.
Plan
The duration of the project is 18 months. The planning approach is to study the user requirements followed by designing and developing the solutions into a common service-framework that targets user requirements and the objectives of the BEATLES project. This will require some adaptation work which will also be performed as part of the service set-up. Work packages are strictly defined according to the task list given in the Statement of Work, with additions where necessary specifically for BEATLES.
Spanning the whole project, the business case will be developed and refined.
Current Status
The project is well underway with Critical Design Review held in March 2013 and Pilot Qualification Review planned before the summer holidays 2013. As of May 2013 most of the design and implementation is complete, while final testing and deployment for the selected pilot users remain.
The project is on track.
