TEKEVER IT Hosts the iSAR+ Kick Off Meeting

TEKEVER IT hosted the Kick-Off Meeting (KOM) of the FP7 Research Project iSAR+ Online and Mobile Communications for Crisis Response and Search and Rescue at its Lisbon facilities, signalling the Project's official launch on January 1st 2013.

The meeting was attended by most Project partners and also the EC's Research Executive Agency (REA) representative, Mr. Sakellaris Hourdas, in the quality of the iSAR+ Project Officer, who addressed the audience with several key observations on the successful execution of FP7 projects.

TEKEVER IT is the Coordinator of the iSAR+ Security FP7 research project (http://isar.i112.eu) that aims to develop the iSAR+ Guidelines, providing instructions and recommendations for citizens and PPDRs for an effective and efficient use of social media and mobile technology in crisis situations, and the iSAR+ Platform, integrating ICT tools and functionalities that offer additional communication channels between PPDRs and citizens and enhanced high-quality situational awareness for PPDRs and citizens, during and after a crisis. 

Ranking second in its call's evaluation, iSAR+ is a 2 and a half years Project, with an overall budget of about € 5 millions for the 16 participating institutions of 9 European countries, also benefitting from the valuable contributions of transatlantic expert consultants in Chile and the United States, relevant to explore the applicability of the iSAR+ Guidelines and Platform to non-European markets.

TEKEVER Technology Promotes SKYMEDIA's Successful Field Demonstration

The SkyMedia Project (http://www.ict-skymedia.eu) successfully demonstrated its technology accomplishments in the 26th edition of the Turin Marathon 2012, this Sunday. 

This final demonstration of the complete SkyMedia system delivered the Marathon's audience a richer and more complete multimedia experience that involved a group of runners with wearable sensors that monitored in real-time the runners' position, speed, pace and biometric parameters during the race. A special audience group was selected amongst sponsors, VIP, press and business partners to view that live tracked data through mobile applications and touchscreen interactive displays with 3D video augmentation technology. Also a group of spectators followed the race from their smartphones and from HD or 3D screens deployed along the Marathon's course, using a dedicated iPad application, available for download from the AppStore.

TEKEVER Communication Systems' WAC radios were successful in providing all communications between the UAV, collecting Marathon content, and the ground command centre. Additionally, also the wireless sensors network and data fusion enabled applications developed by TEKEVER IT were used by runners to augment the 3D video content capture, supported by other system components. Indeed, for SkyMedia, TEKEVER IT delivers expertise in the software platforms for embedded systems, wireless sensor and ad-hoc networks (WSAN) and focuses on the WSAN development and integration.

SkyMedia or UAV-based capturing of HD/3D content with WSN augmentation, real-time processing and immaterial rendering for immersive media experiences is a FP7 ICT research project that aims to explore, design and demonstrate a novel scalable and easy to manage multimedia end-to-end architecture that provides unique immersive media experiences to audiences during live events.

Best Paper Award for TEKEVER at ICCRTS 2012

TEKEVER received the Best Paper Award of the 17th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium (ICCRTS) that was held from June 19th to 21st in Fairfax, USA.

TEKEVER’s paper describes “The Role of Social Media in Crisis: A European Holistic Approach to the Adoption of Online and Mobile Communications in Crisis Response and Search and Rescue Efforts” aiming to discuss how citizens and first responders may use mobile and internet technologies to establish an interactive and fruitful dialogue during crises response efforts.

TEKEVER’s scientific paper was selected of a universe of more than 100 articles, presented by researchers, investigators and professionals do command and control from all over the World.

With the 2012 edition dedicated to “Operationalizing C2 Agility”, ICCRTS is the most iconic symposium in the command and control world, hosted by the DoD Command and Control Research Program (CCRP), within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

To read the ICCRTS 2012 Best Paper, please see http://dodccrp.org/events/17th_iccrts_2012/post_conference/html/best_papers.html 

TEKEVER is the Portuguese Reference in European Security R&D

The TEKEVER Group has been awarded three European Security R&D projects, in the 7th Framework Programme (FP7), in the value of 13 million euros, reinforcing thus its leading position as a provider of disruptive technologies for the Information Technologies, Aeronautics, Space, Defence and Security markets. 

Evaluated as the second Best European project in the Security call, iSAR+ (Online and Mobile Communications for Crisis Response and Search and Rescue) aims to research and develop guidelines and an associated platform that, in crises, enable citizens to use the mobile and internet technologies to become actively involved in the response effort. The SNIFFER (SeNsory devIces network For Food supply chain sEcuRity) Project proposes the concept and development of a distributed sensors network, capable of detecting multiple types of agents and CBR agents in the food supply chain. Finally, the PPDR-TC (Public Protection and Disaster Relief – Transformation Center) goal is to define a roadmap for the adoption of novel emergency communications, using cognitive radio, hybrid networks and UAV technology, ensuring interoperability, security and resilience.

These projects now won by the TEKEVER Group are instrumental in the national entrepreneurship effort that has been consolidating Portugal’s reputation in the European and international R&D community.

For the first time, a Portuguese Group undertakes the coordination of two FP7 – Security projects, an achievement that highlights TEKEVER’s leadership capability and reinforces its unsurpassable reference status in R&D and Innovation for the competitive Security market.