Unmanned aircraft used by the Portuguese Police featured in UK

. AR1 Light Ray, conceived by the Portuguese technological TEKEVER Group and at the service of the Public Security Police (PSP) since 2013, was featured in UAS 2014, Europe's largest event on unmanned technology (UK) 

. AR1 Light Ray was used by PSP during the Champions League Final, which took place in Lisbon in May 

The unmanned aerial system AR1 Light Ray, conceived by the Portuguese technological TEKEVER Group and at the service of the portuguese Public Security Police (PSP) since 2013, was introduced in the UK as a successful case of use of mini-UAS technology (Unmanned Aerial System) in security operations. 

This 100% Portuguese technology, already used in critical moments like the final of the UEFA Champions League in Lisbon, was featured in UAS 2014, Europe's largest event on unmanned technology, held in the UK in the days 9 and 10 September. 

"In the opinion of PSP, the advantages of this technology undergo a better understanding, monitoring and study of the crowds. This technology gains great importance in complex police operations and surveillance of major events such as summits, high risk sports events, management of traffic flows or visits of high-level entities", said Rui Coelho de Moura, Head of Office of Research and Planning of PSP, who had the presentation of the project during the event. "One of the recent examples of the use of this equipment took place in the final of the UEFA Champions League, which took place in Lisbon in May," he added. 

"We are enthusiastic of the use of unmanned technology at the service of people with goals as diverse as nature conservation, humanitarian aid or transmission of greater security to the communities," explained Ricardo Mendes, administrator of TEKEVER, "a partnership with PSP allowed the development of equipment capable of competing at the highest level in the international security market and enabled this security force of an asset capable of promoting a true aerial surveillance. "

Remember that TEKEVER Group and PSP established a technology partnership in 2013 for the development of autonomous aerial and ground systems, which unites scientific and technological knowledge of TEKEVER and the operating experience of PSP. 

The AR1 Light Ray, currently used by the portuguese security force, is equipped with high definition cameras and instruments for remote viewing, featuring autonomous flight of two hours, a range exceeding 10 kilometers and high-tech communications. The device is remotely piloted, weighs about five kilograms, and has a magnitude of 1.8 meters and is manually released, landing with the aid of a parachute.

TEKEVER Group presents its new AR5 Life Ray Evolution

Looks awesome, doesn't it?

The TEKEVER Group launched a new Medium Endurance, Medium Altitude RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aerial System) designed primarily for maritime operations. The gobal debut was at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), UK, last July. The Portuguese Minister of Defence, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, who visited FIA, was present at the successful presentation of the AR5 Life Ray Evolution, a system that incorporates 100% portuguese technology.

“The AR5 Evolution is one of our largest platforms, with a wingspan of 4.3 meters and a payload capacity of up to 50 kilograms in  8 to 12 hour missions. Being SATCOM enabled, the system is designed to cover wide areas and support multiple types of missions, including search and rescue, surveillance operations, maritime patrol and pollution detection”, said Ricardo Mendes, COO of TEKEVER Group.

“We are proud of our current deployed and operational capability and AR5 Evolution represents the next step forward”, he adds.

The new AR5 Life Ray Evolution is ready to be marketed, and TEKEVER is currently working with partners and users to initiate operations in 2015.

The Portuguese Minister of Defence, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, was present at the successful presentation of the AR5 Life Ray Evolution

TEKEVER and Santos Lab announce global strategic partnership

TEKEVER and Santos Lab, the leading Brazilian UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) manufacturer, are announcing a global strategic partnership. Both partners will join their capabilities to integrate technology, offer new products and join commercial efforts at a global level, with particular focus on the South American markets.

The AR2 Carcará is the first product to be jointly launched from this groundbreaking partnership and maked its debut at the Farnborough International Airshow.

The AR2 Carcará includes a water-proof airframe designed and produced by Santos Lab, specifically aimed at maritime and amphibious operations. The UAS is fitted with advanced onboard, communication and ground systems provided byTEKEVER, allowing the system to be fully interoperable with all other TEKEVER UAS products, and providing a new range of operational capabilities.

“We’ve teamed up to offer great products, built upon both our capabilities and technology, at a global scale. Santos Lab has a record of coming up with impressive new product designs, and bringing them to the market successfully“, said Ricardo Mendes, COO of TEKEVER Group.

“With this partnership, we are creating a true win-win relation. By being fitted with TEKEVER’s groundbreaking onboard, communication and ground systems, our products can get additional flexibility, versatility and reliability”, declared Gabriel Klabin, CEO of Santos Labs.

TEKEVER in Futuro Hoje - SIC Notícias

After a year filled with numerous successful demonstrations throughout the World, TEKEVER's unmanned aerial systems are presented to the Portuguese public in the last edition of Futuro Hoje, in the TV station SIC Notícias.

Dedicated to the new technologies and to a vision of the future of today's society, Futuro Hoje and its host Lourenço Medeiros reveal how TEKEVER's unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are being tested with the National Safety Police (PSP) and take the spotlight as a fundamental tactical support asset for public safety and security operations. The images collected by the UAS AR1 Blue Ray that are now broadcasted in this programme show a monitoring operation in the area of Parque das Nações (Lisbon) and it is quite easy to understand the added-value the AR1 Blue Ray brings to law enforcement action, through the gathering of real time images, the capacity to enable remote analysis and the empowerment of an improved situational awareness with respect to available tactical options. 

Exploring the application of 100% Portuguese technology at the service of Public Safety and Security in Portugal, the TV programme Futuro Hoje highlights how TEKEVER's unmanned aerial systems already deliver advantages to the PSP daily operations, for the benefit of the citizens' safety and security. 

You may watch the AR1 Blue Ray at Futuro Hoje, in

http://sicnoticias.sapo.pt/programas/futurohoje/2013/07/09/aparelhos-nao-tripulados-permitem-sobrevoar-zonas-comandados-a-distancia. 

TEKEVER and the Portuguese Navy Sign A Scientific and Industrial Collaboration Protocol

The TEKEVER Group and the Portuguese Navy signed on June 24th, at the Naval School, two Protocols that establish the principles of their mutual scientific and industrial collaboration for the development of joint activities in the domains of autonomous aerial systems, communications systems and of the management of complex systems. 

Strengthening an already long-term partnership between TEKEVER and the Portuguese Navy, the Protocols now signed translate the development of studies and research activities, the exchange of knowledge and technological and operational know-how and also the implementation of operational activities for the validation and testing of systems, with the ultimate goal of modernising the Portuguese Navy's operational assets and enhancing its readiness level.

At the ceremony, Rear-Admiral Edgar Bastos Ribeiro, Commander of the Naval School, underlined the relevance for the Portuguese Navy, and for the Naval School in particular, of this opportunity to contribute significantly to the national innovation effort. On its turn, TEKEVER's CEO, Eng. Pedro Sinogas, highlighted the Company's proud to have the Portuguese Navy as a privileged partner in the endeavour to develop synergies that are able to consolidate both entities' leading positions in the scope of the Economy of the Sea. 

TEKEVER and National Safety Police – A Technological Partnership at the Service of Security

The TEKEVER Group and the National Safety Police established a technological partnership that combines TEKEVER's autonomous air and land unmanned systems with the Police's high degree of

knowledge and expertise in security operations. This collaboration has enabled to complement the current capacities of the Portuguese Security Forces with an active that is able to promote true airborne superiority.

"The work developed in close cooperation with the Police has made really clear for TEKEVER that our systems are instrumental for the integration of the most advanced information and reconnaissance capabilities in security operations", explains Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER's Chief Operations Officer. 

"The union of TEKEVER's technology, 100% Portuguese, and the Police's know-how, namely that of the Police's Special Unit, has been consolidating the reinforcement of the national response to the increasing demands of national security missions, including surveillance and monitoring of large areas, urban environments, large events and crowds, enabling a better awareness and understanding of available tactical options for complex law enforcement operations.", says the Sub-Commissioner João Moura.

Capable of providing a real-time high-definition image, the AR1 Blue Ray UAS presents electro-optic and infrared sensors that ensure a large operational coverage of day and night environments. "The great advantages of the AR1 Blue Ray UAS come from its capacity to film and display in real time what is unfolding on the terrain, in full HD and with a panoply of cameras that are easily attached to the aircraft. The recording also enables a posteriori detailed approach for a better public safety service, contributing to the overall improvement of the Police's options in the field, acting in execution but also in prevention. And the fact that the AR1 Blue Ray operators are always safe is extremely important. Also the sentiment of security generated by this drone in each citizen is a major benefit that the Police certainly take into account. Therefore, we do see the AR1 Blue Ray UAS as a true manifestation of the technology at the service of the citizen, enriching the Police's set of useful analysis tools and, considering current security challenges, becoming increasingly more indispensable.", highlights the Sub-Commissioner João Moura.

Indeed "TEKEVER has been training several agents to operate with the AR1 Blue Ray UAS, in order to support the National Safety Police and place the Portuguese technology at the Service of Portuguese citizens' safety and security." concluded Ricardo Mendes.

TEKEVER Awarded Two More Innovative Projects by EDA

TEKEVER ASDS has just been awarded two more research and development projects by the European Defence Agency (EDA), reinforcing its status as the leading Portuguese company involved with EDA projects. 

The new projects are the Soldier Portable Energy Reserve PACK (SPER-PACK) and the uLtralight weigh bulletproof VESTs (LIVEST), both funded under EDA's Combat Equipment for Dismounted Soldier (CEDS) programme. Led by TEKEVER, SPER-PACK will assess different technologies for energy generation, storage and management considering the operational environment and the user profiles, in order to propose a preliminary design of a flexible, plug 'n' play power supply system for the dismounted soldier. The SPER-PACK design will also anticipate the integration of different technologies at or before mission time, being capable of supporting multiple and unanticipated energy generation, harvesting and storage solutions, supported by a powerful and smart power management subsystem. The SPER-PACK Consortium is comprised of TEKEVER, FOI, CEA and Sagem.

 The LIVEST Project will investigate the feasibility of developing a Smart Wearable Textile & Body Armour System based on a soft body armour, enabled through the use of 3D textile structures, especially conceived to reduce weight and increase comfort, and the combination of 3D fabric with current ballistic woven fabric, aiming to reduce trauma cause by high energy impact of bullets and to improve the armour's ballistic protection performance. The Project will also address the integration of wearable electronics for 3D structure and vest monitoring. The LIVEST Consortium is led by AITEX and composed of CITEVE, Paul Boyé Technologies and TEKEVER.

With SPER-PACK and LIVEST, TEKEVER reinforces its position as the Portuguese company with the largest participation in the European Defence Agency's innovation programmes.

TEKEVER at the 2013 Edition of the Fórum do Mar

TEKEVER is attending the new edition of the Fórum do Mar at Exponor, dedicated to the newest scientific, technological and economic initiatives in marine resources' sustainable exploration.

At the event's opening, the Secretary of State of the Sea, Manuel Pinto de Abreu, visited TEKEVER's booth to know more about the company's investment effort in autonomous unmanned aerial systems and communications systems for the maritime safety and security domains. 

On display, the AR4 Light Ray UAS is a clear example of TEKEVER's unique contribution to the areas of marine environment monitoring, critical offshore infrastructures' inspection and maritime surveillance, from coastal to maritime patrolling to ship traffic control, fishery inspection and search and rescue operations.

At the Fórum do Mar,  TEKEVER benefits from the opportunity to network with numerous Portuguese and international experts in maritime affairs, present to discuss the upcoming EU programming funds and its challenges and opportunities for the development and internationalisation of the economy of the Sea. 

AR1 Blue Ray at SEGUREX 2013 – Technology At The Service Of Security

With the Technology at the Service of Security slogan, the TEKEVER Group presents its unmanned aerial and ground systems portfolio for safety and security operations at the SEGUREX 2013 exhibition, which is taking place at FIL, in Lisbon, from May 7th to 11th. 

"TEKEVER's UAS systems are a real added-value to the Portuguese safety and security forces' current capacity, enabling the integration of an asset that delivers true air superiority to those forces' performance in the field.", explained Ricardo Mendes, the TEKEVER Group COO. Ricardo Mendes spoke at the opening of SEGUREX 2013 during the visit of the Portuguese Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. Miguel Macedo, to the exhibition area of the Public Safety Police (PSP), where the AR1 Blue Ray is on display.

To signal this event, and in close coordination with the PSP, the AR1 Blue Ray performed a monitoring mission at the Parque das Nações site, accompanying the arrival of Dr. Miguel Macedo and its staff to the site to preside the event's opening. An excerpt of the video footage may be viewed at http://autonomous.tekever.com/ar1.

The AR1 Blue Ray has been at the centre of the strategic partnership between the TEKEVER Group and PSP, namely its Special Unit, with the ambition to provide this Unit with a UAS empowered with the most advanced information and reconnaissance capabilities for safety and security operations, including surveillance and monitoring of wide areas or crowds, as well as search and patrolling of areas and perimeters. Able to deliver high-definition imagery in real time, the AR1 Blue Ray comprises electro-optic and infrared sensors that ensure a broad operational coverage in day and night environments. "TEKEVER has been promoting the training of several police officers with the AR1 Blue Ray, to support PSP's missions and to have state-of-the-art Portuguese technology at the service of citizens' safety in Portugal.", concluded Ricardo Mendes.

The scope of the TEKEVER – PSP strategic partnership also includes the development of autonomous land systems, specifically designed for reconnaissance missions in urban environments. Hence, the LR1 SPYBOT is a small robot extremely robust that collects image and audio information and transmits in real time up to a 250-meter distance (outdoor environment), ensuring the situational awareness of the operational site.  This equipment is also in display at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Pavilion, at SEGUREX.

TEKEVER at the NATO Study on Information Exploitation

TEKEVER ASDS is partnering with thirty NATO industrial experts in the new NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) study group that aims to explore novel approaches for processing, exploiting and disseminating imagery data.

Following previous work in this domain, TEKEVER ASDS will be addressing the challenges raised by the increasing amount of data being collected by NATO forces via satellites and drone platforms, which is overwhelming the NATO forces' ability to process, exploit and distribute the actionable, analytical results to the Joint Coalition forces. 

 At the NIAG Study Group 178 (NIAG SG178) kick-off meeting, partners agreed to dedicate the next twelve-month effort to the overall goal of identifying state-of-the art technology that is capable of extracting additional information from collected video feeds and make it ready for analysts to evaluate its relevance, so that machines handle data and humans take decisions.

TEKEVER is the New Euromedic IT Partner

TEKEVER has been selected to build and deploy a state-of-the-art renewed Radiology Information System (RIS) solution for Euromedic Portugal, the local branch of one of the largest medical service providers in Europe, specialised in diagnostics investigations, clinical laboratories and cancer treatment services.

The partnership with Euromedic Portugal is a new investment effort by TEKEVER in the Health Care sector, building on previous experience and on the advanced features of its MORE Technology, a unique platform that seamlessly combines a powerful distributed workflow engine with cutting-edge user interfaces. 

With TEKEVER's solid technological experience and Euromedic's specialised know-how, a best-in-class RIS is under construction, with the goal of bringing unprecedented levels of efficiency – focusing on user experience to enable faster, simpler and more effective interaction with the system –, reliability – building on highly robust technologies, resilient to network failures and lightweight in maintenance  –, scalability – capable of accommodating few to thousands of users geographically distributed – and compatibility – by integrating with already existing Euromedic software and information systems.

TEKEVER Participates in EUROCAE Meeting

From March 11th to 14th, TEKEVER ASDS has participated in EUROCAE's Working Group 73 UAV Systems (UAS) meeting dedicated to the ongoing effort to establish command and control considerations for unmanned aircraft.

The EUROCAE's WG-73 UAV Systems (UAS) is responsible for the analysis of key issues related to UAV operations in the context of European ATM, and for determining a UAV terminology and definitions as required. To address the safe integration of unmanned aircraft in the European airspace, WG-73 opted to create three sub-groups: SG1 UAS Operations, SG2 UAS Airworthiness and SG3 Command, Control, Communications, Spectrum and Security, which have already produced a number of relevant publications.

TEKEVER is a member of the EUROCAE (European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment) for some years now. EUROCAE is a non-profit organisation aiming to provide a European forum for resolving technical problems with electronic equipment for air transport. EUROCAE deals exclusively with aviation standardisation (Airborne and Ground Systems and Equipment) and related documents as required for use in the regulation of aviation equipment and systems. As a worldwide association, EUROCAE is composed of members who are all specialised in the Aeronautics field, most of them considered to be among world's leaders in their domain.

TEKEVER Conducts Successful Trials of the AR4 Light Ray UAS in Colombia

TEKEVER conducted an intensive one-week set of trials of the AR4 Light Ray UAS to the Colombian Armed Forces, to validate the system's powerful capabilities for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, under the extreme altitude and weather conditions of Colombia.

With very intense military activity against guerrilla forces and narcotraffic groups, the Colombian Armed Forces are everyday faced with the need to carry out ISTAR missions under extreme weather and geographic conditions. The Colombian landscape is poised with high altitude mountains that contribute to a very instable weather, prune to swift changes and speedy winds. These conditions, coupled with very dense vegetation, pose a true ambitious challenge to the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems by the Colombian Armed Forces.

The technical trials carried out by the AR4 Light Ray UAS were performed at high altitudes, around 3000 meters (about 10.000 feet) and right in the heart of the mountainous region surrounding Bogotá, demonstrating the system’s ability to perform in the most challenging scenarios and under the most demanding weather conditions.

"The trials were a complete success," said Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER Group COO. "We met and exceeded the goals we had planned for, by demonstrating the usage of the system to perform multiple types of missions in one of the most challenging environments in the world."

In partnership with the Aviation Global Group, TEKEVER's AR4 Light Ray demonstration followed a special invitation from the Colombian Armed Forces in November 2012 to see first-hand the outstanding performance of the system, after its global market launch at the 2012 Farnborough International Air Show.

The Colombian Armed Forces retrieved valuable lessons from the demonstrations, which will be instrumental for its ongoing procurement on mini-UASs that are specially designed for surveillance missions and capable of delivering true airborne superiority. 

"After these trials, we are extremely confident that our system will be successful in fulfilling the special requirements of the Colombian Armed Forces.", said Ricardo Mendes. He reinforced that this opportunity to present the AR4 Light Ray UAS to the Colombian Armed Forces represents an important step towards the reinforcement of Portuguese aeronautics in the global aerospace market. 

TEKEVER SPΔCE Promotes GAMALINK Kick-Off Meeting

TEKEVER SPΔCE welcomed the GAMALINK partners to the Project's Kick-Off Meeting at its Lisbon facilities. The meeting was extremely productive to disseminate several key aspects for the success of GAMALINK and to guide the work to be developed in the following months. 

TEKEVER SPΔCE is the Portuguese leader in Space research and the FP7 Space research project GAMALINK will develop an Inter Satellite Link (ISL) based on Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology, capable of supporting mobile ad hoc networking, global positioning system and attitude determination for small (nano and pico) satellite platforms. 

GAMALINK or Generic SDR-based Multifunctional space Link will then implement a set of different techniques, including mobile ad hoc networking, an enabler for ISLs, attitude determination of one station relative to another through the measurement of carrier phase delays between signals transmitted from multiple antennas, GPS waveform reading and signal decoding and ranging between different satellites, based solely on the transmission of radio signals. GAMALINK will also focus on innovative antenna, RF front-end design and beam forming techniques. The Project's major breakthrough is the offer of an integrated solution for communications, attitude and orbit control purposes, targeting the increasingly popular small satellite market.

GAMALINK is a 2-year Project, with an overall budget of about 2 millions euros for the 6 participating institutions of Portugal, Germany, Spain and Turkey, that will ultimately prove the applicability of a wide range of technologies in Space, in an attempt to leverage their technology maturity levels.

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 ASDS Coordinates CHANGE Technical Meeting

Swansea in the United Kingdom was the location elected by TEKEVER ASDS to coordinate the technical meeting of the FP7 Aeronautics research project CHANGE (www.fp7-change.eu), dedicated to a combined morphing assessment software using flight envelope data and mission based morphing prototype wing development. At this meeting, very fruitful ideas were exchanged by the CHANGE Consortium regarding the flight envelopes and desired wing shapes required for the morphing solutions development work.

Morphing in aircrafts has been studied and used throughout recent time in order to increase their flight envelope. This characteristic is of the upmost importance in order to offer a greater efficiency, versatility and performance during the assigned mission. Moreover, an aircraft with the capability to adapt itself to each given situation is prone to achieve positive results to a range of different missions instead of requiring a specific aircraft to conduct one specific mission. The main objective of the CHANGE project is to study and develop a novel morphing system which integrates up to four different morphing mechanisms into in a single wing and to demonstrate this new ability in flight. This system would take advantage of all the performance improvements achieved by adopting its wing shape according to the mission requirements of each flight phase. 

Consequently, CHANGE envisions to mitigate the required energy (and thus fuel consumption) to maintain the aircraft's flight and to perform the necessary flight manoeuvres by offering the capacity to mould the exterior of the aircraft in order to enhance the necessary aspect of flight so as to lessen the required energy, such as lift over drag ratio, efficiency in aerodynamic control, lower stall velocity or to change to a better platform to perform a required manoeuver. 

In order to prepare the basis for an eventual cognitive morphing on-board controller, it is necessary for the CHANGE Consortium, led by TEKEVER ASDS, to develop software that is capable of rendering the most efficient morphed wing based on the information of the current phase. This software would therefore, be able to conduct an assessment of the introduced flight conditions of the wing and display the accordant morphed wing (using a database with all current morphing systems) capable to fly with the highest performance.

TEKEVER SPΔCE at the QB50 Workshop

TEKEVER SPΔCE attended the QB50 Workshop held at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI) premises in Brussels, where updates on the evolution of the QB50 Initiative and the status of the QB50 Launch were presented.

An EU FP7-funded project, QB50 (https://www.qb50.eu) has the scientific objective to study in situ the temporal and spatial variations of a number of key constituents and parameters in the lower thermosphere (90-320 km) with a network of 40 double CubeSats (miniaturised satellites), separated by a few hundred kilometres and carrying identical sensors. QB50 will also study the re-entry process by measuring a number of key parameters during re-entry and by comparing predicted and actual CubeSat trajectories and orbital lifetimes. QB50 will also accommodate about 10 double or triple CubeSats for In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) of technologies and miniaturised science sensors and the Gossamer-1 solar sail technology demonstration package. 

At the QB50 Workshop, TEKEVER SPΔCE hosted a splinter session on the ambitious GAMANET endeavour, aiming to create the largest ad hoc communications network ever in Space, providing the networking capability to satellite constellations. This session generated a great deal of interest from workshop participants and instructive discussions took place concerning the next steps of this revolutionary initiative in space communications. TEKEVER SPΔCE's GAMANET proposition will join CubeSats and ground stations in a seamless communications network that will be instrumental to validate innovative communication technologies in space and to improve the overall QB50 communications and scientific results.

TEKEVER ASDS at the Unified Vision 2014

TEKEVER ASDS has been invited to participate in NATO's Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) exploratory group meeting Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Trial Unified Vision 2014.

Following previous work in this domain, TEKEVER ASDS will be Portugal's National Focal Point for the execution of the Joint ISR Trial Unified Vision 2014 (UV14), an interoperability trial conducted in an operational (live fly) environment dedicated to demonstrate joint ISR information exchange. UV14 will also help prepare NATO for the delivery of Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) and related JISR Initiative capability packages in 2016.

It already is well-known NATO’s growing appreciation of the need for a common ISR platform, following the decision to acquire a new, NATO-owned and -operated ground surveillance system, based on Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with advanced ground-surveillance radars and able to provide every NATO ally access to collected ISR data.

As with Unified Vision 2012, conducted under the direction of the Joint Capability Group Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JCGISR) at the Norwegian air force base Ørland, UV14 is a joint trial to test a joint reconnaissance data network integrating the various reconnaissance platforms and components of the different branches of the armed forces of the participating nations. 

The contributions from industry will be concentrated in the NIAG SG174 - Industrial Contribution to demonstration of ISR Information Exchange as part of Joint ISR Trial "Unified Vision 2014"study group Joint ISR Trial Unified Vision 2014.

TEKEVER ASDS Invited for a NATO Study on Precision Approach Landing Systems

TEKEVER ASDS has been invited to participate in NATO's Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) studying data generation and broadcast of a Precision Approach Landing System (PALS) based on a Differential Global Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS). 

As a result of previous developed work in the expertise field, TEKEVER ASDS will be Portugal's National Focal Point for the execution of the NIAG DGNSS PALS study, aiming to research a PALS, based on DGNSS technology and comprising modular avionics and ground/shipboard components to provide a range of landing minima and system configurations. 

DGNSS technology has been developed and deployed worldwide in response to the low resolution of the currently available GPS system. The standard DGNSS technique consists of the determination of the GNSS position from an accurately surveyed position known as reference station. DGNSS accuracy is in the order of 1 m (1 sigma) for users in the range of few tens of kilometres from the reference station, growing at the rate of 1 m per 150 km of separation. The word approach is used to describe the phase of flight that immediately precedes the landing. Based on DGNSS technology, the all-weather landing system to be studied shall remain always operational in a wide range of threat environments, exhibiting performance requirements tailored for a highly mobile force operating in a worldwide space.

TEKEVER ASDS's involvement in the NIAG Study Group DGNSS PALS (NIAG SG175) is scheduled to begin next month, when the Study's kick-off-meeting is scheduled to take place.

SAFECITY Successful Proof of Concept in Stockholm

The first SAFECITY Proof of Concept was developed and successfully demonstrated at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The use case scenario of Stockholm tested an express train derailment in a tunnel in the northern part of the Stockholm County leading to the Arlanda Airport, caused by a winter storm and provoking serious disturbances in the public road and railway transport systems.

The objective of the Stockholm use case was to demonstrate SAFECITY's increased situation awareness based on analysis environmental sensors. TEKEVER ASDS was responsible for the ad hoc radio network, which used TEKEVER Communication Systems' WAC radios and supported SAFECITY sensors and sensor adapters, gateways and the security manager. All sensor data was then collected locally in Stockholm and processed by applications running on the FI-WARE test bed in Seville (Spain), using FI-WARE Generic Enablers.

SAFECITY is a FP7 ICT research project (http://www.safecity-project.eu/) dealing with smart public safety and security in cities with the main objective of enhancing the role of the future internet in ensuring people are and feel safe and protected in their surroundings. SAFECITY will create an open IT platform for M2M developing eco-designed networks and sensors and high-value smart public safety applications and demonstrating the feasibility of urban public safety services, in order to highlight the positive impact of the SAFECITY solutions on a city's sustainable development. The eight smart SAFECITY public safety applications (video analytics, ad hoc networks, sensors gateway, real-time 3D positioning, road track and environmental sensors, information security, data fusion and decision support system) will be tested and demonstrated in use case scenarios in several European cities (Athens, Bucharest, Helsinki, Madrid, Óbidos and Stockholm), representing crisis situations where public safety and emergency responders take part.