Two competitions for ideas, over 30 individual awards, and an impressive presentation ceremony
On 25 October 2012 the winners of the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) and of GMES Masters were selected in Munich. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) participated, as in previous years, by providing a special prize for each of the two events.
"GMES Masters" was initiated in 2011. In this competition the sponsors honor the best ideas emerging from separate “Challenges” for satellite data and services applications making innovative use of the data from the European earth observation program GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security). As a founding member and one of the main sponsors of "GMES Masters," DLR posed an "Environmental Challenge" in a search for the best ideas for applications in the area of environment and climate, with a focus on energy.
The jury for the DLR-Challenge selected Steve Lee of Stevenson Astrosat Ltd., Scotland, as the winner of the "Environmental Challenge" competition. He suggested a way to determine and monitor the energy balance of buildings using earth observation satellites. The Astrosat project, ThermCERT, uses thermal infrared data from satellites and aircraft to improve the precision and quality of heat measurements. Similarly, energy efficiency can be determined by measuring carbon dioxide emissions. This means that especially owners and operators of building complexes, public structures and major facilities can thereby optimize the use of resources and plan long-term investments – to reduce the cost of energy and improve the climate.In addition to the award, the prize includes a DLR voucher for a workshop at which the winner can obtain advice on how to implement his idea for an application. The expertise available at the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of DLR’s German Remote Sensing Center (DFD) in the remote identification of urban structures, construction volume, density and materials as well as in thermal imaging can be tapped for the purpose. In addition, possibilities for partnerships will be jointly explored at the workshop, which will be held on the DLR premises.