Created by the CNES, Matrice, and the VEDECOM Institute in October 2019, the Smart Mobilities Lab is a collaborative project that aims to offer new mobility solutions using data gathered from space. After just six months, the first company is on the point of being created through Epleï: an innovative solution that provides recommendations for appropriate sites for logistics stations using satellite images.
The Smart Mobilities Lab: fostering new companies offering solutions based on data from space
The Smart Mobilities Lab brings together a multidisciplinary team of space experts and specialists in mobility working towards a shared goal: to promote solutions to mobility needs of cities and citizens using observation data of the planet.
The strength of this initiative comes from the complementary nature of the various areas of expertise as well as the shared willingness to promote useful, relevant solutions, guide them to fruition, and support them as they become innovative companies that generate jobs and value for our society and regions.
Epleï: an innovative solution that uses space-based imaging for logistics
Epleï, the result of this unprecedented project, is a wonderful example of this cross-cutting collaboration liable to end in the creation of an innovative company that serves society’s interests.
Using satellite images, this solution provides recommendations for appropriate places to establish logistics stations. It has several advantages:
- It can be applied anywhere in the world within a short time frame
- It makes travelling and field studies unnecessary
- Since the recommendations are automatic, they are not biased by human perception
- The tool is extremely precise and flexible, meaning it can work at different scales
Just six months to come up with an idea for a company
After being analysed by the Smart Mobilities Lab teams, the project was selected for a proof of concept that took place between January and March 2020. Since the demonstrator results were very conclusive, a company will be created to carry the project to the market with a commercial launch tentatively scheduled for the second half of 2020.
The solution has already drawn the interest of many actors: transport and logistics professionals, financial and logistics real estate actors, developers, regional governments, and more.