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ITALY AEROSPACE CONNECT SERIES
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9 AUGUST 2016
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Valerio Caroselli, General Manager
IPTSAT
and President
Lazio Connect Association
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“Today we are able to use satellites to observe vast territories and analyze a wide array of factors and areas including the level of air, water and land pollution, chlorophyll synthesis of trees in forests, and even illegal activities such as unlawful building construction. We acquire our data from different providers worldwide and transform it either into web applications or usable information for our customers.”
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IPTSAT was established in 1987. Could you provide us with a brief history of the company?
IPTSAT’s original operations were in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help the government monitor and control changes affecting urban centers and the environment. Remote sensing technology at this time was in its very early stages with NASA only just beginning to deploy its first tracking and data relay satellites. A short while later, we began to support public institutions, the government and the military in better understanding territories through our earth observation technologies. To do this, we put most of our energy into transforming raw data into usable information, which continues to be the underlying characteristic of our company today. Today we are able to use satellites to observe vast territories and analyze a wide array of factors and areas including the level of air, water and land pollution, chlorophyll synthesis of trees in forests, and even illegal activities such as unlawful building construction. We acquire our data from different providers worldwide and transform it either into web applications or usable information for our customers.
Could you give us some insight into your customer relationships?
About 50% of our business comes from public tenders, with European, national government and public administration entities making up our largest customer base. We also have contracts with research centers, accounting for 10% to 15% of our business, usually requesting satellite data and maps or contracting us to help them understand data and transform it into simple, digestible information. The remaining to 35% to 40% of our customers are in the private sector. While still small scale, private investment is gradually growing, and we are starting to build long-standing relationships.
40% of our existing customers provide continuous business and request the same services and data at regular intervals, every year or every 6 months, for example. In order to make effective measurements and keep track of changes we have to observe and monitor the same areas regularly. Modern technology enables us to cover large areas even on a daily basis.
A particularly interesting project that IPTSAT has been working on is the mapping of a new fly zone. What is the purpose of the project, and how has it been realized?
Two years ago we began mapping ‘no-fly zones’ in Italy, specifically for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Although not as popular in Italy as in the U.S.A. or France, UAVs are nonetheless a growing market. Their use is heavily regulated due to concerns over public safety, and they are not permitted to fly over particular areas, such as the Colosseum in Rome, for example. Often unaware of these regulations, citizens are regularly subjected to fines. For this reason, we decided to turn the complicated rules into easily graspable and accessible information. We were able to transform static information into an interactive platform through which you can select your location and find out about local regulations for flying drones, without having to download and scour huge files. Within five months we had received 500 website subscriptions and, two years later, we have more than 2,000 subscribers. We currently receive on average 40 new subscriptions every month, with customers from different areas such as the military, government bodies, police and private companies.
How important is the international market to your business, and how do you plan to increase your international presence?
Currently only five to six percent of our total revenue derives from our customers outside Italy. We began selling our services across Europe two years ago thanks to an agricultural project supported under the framework of Horizon 2020, a European Union instrument dedicated to innovation in SMEs. For a small company like ours composed of ten people, it is extremely challenging to compete with other companies in Europe, particularly German and French companies. Collaborating with both national and international associations like the Institute for Applied Remote Sensing (EURAC), European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) and Lazio Connect Association is crucial for a small company like ours in terms of visibility, reference and support in our work.
We are particularly happy to work with Lazio Connect Association, for which I am the acting President, which connects us with 42 other members from universities, research centers, and SMEs of the Lazio region. In Italy, all regions have different capabilities and use diverse models to define a cluster. By utilizing our extensive network, we are able to identify the relevant expertise within the cluster and relay the information back to the customer. By helping each other we create a win-win situation beneficial for everyone involved.
How do you plan to utilize these opportunities to support IPTSAT’s growth?
The space sector and in particular remote sensing will be our key focus for the future. With the growth of constellations such as Copernicus, it is necessary to transform the increasing amount of raw data into useful and accessible information. We will also focus on the agricultural sector, which is growing rapidly due to the necessity to increase sustainable production. As a result of dramatic population growth, it is essential to find ways to maximize production using the same amount of space. Our technologies and solutions can support these goals and, furthermore, reduce the use of pesticides and water.
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This interview was conducted by GBR as part of its research on the aerospace industry in Italy, which will be published in July 2016. If you wish to participate, please contact Alice Pascoletti at apascoletti@gbreports.com.
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