HELINET: Network of stratospheric platforms for traffic monitoring, environmental surveillance and broadband services

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 99.0519-2

Key words (English)

Optical payload; traffic monitoring; super-resolution imaging; RGB imaging; image compression and packaging; cloud detection

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: IST-1999-11214

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.2.1 Systems and services for the citizen

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Politecnico di Torino (I)

Abstract (English)

The Helinet platform is a high-altitude airplane (also called high-altitude platform HAP) dedicated for wireless telecommunication. For ground observation, the HeliNet platforms are foreseen to be able to carry an optical payload aboard, which would collect pictures of the ground and transmit them to the ground station for processing and delivery to final users. In particular, the project is concerned with the specification of such payload, and with the definition and implementation of a demonstrator.
The underlying idea is that, during the project, the potential of HeliNet as an imaging system should be assessed, and several possible payloads specified. Besides, some important components should be implemented and tested, in order to identify critical points and verify the quality of the provided data. At the early stages of the project, it has been decided not to develop a totally new imaging system, but rather to verify whether existing commercial systems can be adapted to the HeliNet platforms.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 99.0519-2