The Valencia-based company Orbital EOS has joined a consortium along with the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the University of Cantabria (IHCantabria), which will lead the contract, Inteco Astur, and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) to participate in a search, rescue, and environmental control project by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

The aim of this four-year initiative is to provide EMSA with technical and scientific consulting services that support the development of new tools and algorithms to evaluate the efficiency of response operations to oil spills at sea. Additionally, it seeks to improve the IMS drift simulation service for search and rescue (SAR) operations and maritime safety.

The EMSA project is divided into two main modules. The first will provide technical and/or scientific consulting services, including technical input on use cases, review of technical documentation, participation in technical meetings, and the definition of use cases for commercial validation. The second module involves consulting services to EMSA staff, contributing to meeting preparation, presenting technical and scientific documentation, and active participation in discussions and working group sessions.

Work Packages

The project development is organized around five work packages: project management, oil spill modeling, oil spill response operations, response modeling for oil spills, and drift simulation for SAR and maritime safety.

This project will be coordinated by the Oceanography, Estuaries, and Water Quality Group of IHCantabria, which comprises multidisciplinary research staff with extensive experience in the analysis of continental and coastal aquatic environments and their interaction with human activities. Besides EMSA and IHCantabria, representatives from CSIC and Inteco Astur are also participating in this project.

Orbital EOS contributes with terrestrial observation solutions, which are essential for validating oil spill models and marine pollution response simulators. Additionally, the Valencia-based company will offer advice on search and rescue operations. This project strengthens the company’s commitment to maritime safety and marine environmental protection.

About Orbital EOS

Orbital EOS specializes in developing solutions based on advanced satellite image analysis. The company has developed a pioneering platform for the detection, characterization, and prediction of oil spills for the oil and gas industry, maritime and port authorities, desalination plants, and environmental authorities. This digital solution was awarded in 2020 by the European Space Agency (ESA) for its highly innovative nature.

Furthermore, Orbital EOS develops other solutions in the field of environmental safety and sustainability for companies in the energy and space sectors, leveraging the synergy between spatial data and artificial intelligence algorithms that help extract patterns and trends, understand the world better, and make better decisions.

Their main product, EOS Viewer, is an online platform that combines Earth observation and geospatial analysis. It is the first digital system to provide global-scale detection and characterization of oil spills in marine environments.

Orbital EOS has become a reference and model in space-based remote sensing as an environmental solution globally. The defense of the environment and the sustainability of marine resources is a foundational and fundamental value of the Valencia-based company, as their main activity promotes responsible practices in the oil and gas industry.