Feasibility study on low-cost, satellite-enabled road condition monitoring for environments with limited terrestrial connectivity.
Overview
SatComBox is an ESA Business Applications feasibility study examining how vehicle-mounted sensing, satellite communications and satellite positioning can support road condition monitoring where terrestrial connectivity and conventional survey resources are limited. Zambia provides the principal operational context, with local road-authority and delivery-partner engagement informing the study.
Objective
To determine whether a technically, institutionally and commercially credible satellite-enabled road-monitoring service can be defined for low-connectivity and low- and middle-income country environments.
Work undertaken
Hodos Media is leading a structured study covering methodology, stakeholder and ecosystem analysis, state of the art, user needs, formal requirements, system architecture, proof-of-concept assessment, business case and implementation planning. Requirements are being validated with operational stakeholders before detailed proof-of-concept activity.
Outputs and findings
Outputs include technical notes, stakeholder and requirements evidence, preliminary system architecture, a proof-of-concept plan, business case and implementation roadmap. The project remains in delivery, so final feasibility conclusions are not yet presented.
Contribution to Hodos Media
SatComBox carries the SAHEL market-feasibility work into a more detailed technical phase and adds a traceable link from road-authority needs through system requirements to architecture and implementation planning.
Funding acknowledgement
This work is supported by the European Space Agency under ESA Business Applications.