CATUAV
 | |
| Industry | Unmanned aerial vehicles services |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Moià, Spain |
Key people | Jordi Santacana, CEO |
| Website | www.catuav.com |
CATUAV S.L. is a technology-based private company that offers aerial services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Its headquarters are located in the Moià airfield, 40 km north of Barcelona, Spain.[1]
History
CATUAV is a company involved in developing UAV technologies for aerial image acquisition purposes in Europe.[2] The first UAV prototype was built in 2003, as a new business line within Aeroplans Blaus S.L, a company dedicated to experimental and sport aviation equipment.[3] During this period some surveillance UAV systems were developed as part of a strategic agreement with Proytecsa and Indra.[4]
In 2007 the UAV business line had grown enough to create a new company, CATUAV, founded to provide all the services offered with these systems. In 2008 the company signed a strategic agreement with AURENSIS, a Telespazio/Finmeccanica company.[5][6][7] Since then CATUAV has performed more than 100 commercial missions in the civil market.
Technologies
Since 2003 CATUAV has developed different technologies in order to perform its services:[8]
- Atmos series: Mini-UAV that weighs less than 2 kg and can carry a payload of up to 500g. Powered with an electric motor this is a platform that is used primarily for mapping projects. The current version is Atmos-6, which is an evolution of the five previous models (from Atmos-1 to Atmos-5)
- Furos: UAV that weighs less than 11 kg and can carry a payload of up to 5 kg (including fuel). Powered with a fuel engine it can fly for up to 6 hours.
- Argos: Evolution of the Furos, this UAV weighs less than 12 kg and can carry a payload up to 6,25 kg (including fuel). Powered with a fuel engine it can fly for up to 14 hours, making it CATUAV's longest enduring platform.
- Telemetry data link: CATUAV has its own telemetry protocol that ensures the security and safety of all the communications. The UAVs can be controlled in a 15 km radius with a radio frequency link. This range can be extended using a satellite link.
- Ground control station: In order to operate the UAV, CATUAV has developed a towable ground station with all the equipment required to deploy and operate the UAVs and read all the telemetry data. It has also has a portable ground station for missions that do not have path access.
- Mission software: CATUAV is operating its own planning and control mission software, specially adapted to its UAV platforms and application requirements.
CATUAV also operates third party products that play a role in its activity, such as:
- Falcon 8 blades multirotor.
- Thermoteknix: a high resolution thermal camera.
- EnsoMosaic software: this software package allows the creation of orthophoto mosaics and digital elevation model (DEM).
Services
Some services the company offers include:[9][10]
- Orthophoto in visible, near infrared and thermal spectrum for GIS applications.
- Digital elevation models for GIS applications.
- Remote sensing for different applications such as: precision agriculture,[11] energy efficiency, environment studies.
- Non metric oblique aerial images.
- Surveillance.
Featured missions
- Lorca earthquake: In May 2011 CATUAV performed a series of flights over Lorca (Spanish town in Murcia) 38 hours after it was stuck by a strong earthquake. The high resolution orthophoto created from the town allowed the emergency services to evaluate and quantify the damages in buildings. This is the first known application of a mini-UAV in a civil emergency in Europe.[12]
- SAFEDEM project: CATUAV is participating in the SAFEDEM project of the ESA to develop a system capable of helping in the demining works in Bosnia.[13]
Awards
CATUAV has been awarded the Galileo Masters European GNSS Agency (GSA) special topic prize and regional prize in 2011 for its TCAS for mini UAV project.[14][15]
References
- ↑ "Servicios UAV". CATUAV. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ CATUAV, vehículos aereos no tripulados (PDF) (in Spanish), Aviación Deportiva, 2009, retrieved 02/4/2012 Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Aeroplans Blaus". Aeroplans Blaus. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ "Indra Desarrolla Un Nuevo Sistema De Detección De Intrusión En Espacios Abiertos - Seguritecnia [Editorial Borrmart]". Borrmart.es. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ "ThermoUAV". ThermoUAV. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ Aurensis firma un acuerdo estratégico con CatUAV (in Spanish), Aurensis, 2008, retrieved 2/4/2012 Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Trabajos aéreos con mini-UAV en España (PDF) (in Spanish), Avion Revue 334, 2009, retrieved 02/4/2012 Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Servicios UAV". CATUAV. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ "Servicios UAV". CATUAV. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ "Avions no tripulats per observar el territori", El medi ambient (in Catalan) (Catalonia Television (TV3)), 2008-11-18, retrieved 02/4/2012 Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Spying on Europe’s farms with satellites and drones, BBC, 8/2/2012, retrieved 2012-03-31 Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Los aviones no tripulados de CATUAV ayudan a evaluar los daños del terremoto de Lorca". Aerotendencias.com. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ "CATUAV participa en el programa SAFEDEM de la ESA". Aerotendencias.com. 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
- ↑ European Satellite Navigation Competition Results 2011, Agència Espacial Europea (ESA), November 2012, retrieved 02/4/2012 Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Premis internacionals per a Catuav". EL9NOU.CAT. 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2012-04-12.