Satellite technology is set to become part of the measures being used to tackle the issue of blue-green algae in Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
Three companies are also being awarded money to develop technology that will be used in detecting and monitoring the algae.
The companies are partnering with the Univerisity of Stirling and MARBLE Aerospace to develop the satellite technology for the projects.
NI Space – with the UK Space Agency – along with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has awarded £360,000 (€435,000) to three companies at Newcastle University, 3DEO and Plastic-i. Each company will receive £120,000 for their proposed projects.
The projects from Newcastle University, 3DEO and Plastic-i all use satellite technology techniques to examine the growth of algae. Data garnered from these projects will be used to tackle the algae problem in Lough Neagh. Each of the three companies chosen will develop their technology with the funding provided by March 2025.
“Space technology offers a plethora of opportunities when it comes to addressing pressing environmental issues,” said Robert Hill, manager at NI Space.
“It is about realising the power of satellite applications to provide an extra layer of information and data that isn’t currently being brought to bare on the problem,” Mr Hill said. “It is about more informed more timely decision making.”
Each of the three project looks at the problem from a different angle. The company at Newcastle University is looking at developing a dashboard that will display the water quality in Lough Neagh as well as insights on the currents in the lake.
3DEO is creating a product called harmful algal bloom intelligent twin (HABIT) that provides an interactive visual to the user on the surface. HABIT measures when the algal blooms in the lake allowing better management and decision making around the lake. 3DEO has partnered with the University of Stirling for the project.
Plastic-i is developing a tool called Bloomcast NI which detects when blooms happen in the lake and also uses artificial intelligence to predict how many blooms might happen in the future. The use of AI in the tool allows stakeholders to either prevent or mitigate the risk of the impact of blooms on the lough. Plastic-I has partnered with MARBLE Aerospace for the project.
“It is a great demonstration of how space innovation delivers tangible benefits here on Earth,” said Chris Mcquire, local growth strategy manager at UK Space Agency.
There are three parts to the process. In phase one companies need to show their product is technically feasible and commercially viable, which all of the companies are expected to have prepared by March 2025.
Should the companies progress to phase two, they must develop their prototypes and deliver on feasibility study in phase one. Phase three allows for more testing of the product to find the best outcome.
However, some companies may be eliminated from the process, depending on budget constraints and selection criteria.
The projects are part of a small business research initiative (SBRI) that aims to support research and development projects that will ultimately be used in the public sector. It is one of several initiatives to support the Lough Neagh Action Plan which aims to improve the water quality of the lough.
These projects “could have massive long-term meaningful benefit to the prediction and mitigation of harmful algae, not just in Northern Ireland but across Ireland and globally,” he said.
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