FABSPACE 2.0 Platform

Head:  Josiane MOTHE

Logo Fabspace 2.0FabSpace 2.0 is an innovation network which focus on the exploitation of geospatial data across universities. The objective of FabSpace 2.0 is to bring together, around a common project, people with a variety of skills (industry players, university researchers, public administrations and citizens). Like a FabLab, FabSpace has a place where people can meet and co-create together, in a multidisciplinary approach. The FabSpace platform facilitates access to open data, software and data processing tools, and provides a set of skills designed to catalyse innovation and develop the applications of the future.

FabSpace 2.0 focuses on an area of research with a high socio-economic impact: the data-driven innovation, especially innovation which uses Earth Observation (EO) data captured by the European Copernicus programme. The use of spatial data, and in particular of EO data, is indeed an important growth lever for the development of services created for areas like transport, agriculture and land-use planning.

The main goal of FabSpace 2.0 is to turn universities into centres of open innovation and to improve the socio-economic and environmental performance of the society. It is aimed at students and young researchers from all disciplines, whether they are interested in the processing of Earth observations (via images and data) or by the use of these data in favour of the environment, the fight against global warming or in the land use planning. Thanks to the platform, these students and young researchers benefit from a set of tools on technical subjects, and can have also have access to entrepreneurship methodologies, especially during the Startech activities. The objective of Fabspace 2.0 is thus to bring innovation to the heart of the university and to make students actors of this innovation. Another key action is the implementation of Fabspace thematic schools.

Based on model promoting pedagogical innovation, the project also provides cross-sectoral cooperation between academics and non-academics. Universities, commercial partners and public authorities are actively involved in its design and facilitation. Additionally, the challenges offered by FabSpace are an opportunity for students, academic and professional experts to work together. Each year the Toulouse FabSpace offers a challenge to be taken up during the nuit de l’info.

After being successfully tested in 6 European countries during 3 years (2016-2019), the FabSpace network now includes 35 decentralised platforms across Europe and beyond.

Positioning of the platform in relation to existing platforms (local and national)

The FabSpace platform is unique. While it is based on the ideas and concepts of the FabLabs charter, it differs from these FabLabs by the objectives and the type of resources used. Even if the FabSpace platform may use resources from other platforms in which IRIT is a driving force (NeOCampus, OSIRIM, CALMIP), the FabSpace platform is never a rival for them. The Fabspace platform can also rely on international ones.

FabSpace collaborates with major European projects including InnEO Space PhD and Universeh. FabSpace was also presented at the European Digital Innovation Hub Occitanie project led by AD’OCC.

Here are the projects in which IRIT has been involved in connection with FabSpace:

  • UNIVERSEH (IRIT, team SIG) – 2020-2023
  • InnEO Space PhD (IRIT, team SIG) – 2020-2022
  • COOSINET (IRIT team SC – CNES (Toulouse), Thales (Cannes)) – March 2019
    Deep-learning for on-board compression of EO images
  • Deforestation (IRIT team SIG – Univ. of Madagascar) – February 2018
    Application of machine learning algorithms (CNN) to satellite images for annotation and change detection.
  • SparkInData, an investment in the future ! (teams MELODI, SC, TCI and SIG)

Technical and organisational description, utilisation rate

The international FabSpace 2.0 network has grown from 6 members in 2016 to 35 since 2019, and is now present in 20 countries.

In Toulouse, between 2016 and 2019, FabSpace 2.0 has been integrated into training programmes from the UPS and UT2J universities. We had 4,393 visitors, including 1,133 visitors to the Toulouse FabSpace. In Toulouse also, 626 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students were informed about the project, and it was presented to 54 Master’s programmes.

Since then, the Toulouse FabSpace has been involved in innovation training modules and project modules, in partnership with trainings such as the Master degree in Management of Industrial and Innovative Projects (MPII, UT2J) the Master in Statistics and Decisional Information (SID, UPS), the Master in Computer Science for Aerospace (CSA, UPS), The Master in Geomatic Sciences in Environment and land use planning (SIGMA, UT2J), The FabSpace is also involved in the Teaching Unit “Social and Citizen Commitment”. Some PhD students also participate in FabSpace activities.

Various applications were developed such as a navigation system for people with motor disabilities (PRM Campus) or a method of transcribing satellite images for people with visual impairments, a device which then received support from Toulouse Tech Transfer (TTT) via the Protopitch call. In addition, two start-ups have started their activities at the FabSpace in Toulouse. One of them is ImaginEarth, a company based in Toulouse whose main activity is the creation, sharing and printing of satellite images for communication and decoration.

The Toulouse FabSpace has a website and social medias (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) designed to communicate any information on the project’s activities, and on any external events which could be related.