Digital twin: Frontex launches prize contest on Copernicus Border Surveillance Service

Copernicus is the Earth Observation component of the EU Space programme, looking at our planet and its environment to benefit all European citizens, their wellbeing and security. Copernicus services process, analyse, transform, and exploit the wealth of satellite and in situ data into numerical models, products, and applications towards timely and actionable information to help service providers, public authorities, and other international organisations improve European citizens’ quality of life and beyond. 

Whilst Copernicus is a world-class Earth observation programme, it still needs continuous evolution to retain its global position and to address the constantly evolving environmental, emergency and security challenges by leveraging the latest science and technology knowledge. As part of the evolution efforts, Frontex is launching a new Prize Contest aimed at solving a challenge concerning the evolution of the Copernicus Border Surveillance Service (CBSS) to better serve the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) community.

Prize contest on Copernicus border surveillance service evolution

The Prize Contest aims at developing Copernicus-based solutions for the provision of a Digital Twin (DT) of the external borders, enabling the virtual representation of specific areas and its associated processes. The Digital Twin is expected to support the European Border and Coast Guard community in scenario simulations, for operational exercises and technical equipment deployment planning.

During this Prize Contest, participants shall present creative solutions which will be evaluated to assess their suitability for bridging gaps or improving the capabilities of current CBSS such as timelines, access to data, new paradigms in data fusion, automation, and inclusion of wider sets of complementary, non-EO and EO data. Solutions are expected to also demonstrate their viability for better security and emergency threats monitoring at regional or local level through the exploitation of simulation scenarios. 

The Prize Contest focuses on developing a Digital Twin model of specific EU border areas to simulate and assess border permeability and efficiency of border surveillance equipment under diverse environmental and seasonal conditions (Figure 1). Participants will use this model to optimise and evaluate the deployment of surveillance equipment, ensuring maximum coverage, effectiveness, and scalability across various terrains. The Prize Contest aims to integrate high-resolution geospatial data and advanced simulation techniques to enhance border management strategies and equipment efficiency.

Frontex launches this Prize Contest seeking to:

• Incentivise industry to develop innovative new concepts and technological solutions for cost-efficient, scalable, and integrated operational capabilities for border surveillance.

• Reward the best performing technological solutions.

• Obtain insights on how these solutions may support a validation of what an effective multi-layered, multi-data surveillance Digital Twin model might be for the mitigation of risks identified at the EU external borders.

The main challenge for this Prize Contest is:

Provision of a Copernicus-based solution for creating a Digital Twin of the external borders to enable the reproduction of specific areas and its associated processes to explore different scenarios via simulations.

Building a Digital Twin model

The development of the Digital Twin model to enhance border surveillance capabilities is crucial in establishing realistic and scalable testing scenarios that mirror actual conditions encountered near EU borders. The scalability of the DT model is particularly beneficial, as it allows for adaptation and expansion to various locations and conditions beyond the initial test area. This flexibility ensures that the model can be tailored to different environments and border regions, making it a valuable tool for long-term strategic planning and resource allocation. The DT model should integrate diverse geospatial data such as Digital Surface Models (DSM), and high-resolution hydrological information to accurately simulate and visualise real-life conditions. This comprehensive data integration facilitates the construction of a multi-dimensional, dynamic model that represents the permeability of borders, emphasising the influence of natural features and environmental factors on surveillance effectiveness.   

To achieve these objectives, the DT model should utilise at least 5 different types of data from sources such as the Copernicus programme, alongside other open-source or proprietary datasets, ensuring the information remains accurate and relevant. The model’s adaptability should allow it to simulate diverse environmental and seasonal variations, creating a realistic testing environment to assess surveillance strategies and equipment deployment methods effectively. This scalable approach enhances the model’s capacity to anticipate, evaluate, and manage risks across different scenarios and regions, making it a critical asset in border management efforts.

The selected location for testing and validating the solutions will be focused on the EU’s external borders, specifically targeting areas with complex and diverse terrain features. The testing location will have varied border landscapes, including rivers, shorelines, forests, and mountainous areas. The chosen area of interest will provide the necessary conditions for aerial mapping with permissions that will be coordinated with national authorities to facilitate this aspect of testing.  

The exact geographic coordinates of the selected area of interest will be provided to applicants that submitted proposals for Phase 1.

Simulate optimal distribution of border equipment 

Participants should provide a detailed and comprehensive methodology for the assessment of performance of the simulation models, including specific metrics and measurement methods. The primary goal is to create a robust framework that will guide how to build and evaluate the equipment deployment simulation. The methodology will provide precise, data-driven recommendations for equipment setup and location within the selected area of interest to optimise surveillance costs, coverage, efficiency, and response time. The methodology will consider various factors, such as terrain and vegetation types, lighting, weather conditions, and seasonality.

Simulation scenarios should be structured to replicate the complex environments encountered at the EU’s external borders, focusing on several critical components to ensure that the solution can operate effectively across a range of dynamic and challenging conditions.

Applicants interested in participating in the Prize Contest shall submit their applications according to the requirements set forth in the Rules of Contest (section 4.4)

The Prize Contest will be organised in three distinct Phases as described below:

Interested applicants shall pre-register for participation in the Prize Contest by filling out an EU survey form as described in section 6 of the Rules of Contest.

Applicants shall prepare their submission and proposal package in accordance with the requirements laid out in the Rules of Contest and its annexes and appendix. The proposal package shall contain the documents specified in Annex 1 – Proposal Package checklist. The guidelines and requirements for the application and submission of proposals are explained in detail in the Rules of Contest.

Immediately after the deadline of the Call for Prizes (defined in section 4.7 – Schedule), all applications shall undergo a process of verification of their admissibility and eligibility according to the criteria described in section 5. Refer to section 6.3 for the full description of the submission process.

Phase 1 – Proposals Evaluation

In their submission of proposals, applicants are required to deliver a White Paper describing the proposed ideas, strategies, concepts, as well as describing, in a comprehensive way, their proposed technological solutions to build a DT model, simulating and evaluating the distribution of border surveillance equipment in accordance with the Challenge defined in sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of the Rules of Contest. 

In addition to the White Paper, applicants must record a video pitch of up to 5 minutes. This video should effectively present their proposed solution, demonstrate the company’s capability to build the solution, and outline the methodology they intend to employ.

The White Paper shall provide a clear and concise overview of the proposed solution in accordance with the Award criteria defined in section 7.2 of the Rules of Contest and be guided by the White Paper template and guidelines (Appendix 1).

All received White Papers shall be evaluated and scored up to 100 points (according to the criteria defined in section 7.2 of the Rules of Contest). All participants will be ranked on a scoreboard.

• The 5 best proposals will be eligible to receive an award of EUR 10 000 for the 5th place, EUR 10 000 for the 4th place, while the 3rd, 2nd and 1st prizes of Phase 1 will be EUR 45 000 each. 

• The 3 top laureates will be invited to Phase 2.

The top 3 winners will be invited to Phase 2 and will have around two months to develop a simulation environment for the designated Area of Interest (AoI). During this period, participants can visit the AoI to collect necessary data, verify their initial assumptions, and make any necessary measurements and adjustments to their simulation models. The potential dates for field visits will be communicated by Frontex.

The costs of organising the technical capacity presentation and field activities will not be reimbursed by Frontex.

Phase 2 – Demonstration and Demo Day

Prior to the live demonstration, contestants will be provided with a set of scenarios designed to simulate a range of border conditions and equipment distribution challenges. These scenarios will include diverse variables such as:

• weather conditions (e.g., heavy rainfall, fog, snow),
• seasonal variations (e.g., summer versus winter),
• terrain specifics (e.g., rivers, forests, mountainous areas)

During the event, participants will be challenged to demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of their solutions by responding to proposed and new scenarios and parameters that will be introduced on the spot. This dynamic testing approach ensures that contestants showcase not only the technical robustness of their Digital Twin models but also their ability to quickly adjust equipment deployment strategies and surveillance methods under varying conditions.

All participants will be evaluated throughout the duration of the demo day in accordance with qualitative and quantitative criteria (defined in section 7.2. of the Rules of Contest). After the conclusion of the demonstration the participants shall be evaluated and scored up to 100 points. All participants will be ranked on a final scoreboard.

Frontex shall award the following prizes to the finalists, by score ranking order of Phase 2:

• 1st Prize: EUR 80 000 (Prize Contest Winner)
• 2nd Prize: EUR 60 000
• 3rd Prize: EUR 40 000

• Call for Prizes: December 2024

• Deadline for submission of proposals: 12 February 2025 at 23:59 CET

• Screening of eligibility and admissibility conditions for participation: end of February 2025

Phase 1

• Evaluation of White Papers and videos: mid-March 2025

• Announcement of laurates: March 2025

Phase 2

• Demonstration during Demo Day: April/May 2025

• Announcement of Prizes: June 2025

Participants shall note that this timelinemay be changed without prior notice. The most updated version of this schedule will be available, and continuously updated, on the Prize Contest Website.