Archives: Activities Portfolio

Objectives of the Product

Forestry companies need accurate and up-to-date data, which traditional forest inventory assessment cannot provide. The more detailed information about a forest is available, the more effective plans and decisions can be made, taking into account individual trees in the forest. Therefore, the goal is to develop an EO-based tree species classification methodology, and the related online service platform based on the needs of key customers in their operational environment.

Forest managers and national parks primarily require high-resolution data for accurate planning, their average area size is smaller, so we serve their needs by using high-resolution multispectral Planet data and geometric data from LiDAR data, providing them with products such as high-resolution tree species maps, individual tree-level invasive species maps and tree volume estimation.

At the same time, public actors and decision-makers require data with national coverage, where we provide data based on time-series Sentinel images for transparency, preparation of various reports, continuous monitoring of the area and identification of intervention areas.

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Customers and their Needs

We assessed the customers’ needs before designing the service. For the management and operational planning of the forest assets of state and private forest management companies, national park directorates and accurate knowledge of their area of operation is a prerequisite. The need for a solution that examines large areas in a short time, reduces the need for human resources and evaluates the actual condition of the entire area at the same time arose from the forestry sector.

In order to implement either mechanical or chemical treatments against invasive species at the right time, accurate information, species and individual tree identification is required. For national authorities, a tool which serves data that is independent from data providers and gives the possibility to check the differences, monitor changes and control the whole forestry sector is needed. National agencies, decision makers focusing on adaptation to climate change and/or biodiversity require information and monitoring of large areas to plan mitigation activities against the negative effects of climate change (e.g. forest health decrease, spread of invasive species).

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Targeted customer/users countries

The service firstly targets the Hungarian forestry sector, but it can be extended to any countries with mixed forests, mainly focusing areas where LiDAR data is available open source.

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Product description

EnviMAP Forest is an online GIS supported map service based on high-resolution multispectral Planet data, LiDAR data and Sentinel satellite imagery to support forest management activities. The online platform offers several products, such as individual tree species maps, estimated timber volume and dendrometric parameters, maps of invasive species, monthly forest monitoring and change detection, and several GIS functions to support the daily work of foresters, authorities and agencies focusing on climate change mitigation. The online map platform enables effective dissemination of information and user-friendly interfacing with customers, without special knowledge or infrastructure needed (fat server/thin client model). Clients can check and manage their data for areas of interest, 24/7 from anywhere there is internet access. Especially for public actors and decision makers, leads are generated and dashboards are available to access important information immediately.

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Added Value

The innovation resulting from the project ensures accurate knowledge of the operation area, showing species classification maps and estimates timber volume for the entire area. Accordingly, large areas can be examined in a short time with low human resource requirements, evaluating the actual condition of the entire area at the same time. By using our service, unit costs can be reduced to 5-10 EUR/ha comparing to the 28-32 EUR/ha price of field measurements.

Remote-sensing images also allow the simultaneous mapping of the health status of the forest. The service gives exact data about the location of invasive species and their spread is monitored.
Vegetation maps and monitoring are providing information about reality, and unauthorised activities can be identified. The system generates leads to decision makers where there is a difference between the provided data and the calculated and measured data.

With the implementation of continuous monitoring, up-to-date information is available regarding the changes occurring in the forests (vegetation changes, forest growth). If the proportion of the change (spread of invasive species, infections, damages, etc.) is larger than 5% of the given plot, leads/alerts are generated that warn end users and decision makers to analyse the issue.

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Current Status

The kick-off of the project was on 31 May 2024. After the kick-off, we started to develop a questionnaire for end users. We will use the results of the questionnaire to finalise key products and functions of the service and to determine the prices of registration and individual map products.

The backbone of the online platform used during InCubed is similar to our earlier development carried out for decision support purposes for agricultural insurance.

Furthermore, we have developed a methodology in the past, for estimating timber volume and have created a workflow with associated methodological documentation that can determine the position and dendrometric characteristics of the timber from LiDAR point cloud. Th second milestone of our project covers the update, adaptation and integration of these modules to an online platform. Our second milestone also includes the development of image classification workflows for species level classification by using Planet and Sentinel EO data combined with tree canopy polygons generated from aerial LiDAR

Objectives of the Product

An important task of facility management is regular motion monitoring – checking whether the structure or its parts are moving. In the case of strategic infrastructures – such as roads, railways, bridges or industrial facilities – the motion monitoring is required by law and industry standards.
Currently, these monitoring activities are carried out exclusively using field surveying, which requires personal presence, therefore significant human resources and cost. It is carried out with low temporal frequency – a few times a year – and, as a result, gives relatively few measured points and point density.
By using the project’s solution, the field surveying method could be partially replaced by radar based (InSAR) motion analysis. The application allows the land surveying and InSAR processing data to be managed, analysed and represented together with user-friendly functions.

• The ability to import and transform the land survey data from most popular formats.
• The hybrid data analysis using InSAR and land survey data together, time gap management and prediction functionalities.
• The management functions for the processing area and the facility data.
• The possibility of integration to other system, in particular to Building Information Modelling (BIM)-based facility management systems.
• Advanced modules for customisable alert system and notification services.

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Customers and their Needs

The targeted customer segment of the portal application are the road and railway network operators and maintainers, industrial plant maintainers and land surveying experts, who already perform motion detection of facilities or infrastructures by using field surveying data. Their main task is to prevent the facility’s damages, and their main points are the following:

• Personal presence is required.
• High-resource demand (human, car, surveying equipment)
• Relatively few measured points and point density.
• Measuring certain sites is difficult due to physical, operational or legal reasons.

The use of the web portal and its services provides the following advances to customers:

• Significantly higher measurement frequency and point density.
• Data visualisation and analysis functions.
• Less on-site presence and costs.
• Motion monitoring results can be shared easily among the surveyor, maintainer and authorities.

The added value lies in the possibility for the user to upload his previous land surveying measurement results in the form of CAD file exchange formats. These data and the results of the SAR based motion analysis are displayed and evaluated together. The end result is a hybrid application in which the results of two very different motion analysis methodologies can be interpreted together.e requirement definition phase, as they can provide information on the environmental and mechanical constraints for a typical EO mission. This information is used to derive board thermo-mechanical constraints, definition of physical interfaces, size and expected power consumption of the module.

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Targeted customer/users countries

Hungary, Austria, Benelux Union

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Product description

The main components of the product that provide the services of the application are:

• Ground motion detection portal (at top of the figure below)
• Registration, login/logout and user management services
• Upload service for land survey data
• Order service for InSAR data processing
• Advanced data analysis services
• Business logic management services
• BIM integration services

The application provides clear and simple user interfaces. The appropriate front-end technology, the integrated map application and the client-side and third-party-based functions (editing data, viewing graphs) together ensure reliable use.
The application and the service components are scalable, the asynchronous functions provide predictable response times. The system ensures multitenant operation.

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Added Value

The main focus of the solution is handling and analysing the two very different data sources (InSAR Line of sight, East/West, Vertical measurement versus the land surveying’s classical coordinate system and standards), with a market-oriented approach. Also, if the profession and industry accept, those InSAR results can be successfully used for motion analysis and infrastructure monitoring. Although competitors operate several web portals for displaying InSAR data and advanced data analysis in various fields, the joint use of data sets, data loading, visualisation, joint analysis and weighting, as well as services integrated with BIM systems, can be evaluated as unique. Weighting of the InSAR and land survey data also can be key to penetrate the market, by using different spatial methods like IDW, GWR, trend surface analysis.

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Current Status

The kick-off meeting of the project was held on 21 August 2024. The activity is in the onboarding phase, the tasks related to the completion of the first milestone (RR) have begun.
The following technical work is being implemented:

• Consultations with partners and potential customers.
• Preliminary examination of the sample areas from the point of view of the quality of InSAR results available for the areas.
• Negotiation with the supplier regarding to geodetic data available for sample areas

Objectives of the Product

The current needs for Earth Observation (EO) satellites are evolving and we are witnessing an increasing quantity of data to be processed on-board, which is also correlated with the need for complex algorithms running on-board to process all the data in an efficient way, based on Artificial Intelligence and parallel computing. Currently, available solutions are based on commercial components able to address small satellites with very-low availability and reliability requirements. Potentially qualified solutions are being considered, based on AMD Versal with very-high power consumption and dissipation, suitable today only for very big platforms or telecom satellites. Consequently, there is a technology gap for data-processing modules on-board satellites. In particular, for high-reliability (class 1) medium-to-big EO satellites, a qualified solution to address high-performance parallel computing and AI is currently missing. Additionally, a qualified high-performance computing solution is also missing for high-availability/high-reliability smaller platforms, commercial satellites and constellations. The product that is offered to customers at the end of the activity is a high-end edge processing module qualified for class 1 missions. The module is based on a processing board, including a space-qualified GPU, to allow parallel computing acceleration and Artificial Intelligence algorithm implementation.

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Customers and their Needs

Target customers for the high-end edge processing module are:

• Large System Integrators
  • Software companies developing on-the-edge processing applications will be subcontracted by LSI to develop the software on the processing module
• Software companies developing on-the-edge processing applications
• Hardware provider companies for unit or satellite integration, targeting both big and small satellites
• R&D institutions to use it as a proof-of-concept board or in-orbit demonstrator

The target customer is involved during the requirement definition phase, as they can provide information on the environmental and mechanical constraints for a typical EO mission. This information is used to derive board thermo-mechanical constraints, definition of physical interfaces, size and expected power consumption of the module.

Customer Segments	Customer Segment Problems/Needs	Customer Jobs STEP 1	Pain STEP 2	Gain STEP 3
Large System Integrator and unit developer	Reliable and qualified high-performance accelerator for EO	Integrate qualified components/units on satellites	Class 1 missions require class 1 hardware accelerators, which are not available on market	considerable processing power; standardised data interface; reducing total costs and time-to-market.
NSE integrator companies	high-performance data handling and processing accelerator for EO	Providers of Commercial Platforms within New Space Economy	Data Handling and Data Processing boards are very complex to be designed and consumes most of the resources of a satellite developer.	Reducing time-to-market and costs; ease of programming; standardise data interface; enhanced processing power
Software companies	Develop on-the-edge processing applications	Developing custom AI applications for on-the-edge processing hardware	Limited developing flow on custom or reliable board for space system	ease of programming; customisable software flow; dedicated functions; AI enabler;
		Porting of AI of parallel application for on-the-edge processing	Automatic porting tools do not support custom function or layers
R&D institutions	High cost of reliable solution; lack of equivalent boards	Design proof-of-concept board or in-orbit demonstration	Universities and R&D institutions require prototyping hardware that resembles the flight model with limited cost	ease of programming; customisable software flow; dedicated functions; AI enabler; research and development;

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Targeted customer/users countries

Europe. The target customers are companies working on the unit or satellite integration, or software companies who need to design the flight software to address the satellite mission requirements.

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Product description

The product consists in a space-qualified printed-circuit board, including programmable devices to support high-performance computing, suitable for parallel processing and Artificial Intelligence algorithm implementation. figure below shows the product overall architecture its key modules and major interfaces.

The product is composed by:
A Printed-Circuit Board, which includes the Main FPGA and companion FPGA, memory modules, power modules, standard or custom backplane interface and various standard interfaces commonly used in space applications (SpaceWire, CAN, discrete LVDS, SpaceFibre/WizardLink).
The product is a flexible processing module that will be able to accommodate different kinds of missions by offering:

• considerable processing power
• ease of programming (presence of a GPU for AI acceleration GPU@SAT)
• flexibility in terms of data interfaces (the most common interfaces used for space applications are included)
• qualified solution for class 1 mission (thanks to rad-hard components and qualified design)

Low-cost commercial missions can also benefit from such an off-the-shelf solution because a low-cost version of the product will be produced to cover the needs of such missions.
This solution will enable new mission concepts involving even more challenging mission requirements, thanks to the increased processing capabilities in a qualified solution for the space segment.

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Added Value

The product delivered to the customer is a space-qualified solution for on-board high-performance computing suitable for parallel processing and Artificial Intelligence processing. The solution is suitable for both high reliability mission and for low-cost commercial missions. As the sensor data volume and algorithm complexity to be run on board the satellite are growing, it is not feasible to satisfy all the requirements with existing solutions. We are providing customers with a qualified solution suitable for high performance computing, ready to be integrated into electronic units or small platform. Building such a system from scratch requires a diverse set of engineering skills together with a large manpower commitment and development time. These required resources are typically not available in a unit or system integrator company. Therefore, the availability of such a product on the market will be very beneficial, saving a huge amount of time and money.

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Current Status

The project has just kicked off. A preliminary set of requirements is already defined. Currently, we are engaging customers to provide feedback on environmental, mechanical and interface requirement. With these feedbacks, requirements definitions will be refined.

Objectives of the Product

Its development will be focused on a high-performance computer with an integrated AI accelerator, called NANOhpc, addressing the increasing market need in the domain of AI on edge. NANOhpc will enable customers to achieve greater availability for on-board real-time processing of data and transforming it into information, all in an efficient and important, radiation-reliable manner.

For this reason, we propose a high-performance computer with an integrated AI accelerator. The computer will be designed to accommodate a variety of future expansion cards to fit various use case demands. Finally, it will be designed in a highly scalable manner to increase computational capacities as required for each use case. Additionally, it will provide a solution where satellites as-a-service need to be isolated between computational nodes (containers) for security reasons.

The objective of this activity is the development and qualification of the NANOhpc hardware and software framework for a range of mission types. To support this, NANOhpc covers the full range of mission types, from CubeSat lifetimes and integration constraints to larger LEO satellites for 8+ year missions. Processing capacities, and consequently mass, power, and volume requirements, can be tailored by NANOhpc clustering to the mission class and the responsiveness needs of the mission.

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Customers and their Needs

NANOhpc, a high-performance computer with built-in AI acceleration, is addressing the space industry’s growing demand for advanced processing power. Several organizations are exploring its potential. Some aim to leverage NANOhpc for on-board Earth Observation, enabling real-time data analysis directly on satellites. Others see advantages in using NANOhpc for in-orbit AI-powered data processing, reducing reliance on ground stations. Additionally, companies are considering validating their on-board processing software with NANOhpc to ensure compatibility and unlock its processing power. Finally, NANOhpc’s design makes it a strong foundation for future high-performance computing with AI on satellites, paving the way for innovative space missions.

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Targeted customer/users countries

Italy, Spain, France, Slovenia.

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Product description

NANOhpc is a high-performance computer in development for space missions. It offers scalable processing power for nano-satellites to large-satellites. A single unit delivers exceptional performance at low-power consumption and features standard space interfaces. NANOhpc+VB integrates an AI accelerator for complex processing tasks. Notably, the design prioritises radiation tolerance with built-in safeguards and meticulous component selection. Low-power consumption simplifies thermal management and allows for efficient clustering. Overall, NANOhpc’s innovative features make it a compelling solution for the space industry.HPC Architecture.

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Added Value

NANOhpc offers a modular and adaptable solution of on-board data processing engines in satellites. Here’s why it brings added value:

• NANOhpc system will provide various AI processing engines to provide the best fit for application needs.
• NANOhpc system is providing powerful data processing capacity that turns data into information in space, drastically reducing downlink requirements and shortening information delivery to the end user
• NANOhpc Scalability: The base version with 4 RISC-V CPUs tackles general processing needs. For demanding missions, the VectorBlox accelerator in NANOhpc+VB tackles complex AI tasks. NANOhpc-FPGA further extends capabilities with custom functions.
• NANOhpc Radiation Tolerance: The entire system prioritises radiation tolerance, ensuring reliable operation in space.
• NANOhpc Flexibility: This modular approach allows you to choose the processing power and functionalities that best suit your specific mission needs, avoiding overpaying for unnecessary features.

In short, NANOhpc provides a scalable, adaptable, and radiation-tolerant solution for on-board processing in satellites, offering significant value through its tailored approach

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Current Status

The NANOhpc project is nearing the end of its definition phase, during which we planned hardware and firmware development activities. In the upcoming PDR meeting, we will finalise requirements and officially transition into the development phase. Over the next few months, we will focus on hardware and software development.

Objectives of the Product

The TALISMAN activity aims to address key challenges in methane detection applications through the development of an advanced optical instrument. SATLANTIS, by collaborating with INTA, enhances its iSIM technology with polarimetric capabilities, specifically targeting Earth observation in the Visible (VIS) and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) spectra. This upgraded iSIM-90 payload significantly improves methane detection, crucial for various stakeholders.

For mission developers and operators, acquiring suitable instruments for methane detection is often difficult, leading to costly ad-hoc solutions. SATLANTIS’ solution integrates into satellite systems, offering a cost-effective and efficient approach.

Methane-emitting industries face pressure to monitor emissions accurately. SATLANTIS’ technology ensures compliance with environmental guidelines, providing dynamic, precise emissions data to aid sustainability efforts and regulatory compliance.

Governments and public institutions require comprehensive methane data. This SATLANTIS’ solution complements existing datasets, facilitating innovative, sustainable practices and aiding ambitious environmental agendas. In summary, the TALISMAN project addresses the need for accurate, cost-effective methane detection solutions, benefiting mission developers, industries, and governmental bodies alike.

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Customers and their Needs

The targeted customers/users for the developed product, primarily major players in the Oil & Gas sector and energy industries, face several challenges. Mission developers struggle to find payloads in the market that meet desired functionalities, particularly for methane measurements in complex environments with cluttered backgrounds. Methane-emitting industries encounter limitations with commercially available satellite imagery, hindering accurate emissions monitoring in noisy environments with aerosols. Similarly, Governments and Public Institutions lack reliable emissions data due to satellite imagery not optimised for changing environments, impacting their ability to develop sustainable practices and meet ambitious environmental, social and governance (ESG) agendas.

To address these challenges, our solution, the TALISMAN standardised technology, optimises performance in aerosol-impacted environments, providing dynamic and accurate emissions data. By complementing existing datasets, it facilitates the development of innovative, sustainable practices, aligning with the goals outlined in ESG agendas. Throughout the project, customers actively participate in defining user requirements, validating product performance, and selecting observation targets, ensuring the solution meets their diverse needs across various stages of development.

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Targeted customer/users countries

The activity primarily targets customers in the oil and gas sector across Europe and the United States. While these are our main focus areas, we are open to opportunities with various markets globally to address diverse needs and compliance requirements.

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Product description

The TALISMAN project is developing an enhanced optical instrument, aimed at improving methane detection and quantification in environments affected by dust and aerosols. This instrument builds on the high-resolution capabilities of the SATLANTIS iSIM cameras by incorporating polarimetry into one of the two camera channels, refining its ability to analyse methane emissions.

System Components:

• Satellite: Hosts the instrument for primary data collection.
• Launch Segment: Manages all aspects related to satellite deployment and launch operations.
• Ground Segment: Handles communications and initial data processing.
• Data Segment: Enhances detection and quantification algorithms through the integration of data processing chains that utilise aerosol characterisation and polarimetry. This segment prepares and refines data for effective dissemination.
• User Segment: Facilitates the provision of processed data to final users.

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Added Value

TALISMAN brings significant added value over existing methods by integrating advanced polarimetry with high-resolution imaging to enhance methane quantification accuracy in aerosol-affected environments. Unlike traditional methods, which often struggle with interference from particulate matter, TALISMAN employs polarimetric techniques to characterise and correct for these effects, significantly enhancing measurement precision. This capability is crucial for industries required to monitor and report emissions accurately for regulatory compliance and environmental assessments.

Furthermore, incorporating this sophisticated technology into the cost-effective and compact format of a SmallSat offers versatility and economic viability. It provides a lower-cost, higher-efficiency alternative to larger satellite platforms, making advanced methane monitoring accessible to a broader audience, including governments, environmental agencies, and the energy sector, thus positioning TALISMAN as a very convenient solution for global methane monitoring initiatives.

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Current Status

The project has just started, with requirements being defined at the user, system, and instrument levels. Initial trade-offs are currently being accomplished to refine design and operational strategies. This work is setting the stage for the upcoming design and development phases.

Objectives of the Product

Marble Imaging, supported by Scanway, aims to address the current need for daily Very High Resolution (VHR) Earth Observation data availability by offering a unique European solution. The instrument design, developed by Marble Imaging and Scanway, focuses on high geometrical and spectral performance, featuring two instruments: one for Visual (VIS) and Near Infrared (NIR), and another for Short Wave Infrared (SWIR). Marble Imaging will provide valuable EO data and analytics that can be seamlessly integrated into policy and decision-making processes across various sectors, including insurance, agriculture, urban planning or logistics. By aligning with the wavelengths used by Sentinel-2, the Marble-Scanway payload ensures that the data is harmonised with Copernicus products, enhancing compatibility and utility for all stakeholders. This initiative will deliver detailed, accessible, and daily EO-based analytics using VHR multispectral data from a planned constellation of up to 200 satellites.

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Customers and their Needs

The targeted customers for Marble Imaging’s satellite data and analysis include governmental agencies, public sector organizations and commercial customers as insurance, agriculture, or infrastructure companies. These users depend on Marble’s Very High Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery for detailed spatio-temporal analysis. In particular, the data is used to monitor aquaculture sites or forest loss, identify drivers of deforestation, and assess land use changes, which are critical for compliance with the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Additionally, the data supports applications such as crop yield estimation, early drought detection through soil moisture monitoring, and maritime security, including ship tracking and oil spill detection.

The targeted customers need accurate, timely, and consistent VHR satellite data coming from a reliable European source to integrate into their analytical frameworks and operational strategies. Marble Imaging addresses these growing demands by planning to offer daily VHR imagery, which is further enhanced through machine learning-based value-added services (VAS). The “Precious Marble” analytics products extend the capabilities of this data by analysing and identifying environmental vulnerability drivers, aiding in the management and mitigation of ecological risks.

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Targeted customer/users countries

Europe and worldwide.

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Product description

The data acquired through our satellites will be offered as Level 2 data products, Analysis Ready Data (L3 products) and value-added services (VAS) via a Marble-developed portal. With the successful deployment of the first demonstrator satellite, Marble Imaging plans to expand the Marble constellation with Scanway, as the key partner providing the VHR optical payloads. The resulting Marble data and analysis will deliver valuable insights for many customers in the EU and worldwide. This collaboration further strengthens the European EO industry.

To achieve daily global coverage in VHR, the Marble Imaging-Scanway optical/multispectral payload, to be integrated into a small satellite, acquires data in the Visible, Near Infrared and Short-Wave infrared spectrum. The Level 2 data product consists of images in the Red, Green, Blue (RGB), Near-infrared (NIR) and panchromatic (PAN) bands at a ground sample distance (GSD) of 80 cm native VIS/NIR/PAN and Short-Wave infrared (SWIR) at a GSD of 6m. This is being achieved with two instruments, one for RGB, NIR, PAN and one for SWIR. The entire satellite mass of approximately 110 kg ensures compatibility with a wide range of European microlaunchers.

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Added Value

The Marble Constellation fills the gap regarding daily coverage of VHR data offered by a European provider. Existing satellite constellations often lack the capacity for comprehensive global mapping and timely revisit rates, leaving many critical sectors underserved.

Marble Imaging’s constellation is designed to meet the needs of sectors such as infrastructure monitoring, early hazard warning, rapid hazard mapping, forestry, and agriculture, which require consistent and temporally high-resolution satellite data. As a European provider, Marble Imaging aims to offer timely and uninterrupted access to VHR data, reducing the EU’s reliance on non-European companies. Supported by Scanway, this initiative plans to provide a reliable and independent source of satellite imagery, enhancing the ability to monitor and respond to changes on a global scale.

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Current Status

SEMOVIS kicked off after the contract signing in July 2024. The project is currently in the early design phase, with the Requirements Review successfully completed. The Critical Design Review (CDR) is set for completion by the first quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, the Engineering Model of the VIS/NIR instrument is being developed. The first satellite launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026.

Objectives of the Product

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is urgently needed to curb global warming. Satellite-based Earth Observation offers objective, independent, and global measurements of emissions, detailing their magnitude, source, and type. Methane emission reduction is particularly crucial due to its significant impact on global warming and its short-lived nature compared to other greenhouse gases, presenting strong potential for effective monitoring.

The rise in satellite missions has produced a wealth of data, some publicly available and used in scientific projects. However, the practical application of this data for emission reduction remains limited. Challenges include the inaccessibility of data for end-users lacking necessary technical knowledge, the need for derived information rather than raw satellite data, and the necessity of models and expertise to interpret emission data from raw satellite inputs. While scientific expertise exists, it is not readily accessible to all stakeholders. Furthermore, some companies use proprietary methods to interpret public data sources without sharing their methodologies, complicating result comparisons. With impending methane emission regulations in the EU and US, there is a significant commercial opportunity for information services based on satellite measurements. The BrightSkies methane emission service aims to provide accessible, reliable data to address these needs for industry and governmental customers.

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Customers and their Needs

Our key customer segments are Oil & Gas operators and the regulatory market.

We chose to start with larger players in the Oil & Gas Industry for several reasons. The industry has consolidated over the years, with a few companies now covering a significant portion of global production. This also centralises pollution, increasing the likelihood of large emissions that our monitoring tools can measure. Additionally, the industry is aware of its pollution levels and actively works to reduce emissions. Major companies and organisations like the OGCI have set ambitious methane emission reduction targets and expressed interest in our service to help achieve these goals.

Regulatory bodies, inspection services, and policymakers are also interested in our service. The inspection of polluting companies in respect to local laws and the effect that this pollution has on the general health of nearby residents is a high priority for them. Organisations focused on nature pollution and public health have shown interest in using our insights and are willing to assist in developing a service valuable to their work.

Both market segments have expressed interest in our project, and we will conduct demonstrations to showcase the added value of our solution.

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Targeted customer/users countries

Target customers can be found worldwide. We will start with a focus on customers with a European presence, as it is easier for us to approach those. Once our technology has been demonstrated and validated, we will expand globally, with the organisations active in other important areas such as the Persian Gulf, or the Permian Basin.

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Product description

The BrightSkies Methane portal consists of a data processing pipeline that is able to detect, quantify and pinpoint the source of methane emissions worldwide. This pipeline consists of multiple processing steps and is implemented on a cloud-based data processing framework. The user can interact with the system via several means, such as directly through an API, but also through a web-based portal where requests can be made and the results are displayed.

End-users and/or customers can interact directly with the web portal by means of the subscription service, and based on the web-portal results, also in-depth case studies can be performed to provide additional added value to customers.
The figure shows the BrightSkies methane portal overall architecture and their key modules and major interfaces. The system consists of three modules that contain data processing functions (modules 1-3), a data processing infrastructure (module 4) and a data portal with a user interface to end-users (module 5).
Each module will be based on either the latest scientific insights and/or inhouse developed technologies. This ensures optimal performance on the one hand, while also reducing the development risks.

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Added Value

BrightSkies will stand out compared to other data providers in several key areas:

1. Robustness: BrightSkies will use best practices from the science community, documented thoroughly. Instead of providing “off the shelf” data, we will enhance existing methane concentration data with post-processing techniques like de-striping and artifact removal. Advanced tools for hotspot detection and emission source quantification will be developed based on state-of-the-art methods. This ensures the most accurate insights from open data sources.
2. Validated and Open Data Policy: We aim to provide the best information transparently. Part of our data will be open to the community for auditing, with all scientific literature used openly referenced. We will compare BrightSkies’ results with independent methods, and these comparisons will be published openly. This approach fosters trust and broad uptake.
3. Easy Access: Our insights portal is web-based and user-friendly. User-specific reports can be requested periodically.
4. Competitive Pricing: Without a first-mover advantage, we will compete on price and validation of our open data policy. The service will have standard and advanced versions, priced competitively. This strategy aims to attract clients with minimal investment

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Current Status

The Project has had a successful kick off with ESA on 25 June 2024, and an internal KO on 12 July, where the project responsibilities and tasks have been laid out and described to all the involved personnel. The team has started working on the tasks required for the first milestone, the Requirements Review. As such, the requirement analysis and system design are now underway, and their respective deliverables are being drafted. In addition, the technical work on data pre-processing and plume simulations has started.

Objectives of the Product

The core of our offering is an API, seamlessly integrable into any existing software. Within seconds, our system can assess the climate risk associated with assets located anywhere within the European continent, offering a spatial resolution of 30 meters by 30 meters.
A key distinguishing feature of our approach is our commitment to objectivity. Unlike traditional methods that may exhibit historical biases, Eoliann’s methodology revolves around analysing the root causes of events. We continually update our data, prioritising the assessment of causal factors over historical occurrences. This ensures a climate change-proof prediction.

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Customers and their Needs

According to a recent study from ECB, up to 30% of the European Banking Credit portfolio is exposed to climate risk. This means that banks may lose the collateral backing their loans, increasing the share of Non Performing Loans, deteriorating the banking credit score and, consequently, their solvency.
Considering Italy alone, the total banking loans to firms amount to €600 billion, of which 28% are classified as high or very high climate risk exposure according to the Bank of Italy. This implied a potential cost of €168 billion for the banking industry.
This situation highlights how climate disaster poses a severe threat to the financial stability of Europe. To address this, the European Banking Authority (EBA) is demanding that financial institutions integrate climate risk into their risk assessment processes and supervisory framework starting from 2025. Specifically, the regulation requires Banks to integrate the EBA Pillar 3 with a Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Prudential scoring. This means that European banks will need to quantify the exposure of their credit portfolio to extreme climate events and disclose this to the banking authority.
Banks will need to estimate how the probability of default (PD) and the loss given default (LGD) of their exposure is affected by natural catastrophes.

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Targeted customer/users countries

All the European continent.

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Product description

The product consists of an interface providing climate risk assessment data related to different climate risks. The product primarily offers two customer-facing components: an Application Programming Interface (API) as the primary tool for end-users to access and utilise the product, and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) providing non-programmatic access to the data made available via the API. On the backend, a cloud infrastructure manages multiple algorithms, ensuring automation and scalability. These algorithms, rooted in physics, economics, and climate studies, compute the data points served through the API.
The API can be queried on European locations, provided by users either as a textual address or a pair of geographical coordinates. The output resolution is 30 m. The figure below shows the overall architecture and the key modules of the product.

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Added Value

Eoliann’s climate risk assessment solution sets itself apart through several key differentiating and innovative features:

• Dynamic modelling with monthly updates: Our approach employs dynamic modelling, with monthly updates based on satellite data, providing real-time insights and adaptability to changing climate conditions.
• Urbanisation detection and modelling: Eoliann’s solution goes beyond climate data by detecting and incorporating urbanisation changes into the modelling, offering a holistic understanding of risk factors.
• No historical biases, shifts to cause and effect analysis: We eliminate historical biases and focus on cause-and-effect analysis, allowing us to provide more accurate predictions.
• Full European coverage: Thanks to satellite observations, Eoliann will offer full European coverage without any black spots, ensuring that no region is left without risk assessment capabilities.
• Quantitative output: Our solution provides quantitative outputs, offering precise data-driven assessments for informed decision-making.
• ML Algorithm for climate change detection: We use machine learning algorithms for climate change pattern detection, enhancing our predictive capabilities and staying ahead of emerging risks.

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Current Status

Eoliann ESA InCubed activities and project implementation started on 7 May 2024. The Flood Risk Assessment module has been completed for all Europe. The Wildfire and Drought Risk Assessment modules are currently in progress. The next major milestone is foreseen for January 2025.

Objectives of the Product

The future scientific missions require instruments with very high data processing and storage capability. On top of that, development times are being reduced and, therefore, uncertainty for phases B2/C/D has to be minimised via standardisation and by increasing TRL before electronics kick off. Solutions based on industry standards allow reducing developing times while keeping the costs low by maximising the reuse.

NICE is the Airbus Crisa answer to these demands from the industry. NICE is a modular concept fully aligned with the state-of-the-art ADHA standard (Advance Data Handling Architecture) currently promoted by the European space industry. It provides the flexibility demanded by the payload applications while keeping the NRE cost under control by reusing core modules in several missions.

The NICE project develops the core items of the concept, by integrating existing ADHA modules already developed by Airbus Crisa (Processor module and I/O module) with brand new modules (Power and Backplane) in a fully standard 6 slots ADHA rack, which is submitted to full qualification campaign. The TRL achieved for NICE concept is TRL7.

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Customers and their Needs

The key customers segments targeted by the NICE product, the related problems and needs are summarised as follows:

• Satellite/Instrument manufacturer:
  • New instruments need electronics with sufficient capacity to process on-board the higher amount of data provided by the sensors. NICE provides processing capacity increased in a factor of 25.
  • Increased storage capability to manage very-high volumes of data. NICE provides 2Tbit mass memory which is 16 000 times higher than previous product.
  • High data volume requires increased data rates in communication links. NICE provides internal SpFi links increasing data rates by a factor of 60. External Optical Links with aggregated net data throughput of 10Gbps are also provided.
  • Need to redesign common building blocks from similar applications and potential requalification is needed, with a cost increase. NICE is based on the ADHA concept, allowing a fast integration of existing modules provided by third-party suppliers. This approach allows cost improvement and decrease of development uncertainties and risks
• Units’ integrators: Need of redesigning already existing building-blocks with impacts in cost and schedule. In some scenarios geo-return rules are difficult to meet. Standardisation based on the ADHA concept, allowing a fast integration of existing modules already qualified providing improved time to market.

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Targeted customer/users countries

The NICE product targets mainly European users (satellite and instrument primes, as well as unit’s integrators).

Using the ADHA standard also opens the possibility of exporting to non-European customers, either at the unit or module level.

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Product description

The NICE electrical architecture is a cold-redundant one supplied by independent power busses powering independent electrical chains and managed by independent TM/TC/Science Interfaces. It could include specific modules that are instrument dependent. The redundancy is implemented in two independent units with no cross-strapping.

Each NICE section is composed of two groups of functions/modules:

• A set of core modules which implements basic functions common to all ICUs.
• A set of specific modules which implements instruments specific functions not covered by core modules.

The modules are connected via a backplane and enclosed in a standard ADHA rack.

The NICE core is composed by the following modules:

• Payload Controller Module (PCM): This is the ADHA rack System Controller of NICE. It implements most of the functions and interfaces required for the Data Handling function.
• Standard Interface Module (STDIM). It implements functions of standard discrete input/output interfaces (relay commands/status, acquisition chains for thermal sensors and voltage telemetries).
• Power Module (PM): it implements the interface with the spacecraft power bus as well as the discrete command and monitoring interfaces with the platform.
• Thermal Control Module (TCM): it implements functions for thermal control support, which provides supply to the heaters in charge of the instrument’s thermal control.

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Added Value

There are several areas of innovation which differentiate NICE from the existing products in the market:

• Increased processing capacity: NICE is based on quad-core processor GR740, which leads to the increasing of the processing capacity by factor higher than 25
• Increased storage capacity: NICE will implement a mass memory bank of 2 Tbits able to store several instances of BSW/ASW plus Scientific/mission data, being 32.000 times higher than previous product.
• Higher data management capability via multiple internal high-speed serial links based on SpFi over copper, which increases the rate by a factor of 60. External Optical Links with data throughput target of 10Gpbs
• Standard modularity: standardisation based on the state-of-the-art ADHA concept, which allows the fast integration of existing modules provided by third-party suppliers, or to deliver Airbus Crisa modules to units’ integrators.
• Flexibility: The use of re-programmable FPGAs will provide flexibility to primes, allowing closer and shorter firmware update cycles after coupling tests between the electronics and the instruments.
• Equivalent performances in terms of mass and power consumption, but with increased capability in processing power, storage capacity and communication data throughput

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Current Status

The NICE kick-off was held in mid-January 2024. The Preparation of Requirement Review (starting mid-June 2024) is in progress. Documents delivered to ESA include technical, PA and management documentation. MPRs are held with ESA on a monthly basis. The next short-term activities include the kick-off of Unit Tester activities with the supplier and preliminary identification of LLIs to start procurement activities.