This project aims to develop, benchmark and prototype a set of new technologies enabling community-specific discovery, selection and exploitation of Earth Observation (EO) data in the context of other non-space data.

 

 

The growing availability of large volumes of EO data, in particular from the upcoming EO missions such as the Sentinels, represents a huge opportunity to further develop the market of geospatial information. At the same time the involvement of new communities represents a huge challenge as new users (with own domain knowledge, and having specific community language) cannot easily discover, and process the right information from the large volumes of available data. In this context, new technological approaches are critically needed to overcome technical barriers and information gaps, in effectively connecting endusers to tailored information meeting their specific needs.

 

This project aims to meet this challenge by designing and developing a Broker Technology, able to translate user needs (expressed within specific community language) into geospatial data needs, enabling easy search, discovery and access of EO data from multiple missions in the context of other non-space data (e.g. meteo, in situ sensor, market), and connections (both physical and semantic) between community-specific applications and EO data provision.

 

For example, it is very challenging for a potential user in the Oil Gas (OG) industry to mine and extract useful information from Petabytes of EO data, identify which relevant data, products and sampling are available to address its specific problem (e.g. monitoring sea-ice in the Arctic or Caspian Sea).

 

The broker technology has to be based on an in-depth understanding of both user practices, geospatial data access protocols.

 

Such technology would be based on three main elements:

 

• Broker functions, which shall establish the relations and create the connections between end-users applications and EO data sources, both in archives and from future acquisitions).

 

• Semantic Search functions, which shall allow the user to effectively navigate the connections and to be presented with the relevant data.

 

• Visualization functions providing rapid mapping of large volume of data and basic functions (e.g. zoom, pan, sorting, statistical analysis, using of ancillary information, etc.).

 

In particular, the broker technology shall empower new capabilities for both endusers and data providers, such as:

 

• Segmentation of user applications, taking into account business processes, operations, standards and protocols and permitting the mapping of user applications to EO products.

 

• Knowledge-based technologies to recommend sensors and configurations by EO-based product, i.e. incorporating expertise in the optimum sensors and their configurations for user applications.

 

• A portfolio of tools to explore and access (through appropriate technologies, ontologies and standards) the actual and potential EO data (e.g. EO data catalogues/repositories, multi-mission feasibility analysis and planning for future data, open data, etc.).

 

• Inter-community interaction (e.g. vendor; user), based on tailoring of emerging Web2.0 technologies.

 

The broker technology will be tested in a variety of applications across communities. A particular focus will be on the Oil Gas industry where there is today a clear demand for such a technology to improve surveillance of oil spills and operations in ice-infested regions.

 

Data-intensive brokering technologies are critically needed to enable user communities to better understand, evaluate, explore and exploit EO data, thereby opening new opportunities for:

 

• More effective uptake of EO data and services in existing and new markets, as well as market access for new suppliers.

 

• Development of the new generation of innovative and agile ground segment infrastructures, with components effectively linking user applications to satellite sensor resourcing and tasking.

 

• Fostering exploitation of upcoming satellite missions and integrated information services.