The rapid growth of commercial Earth observation satellites and artificial intelligence tools is giving defense and intelligence agencies access to a new type of intelligence product: combined data from several sensors, intended to provide information about that, what is happening in the world. However, today there is a gap between that, what military users want—seamless integration of data from disparate sources—and that, how the commercial market actually works.
During the March Satellite Conference, the Chief Strategy Officer of GXO Inc. and a former official of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (that) David Gauthier remarked, that “processing and analysis can now be performed almost instantaneously, but the new challenge is tasks and optimization". Defense agencies are increasingly focusing on a combination of different sensor detection methods — optical imaging, radio frequency signals, radar data and other information — into a single operational picture. This concept is known as sensor fusion. Closely related to it is "hint and guidance", when one sensor detects an anomaly and directs another system to collect more detailed data on the same target.
Most companies operate on vertically integrated platforms, collecting, processing and delivering data through its own proprietary systems. To date, there is no widely accepted standardized interface, which would allow different providers to exchange data or exchange satellite assignments in real time. Differences in formats, metadata and delays mean, that combining data from multiple vendors often requires manual integration or custom development.
During his speech, Mr. Gauthier described the scenarios, when one system detects a signal and gives guidance to another, but delays in data collection or transmission to the ground break the chain.
Until then, how these space-to-earth and earth-to-space delays are implemented in architecture, an opportunity is lost. Jared Newton, senior technology strategist at Planet Federal, noted, that the challenge is not just connecting systems, and also in that, how commercial satellite arrays are designed and marketed. The concept of "hint and hint" is actually very complex, unless you have dedicated power or ubiquitous sensor coverage. Many commercial providers allocate satellite time in advance, guaranteeing customers a specific shooting window. Such a model leaves little flexibility for dynamic response, when another system detects something noteworthy.
Considering the above, it is necessary to create an architecture, which will reserve capacity specifically for fast retasking and integrate collection, data processing and delivery yes, to respond in near real time. Eventually, according to Gauthier, a system is needed, in which sensors from different companies will be able to interact automatically. In an ideal scenario, which he described, the military operator will see, how multiple data sources converge within minutes, automatically confirming a potential threat.
The problem of integration arises precisely then, when the market itself moves from raw data to something bigger. In a new report titled "Golden Insights: high quality products, received
from Earth observation data", published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Gauthier claims, that the value of commercial geospatial data is increasingly not about collection, and with the ability to generate “decision-ready” insights from this data. The report describes, how companies move up the value chain, offering analytical products, which combine multiple data sources and are designed to support real-time decisions. At the same time, he warns, that the market for these products is still immature, with limited transparency about that, how they are generated or how to evaluate their quality.
Source: https://spacenews.com