A group of defense and technology companies are forming a joint effort, aimed at solving a persistent problem for military users: how to access and use commercial satellite imagery and other geospatial intelligence, when communication networks are unreliable or unavailable.
An initiative called Coalition Edge brings companies together, specializing in analytics, cloud infrastructure and communication, for processing and delivery of intelligence directly in the field. The consortium is led by GRVTY, specializing in geospatial analytics, and Denovo Solutions, a provider of cloud and IT infrastructure services. The joining of efforts is due to that, that the military, receiving colossal arrays of data from commercial satellites and drones, do not have time to process them. The main challenge is to turn raw information into operational intelligence, suitable for decision-making.
Coalition Edge is based on the so-called "intelligent computing stack at the edge" (edge intelligence stack). This is a set of hardware, software and network solutions, that allow processing information directly at the place of its collection, without wasting time on transmission to remote centers. Instead of depending on remote data centers, forward deployment units will be able to analyze information on the spot, allowing intelligence to continue to flow even when communications are degraded.
Besides GRVTY and Denovo Solutions, the group includes Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Nvidia, Rancher Government Services, T-Mobile and Urban Sky, which controls high-altitude aerial platforms (balloons) for intelligence gathering. A week-long GEOINT symposium is taking place in Aurora these days, during which companies demonstrate to users, how their cooperation will be implemented. To do this, they use real-time data streams and AI to transmit and analyze information in the hall, which simulates real field conditions. The demonstration must show, as different layers of the system — computing equipment, preloaded datasets and AI models—can work together without relying on fixed infrastructure.
The approach also relies on alternative data transfer methods, including commercial cellular networks and high-altitude platforms. This includes streaming full-frame video from the Urban Sky balloons, at the same time, the processed data is sent to the GRVTY analytical platform. Denovo provides automatic target recognition and API connectivity, which should allow different data sources and systems to work together.
Source: https://spacenews.com