Sfera Technologies and LLcloud partner to enhance the understanding of our world through multi-sensor data fusion

With the growing availability and diversity of sensors in orbit, it is becoming possible to uncover our planet in ways previously not feasible. However, to obtain deeper insights, we need to look at Earth in all of its scales and spectra. This is precisely the objective of Sfera Technologies’ latest collaboration with LLcloud.

Towards a multi-sensor understanding

“Data fusion” is a broad concept but in Earth Observation it generally involves coupling multiple sources of data, including from different sensors, to build products with added insight and value.

One basic example would be combining Copernicus Sentinel-1 (synthetic aperture radar, SAR) data with Sentinel-2 (multispectral) data. If parts of the multispectral image are obscured by cloud cover, it’s possible to replace cloud pixels with radar inputs, as SAR can see through clouds.

Other examples include combining AIS ship transponder data with radiofrequency observations or SAR. If a vessel is detected by an RF sensor or radar, but no AIS beacon details are present, we may have discovered a “dark vessel” — a ship operating without an active transponder, likely to facilitate unlawful operations like smuggling or illegal fishing. A recent analysis suggested that 75% of fishing boats globally operate as dark vessels, indicating a vast problem that needs to be addressed with proper detection tools.

These are just a small illustration of how added layers of complementary data and joint visibility from multiple sensors can be useful to tackle major global problems.

Sfera Technologies and LLcloud operate at different levels of the data delivery and analysis ecosystem; the HomePort platform (https://homeport.network) by Sfera facilitates and optimizes the midstream section of the data delivery pipeline, ensuring a streamlined downlink system for the benefit of imagery users on the other end. HomePort allows tasking of various commercial satellites — Sfera has partnered with a number of data providers, who collectively operate a total of 60 optical, SAR and radiofrequency detection satellites providing sub-meter imaging capabilities — including Satellogic, Capella Space, and others.

LLcloud’s multi-sensor cloud platform helps developers, who need to use multi-sensor data in their services and apps, by reducing the time and money they must spend to bring such data into one space and in compatible formats, for joint multi-sensor data visualization, analysis and fusion and making better decision, based on all available data.

Through HomePort, Sfera Technologies will provide on-request access to tasking of high-resolution optical and SAR imagery that can complement existing LLcloud multi-sensor data sets, user workflows and scenarios. This will allow LLcloud clients to generate and use various products fusing commercial and open data.

About Sfera Technologies

Sfera Technologies is a Bulgarian-based company building a streamlined system for Earth Observation data. The company’s primary product, HomePort, consists of data tasking capabilities with an integrated ground station network operating within a single cloud-based platform. Sfera’s ultimate mission is to build the infrastructures that will make space universally and easily accessible for everyone.

Follow Sfera Technologies on LinkedIn or visit HomePort’s website.

About LLcloud

LLcloud Ltd has built one of the most advanced platforms in the world for multiscale multi-sensor Earth Observation. LLcloud® (https://llcloud.eu/) — the multi-sensor cloud, is a cloud software platform for automated multi-sensor data gathering, analysis and visualisation, and Living Lab trials with test users. It bridges the scales in Earth Observation — from satellites in space and drones in the air to IoT sensors on the ground and wearable sensors worn by humans, and the data silos created by various existing software platforms and systems.

The company also offers specific business software solutions made with LLcloud® to enterprise clients, e.g. for multi-sensor port analytics or for multi-sensor orphaned oil & gas wells monitoring.

Follow LLcloud on LinkedIn or visit LLcloud’s website.