A groundbreaking collaboration between BlackSky, Iceye, Aechelon Technology, and Niantic Spatial aims to revolutionize geospatial data access. Project Orbion, their joint venture, focuses on building a dynamic, planetary-scale digital twin of Earth. This ambitious project leverages high-resolution visual imagery from BlackSky and synthetic aperture radar data from Iceye.
The data feeds into Aechelon's Skybeam, a three-dimensional global database. "Our job is to make the data available for either human users or algorithms," explains Nacho Sanz-Pastor, Aechelon co-founder and CEO. "Machine-learning algorithms are hungry for current data. Frequent satellite observations allow Aechelon to provide those updates."
BlackSky provides Project Orbion with API access, enabling users to task satellites and retrieve imagery along with analytics. Scot Currie, BlackSky vice president of geospatial solutions, highlights Project Orbion's ability to merge diverse data sources effectively. Applications range widely, from wildfire monitoring to military targeting, all requiring precise, up-to-date global models.
Pekka Laurila, Iceye co-founder and chief strategy officer, emphasizes the project's role in establishing data-sharing standards. The initiative's first test involves providing 3D scanning and simulation technology to the United States Coast Guard Aviation Training Center. Aechelon's flight simulator image generators, enhanced by Niantic Spatial's technology, will enable tasks like scanning and evaluating helicopter landing zones.
"Aechelon has spent decades creating the most realistic synthetic environments for mission-critical training," Sanz-Pastor stated. "The challenge has always been keeping pace with changes in the physical world. Niantic Spatial’s technology plays a crucial role in addressing specific use cases, and when combined with our own AI-driven, world-wide multi-sensor baseline, it becomes a powerful solution."