The ESA Φ-lab permanently explores innovative technologies to revolutionise and accelerate the future of EO. Three axes are being followed to utilise untapped potential for EO technologies mainly related to ICT revolution including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Innovative Computing Paradigms, as well as the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Cognitive Space.
The Φ-lab in developing its own competences is mainly active along three technology axes and applies them to all elements of the Earth Observation sector.
Budget wise, about 65% of the activities carried out in the Explore and Invest offices are for Flight HW and SW, and the remaining for downstream applications are innovative business models.
This is currently the core of our research activity that we perform in the Explore Office, and a significant part of the InCubed programme to demonstrate that Artificial Intelligence is a transformative technology also in space. We develop algorithms, we grow the AI4EO community, we host Industry researchers to generate their next disruptive product or service with us.
Focus on AI4EO
Quantum Computing for EO (QC4EO) is a very recent initiative (September 2020) established by Φ-lab in collaboration with CERN. Quantum computing has the potential to improve performance, decrease computational costs and solve previously intractable problems in Earth observation by exploiting quantum phenomena such as superposition, entanglement and tunnelling. The initiative involves creating a quantum capability which will have the ability to solve the most computational demanding Earth observation problems by using artificial intelligence to support programmes such as and . This initiative will be extended to link to the CERN Quantum Technology Initiative, which was announced in June 2020 by the CERN Director General, Fabiola Gianotti. Through this partnership, ESA and CERN will create new synergies, building on their common experience in big data, data mining and pattern recognition.
QUANTUM COMPUTING
Other technologies we are exploring are IOT, Blockchain and Cognitive space.
Our goal is to enable a connected network of talents that brings together expertise and ideas from researchers, industry, ICT players, innovators and start-ups to foster learning from EO data with new technologies for a more sustainable planet Earth.
Pierre-Philippe Mathieu, Head of Φ-lab Explore Office
Supported by a core team of staff in charge of industrial activities and a diverse team of researchers – including ESA research fellows, Young Graduate Trainees, visiting scientists from both academia and industry – these new players will collaborate on a suite of pilot projects focusing on transformative data-driven technologies.
Our people
The Φ-lab also operates as an open space or collaborative platform hosting visitors from academia and industry to investigate new ideas together, providing ESA with a kind of “Think Tank” to explore new activities.
ML and, in particular DL methods have become the state-of-the-ar...
The EO-learn is an open-source library bridging the gap between ...
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