Satellite technology has been through rapid development in recent years and every day, hundreds of satellites orbit above us in space with one purpose – to acquire and deliver timely data and information about our planet. Combined with new and improved data handling and processing capabilities, cloud computing and machine learning, satellite data provides new avenues to improve and augment geointelligence capacities and solutions.

Artificial Intelligence for Acute Living Earth Reconnaissance Technology “AI4ALERT” aims to uncover existing needs for time-critical geointelligence solutions among stakeholders working with critical infrastructure or otherwise operate within a defense and security context.

Through a series of bilateral meetings and online webinars with key stakeholders, the project will seek to connect industry leaders and document existing technology gaps and unmet needs for geointelligence. Consequently, the project will demonstrate how the combination of novel satellite data sources and deep learning technology can power scaleable, autonomous and intelligent solutions to address a variety of these needs.

Examples of such services include:

• Monitoring critical infrastructure (e.g. detecting fallen trees or other obstacles on roads and railways, monitoring vegetation growth in the vicinity of electrical grids, detecting unapproved excavation work nearby power- and gas lines, monitoring soil moisture to detect waterpipe leaks, mapping flooded roads as well as general dynamic monitoring of traffic movement);
• Tracking and monitoring activity patterns and movement in operational scenarios (i.e., detecting and monitoring the number of people and cars to provide insight into activity patterns and early warnings for unusual activities);
• Monitoring the impact of emergency events (e.g. the extent of flooding’s and identification of people and housing impacted, monitoring fire risk and ongoing fire extent and movement, detecting and tracking oil spills, etc.).

Such solutions and information services could underpin a range of core geointelligence needs among a wide range of private and public stakeholders in both Denmark and internationally, including emergency authorities, the police, the defence, national security agencies, airports, ports and harbors, utilities and insurance companies.