ESA is using the ever-increasing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance Europe’s ability to respond more effectively and quickly to civil security and disaster situations. Announced at the International Astronautical Congress 2024 in Milan, Italy, ESA’s Civil Security from Space (CSS) programme’s new Ciseres project will enhance natural disaster detection and response by using on-board satellite image processing and predictive AI. This cutting-edge technology will empower first responders and government agencies to better protect communities, businesses, and lives.
As governments continue to grapple with increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events, early warning systems are becoming more important on a global scale. With terrestrial systems often coming under threat from these events, more resilient and enhanced monitoring and detection technologies are required to reduce societal and economic losses.
The Ciseres project, led and co-financed by Deimos, is working to meet the challenges that are faced with early warning systems. Satellites, operating in an environment safe from terrestrial disasters, can quickly identify when floods, fires, or landslides strike and provide critical information to all entities, regardless of their location or time.
The continuous monitoring on-board software, enhanced by AI technologies, will enable large amounts of data processing reducing megabytes of data into a few kilobytes, providing decision-makers with the most important and critical information, reducing the time taken to share and transmit the data. Through leveraging AI, the time taken to share such data could be brought down to less than a minute, potentially saving countless lives.
Ciseres is the intersection of the new space revolution, bringing together Deimos, Skylabs, and GINA Software to develop this initiative. These companies are working with ESA and partners to develop solutions that range from end-to-end Earth observation (EO) (a reactive EO satellite which has autonomous re-tasking capabilities), an AI platform for natural disaster detection and monitoring, and a user segment which will actively involve end-users, so that the platform moulds to the needs of each unique event.
The project collaborates with European agencies and civil protection services to tailor its offerings to end-users' specific needs. It also presents an opportunity for European industry to make a global impact, with international partnerships underway to ensure Ciseres is able to protect communities worldwide. Designed for inclusivity, the project welcomes third-party applications to join its environment and utilise shared Earth observation data to enhance their own disaster response capabilities.
“By enabling AI-based processing directly onboard the satellite, the Ciseres end-to-end solution will provide users with rapid 'actionable' information within a few minutes,” explains Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications. "We’re bringing New Space – in the form of AI, small sats, constellations, high resolution, optical and radar – to the last mile delivery in satellite communications.”
Simonetta Cheli, ESA Director of Earth Observation emphasised “When disaster strikes, it is critical not only to provide available situational awareness as fast as possible but also to rapidly task satellites to change their planned data collection schedules to ensure updated situational information can be acquired and delivered to crisis responders on the timescales they require. The Ciseres developments represent an important advancement in this respect.”
“AI-powered satellite systems will redefine how we respond to disasters. By processing critical data directly on-board, Ciseres enables first responders to make faster, life-saving decisions. This project underscores Europe's leadership in space innovation, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of this revolution,” said Simone Centuori, CEO of Deimos.
Ciseres is part of the Serenity project within ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications’ CSS programme. Serenity is a ground network of interconnected hubs that offer seamless access to space and ground resources for enhanced crisis response.
The CSS programme fosters the use of space-based solutions. It aims to help save lives and livelihoods and enable civil security players to act swiftly to support humanitarian responses, law enforcement, safety and emergency events, anywhere, at any time and for the benefit of everyone.
