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AI chases clouds from the sky

A start-up based in Cornwall is helping farmers use satellite data to manage their crops - even when the skies are cloudy.

Aspia Space has developed a patented algorithm which is trained to take cloud-piercing radar data from an EU satellite, Sentinel-1, and transform it into an optical image that mimics images produced by another satellite, Sentinel-2. Sentinel-2 views the ground using optical wavelengths, providing images that are much easier to understand than the radar data from Sentinel-1.

Aspia's innovative approach allows farmers to monitor their crops via satellite imagery throughout the growing season, even if the ground is obscured when the satellite passes over. Problems, such as drought or disease, can be spotted and dealt with much more quickly, thereby optimising crop yields.

Advances in satellite imaging and artificial intelligence are just some of the exciting ways in which cutting-edge technology is benefitting the agricultural sector. M&C's dedicated Agri-tech group brings together IP specialists with a range of expertise, to help ensure your Agri-IP is protected. 

Aspia's patented algorithm relies on two types on satellite. One of them is the European Union's workhorse Sentinel-2 spacecraft, which views the ground at so-called optical wavelengths - the type of light to which our eyes are also sensitive. Its pictures are intuitive and easy to analyse - unless the ground is smothered by cloud, which in the UK is a frequent occurrence. But another EU satellite, Sentinel-1, uses radar to map the ground. Its microwave emission has no problem piercing cloud. Indeed, Sentinel-1 will even see the surface in darkness, at night.

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Tags

agritech, artificial intelligence, satellite imaging, algorithms, womeninip