WESTMINSTER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DigitalGlobe, Inc. (NYSE: DGI), the global leader in earth imagery and information about our changing planet, today announced the launch of SpaceNet, an online repository of satellite imagery and labeled training data that will advance the development of machine learning and deep learning algorithms that leverage remote sensing data. SpaceNet is a collaboration between DigitalGlobe, CosmiQ Works, and NVIDIA, and the imagery is now freely available as a public data set on Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS).
GPU-accelerated deep learning has led to huge breakthroughs in the field of computer vision. Most of this innovation has occurred through research enabled by ImageNet, a database of 14 million photographs labeled in over 20,000 categories. SpaceNet aims to facilitate similar advances in automating the detection and extraction of features in satellite imagery, fueled by the massive amount of information about our changing planet that DigitalGlobe collects every day, and that of emerging commercial satellite imagery providers.
Until now, high-resolution satellite imagery has not been readily accessible for data scientists and developers to build meaningful computer vision algorithms. SpaceNet will for the first time open access to a large corpus of curated, high-resolution satellite imagery to incubate algorithm development. SpaceNet will launch with an initial contribution of DigitalGlobe multi-spectral satellite imagery and 200,000 curated building footprints across the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This initial contribution will provide the necessary data to create new algorithms to automate the extraction of features like buildings in dense urban environments. Over time DigitalGlobe, CosmiQ Works, NVIDIA, and AWS anticipate making more than 60 million labeled satellite images accessible to the public via SpaceNet.
“Each minute something is happening in the world. While commercial constellations are poised to collect imagery at global scale, we must advance our ability to analyze data to realize its full potential,” said Tony Frazier, Senior Vice President at DigitalGlobe. “SpaceNet is key to unlocking a huge explosion of new AI-driven applications that ultimately will help us better respond to natural disasters, counter global security threats, improve population health outcomes, and much more. The industry is coming together to power smarter algorithms so we can see and learn things from imagery about our planet that we simply cannot know today through manual techniques.”
“Innovation of AI algorithms is fueled by large, high-quality, labeled datasets like SpaceNet and flexible, open-source machine learning tools,” said Dr. Jon Barker, Solutions Architect at NVIDIA. “Researchers will be able to create high-impact geospatial applications by applying our DIGITS deep learning tool to the SpaceNet data corpus."
To access the data, visit SpaceNet on AWS.
About DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe is a leading provider of
commercial high-resolution earth observation and advanced geospatial
solutions that help decision makers better understand our changing
planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the
world's leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched
coverage and capacity to meet our customers' most demanding mission
requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public
safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental
monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management,
navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend
on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain
actionable insight.
About CosmiQ Works
CosmiQ Works conducts research and
analysis to assist the U.S. Intelligence Community to better leverage
new and emerging commercial space capabilities. Operating as an In-Q-Tel
technology challenge lab, CosmiQ Works brings together participants from
government, industry, and academia to address space-related challenges
with the potential for high mission impact. CosmiQ Works also provides
support to In-Q-Tel’s investment team as it pursues relationships with
space-related startup companies.
Special note about forward-looking statements
Certain
statements contained herein, including statements about our 2016
outlook, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.
Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future financial
performance. We generally identify forward-looking statements by
terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,”
“anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,”
“believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” or “looks
forward to” or the negative of these terms or other similar words,
although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.
Forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and assumptions of future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such forward looking statements. Some of the risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: the loss or reduction in scope of any of our primary contracts, or decisions by customers not to exercise renewal options; the availability of government funding for our products and services both domestically and internationally; our ability to meet our obligations under the EnhancedView contract; our reliance on a limited number of vendors to provide certain key products or services to us; breach of our system security measures or loss of our secure facility clearance and accreditation; the loss or damage to any of our satellites; delays in the construction and launch of any of our satellites or our ability to achieve and maintain full operational capacity of all our satellites; loss or damage to the content contained in our ImageLibrary; interruption or failure of our ground systems and other infrastructure; decrease in demand for our imagery products and services; increased competition that may reduce our market share or cause us to lower our prices; changes in political or economic conditions, including fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies, interest rates, energy and commodity prices, trade laws and the effects of governmental initiatives to manage economic conditions; our ability to recruit, hire or retain key employees or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; failure to obtain or maintain required regulatory approvals and licenses; and, changes in U.S. or foreign law or regulation that may limit our ability to distribute our imagery products and services. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.
We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements.