As counterpart to the on-board system, a cloud-based processing and service environment was created, denote as On-Ground Platform. The functionalities of this platform include the management of monitoring tasks, data processing, data storage and the provision of user services. The platform provides interfaces to both endpoints of the end-to-end chain: the on-board system and the user interfaces, such as the browser-based web UI and the mobile app.

How does the system work?

The On-Ground Platform consists of containerized processing modules connected through a message-driven infrastructure. These modules implement task management and communication functionalities as well as the individual processing steps of the SAR and VIS processing chains and the data fusion. Data products are stored in an S3-compatible object storage module.

The User Services are made available through a web-based user interface and a mobile application, IIMEO web UI provides the following functions to the users:

1. Configure and trigger monitoring task: The user selects a region of interest that includes the part of the infrastructure that shall be monitored. This step defines a corresponding monitoring task, which is then forwarded to the IIMEO system, which starts processing the task on the selected area.
2. View and analyse the monitoring task results: After the IIMEO system completed the task, the results are made available to the user. The web front end displays detected disruptions on the map, with options to view detailed information such as location and detection accuracy of the detected disruption.

The mobile application complements the Web UI by providing a field-oriented interface for accessing monitoring results and task information:

1. Map-based monitoring and event inspection:
   Detection locations are displayed as interactive markers on a mobile map. By selecting a marker, users can view detailed event information such as location, time, processing status, and available SAR or VIS imagery.
2. Task management and navigation:
   Users can review available monitoring tasks and easily navigate from a selected task to the corresponding detection locations on the map.
3. Real-time updates and field support:
   The app notifies users when new monitoring tasks become available and allows direct access to them via notifications. It also supports rapid situational awareness and mobile inspection of geo-localized anomaly information while on the move.

📹 Mobile App Demonstration Video:
IIMEO_APP_DEMONSTRATION_VIDEO 

What are the benefits?

• Near real-time access to information through direct integration with onboard processing capabilities.
• Scalable cloud architecture that supports efficient deployment and expansion of processing services.
• Modular design enabling straightforward integration of new algorithms and applications
• User-friendly interfaces via web and mobile applications for task management and result visualization.
• Advanced analytics capabilities by using multiple processors and GPU support provided by the cloud environment
• Automated notifications through mobile access to monitoring results

Looking ahead

The On-Ground platform closes the end-to-end chain of the overall IIMEO system and provides a flexible foundation for this system in particular and for current and future Earth observation services in general by integrating on-board computation results with cloud-based analysis functions. It forms a scalable system capable of supporting operational monitoring, observation and environmental applications, whilst improving the speed and effectiveness with which information is made available to end users.