A new high performance data analytics platform called terrabyte has been announced that will enable researchers in Bavaria and Germany to use satellite and earth observation data for classical simulations and evaluation using artificial intelligence methods. The new system is jointly run by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), a national research center for aeronautics and space, and the Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ), one of the top three supercomputing centers in Germany. The DLR hosts a trove of historical data from 50 years of Earth observation along with current radar and multispectral images from satellites sent back to Earth each day. A release from the LRZ says this data is the basis for research projects like the DLR’s “World Settlement Footprint,” which has tracked the development of settlements globally since 1985. The project provides support for urban and transportation planners and has been especially active in megacities such as Cairo, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro.
