Image courtesy FrontierSI
Round 2 of the AGO Labs Program has been launched by FrontierSI in partnership with the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO).
The AGO’s Analytics Labs Program (AGO Labs), coordinated via FrontierSI, was set up to help AGO access new technology and test new ways of working with industry.
The program involves conducting short-term projects with Australian- and New Zealand-based companies, with a focus on machine learning and analytics for automated imagery analysis.
“Through this process, learnings can be gathered about the barriers and opportunities for AGO to work with an increased breadth of companies,” said FrontierSI Deputy CEO, Phil Delaney.
“In turn, it could lead to a long-term mechanism for AGO to access and provide a pipeline of activities to industry for testing new innovations and thinking in analytics.’’
The Round 2 challenge topics are:
- ‘What Vessel is that?’ which aims to see whether algorithms can use commercial synthetic aperture radar satellite data to classify maritime vessels.
- ‘Made You Look,’ an investigation into the possibility of detecting malicious modification of commercial imagery products.
- ‘What’s Behind that Hill?’ which aims to determine the impact of masking of imagery by terrain or structures on automated object detection.
- ‘Detections from Geometry,’ which aims to see whether machine learning techniques can identify categories of objects/facilities of interest based on the input of known dimensions and/or shapes.
Following the success of the 2019 pilot program, FrontierSI has worked with AGO to expand the program in 2021. It will now include at least seven potential projects valued up to $150,000 each and split over the two challenge rounds. (Round 1 was announced in November 2020.)
Successful applicants’ projects will run for approximately six months and will see participants working with AGO and Defence subject matter experts. Applications are due by 3 August 2021.
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