Successful participation in the Catalonia AI4EO Day

2023-02-28 12:35:00

The Catalonia AI4EO Day (‘Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation’) was held on 21 February 2023, focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to Earth Observation (EO) and Remote Sensing in Catalonia. The conference was aimed at bringing together all the actors who develop activities in the field of AI applied to these areas.

The event was organised by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC – Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) and the Government of Catalonia as part of the NewSpace Strategy of Catalonia, with the collaboration of Artificial Intelligence Research Alliance (AIRA) and the Digital Catalonia Alliance (DCA).

The Catalonia AI4EO Day, held at the CSIC Researchers Residence in Barcelona, covered topics such as how to connect the academic world and the industry or how to address existing funding, and emphasised the need to promote the research about AI issues related to EO.

With more than 70 participants, among attendees and speakers, from 25 companies, 15 research centres and 2 public entities, the event had the participation of Lluís Juncà, Director General of Innovation, Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship of the Government of Catalonia, who talked about Catalonia's potential as an innovation hub in this sector. In addition, it is worth highlighting the participation (remotely) of the European Space Agency (ESA) PhiLab’s experts Pierre-Philippe Mathieu, Rochelle Schneider and Casper Fibæk, who presented the importance of data for better decision-making on topics such as climate change, education, and health, among others.

During the AI4EO Day, presentations on the work of companies and research in this sector were held, highlighting the initiatives and use cases of AI in the framework of EO, with presentations by Josep Colomé (Director of the Catalonia Space Office, at the IEEC), Carlos López-Martínez (IEEC-Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC), Josep-Lluis Arcos (Institute for Research in Artificial Intelligence, IIIA-CSIC), Gustau Camps-Valls (Universitat de València), Gerard Margarit (GMV), Mercè Vall-llossera Ferran (IEEC-UPC), Juan B. Pedro (EarthPulse), Ieremia Crisan (Open Cosmos), Meritxell Bassolas (Computer Vision Center), David Raskovan (Satellogic) and Oscar Mora (Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia, ICGC).

The day closed with the round table to learn more about the future of this sector in Catalonia, with the speakers Laura Moreno Patricio (EarthPulse), Gustau Camps-Valls (UV), Francisco Doblas (Barcelona Supercomputing Center), Jordi Corbera (ICGC), and Gerard Margarit (GMV) and Carlos López-Martínez (IEEC-UPC) as moderator.

We would like to invite you to consult the playlist of all the presentations on our YouTube channel: