A team of three researchers from the University of Malta has been successful in improving the resolution of the sea surface temperature data using Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, making it better equipped for climate change monitoring and weather forecasting.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said that: “MCST has a leading national role on space-related matters. We advise our Government on Space Policy and work to promote the sector locally through education, capacity-building and other initiatives. We collaborate with foreign space agencies and allocate funding for space research, most notably through our Space Research Fund.
This morning, we have witnessed one of the success stories of the Space Research Fund, which was set up to fund R&D&I projects in the downstream Earth Observation sector. The project SAT-FIRE received approximately 150,000 euros in funding to support investment in human resources for research and specialised IT equipment.”
A growing number of satellites are orbiting our planet, to monitor its constantly changing environmental, geophysical and atmospheric conditions. These satellites have sophisticated cameras onboard which can be used to capture images of the Earth as the satellite passes by.
These can be optical cameras, which take standard colour pictures similar to the ones we would take from the window seat of a plane using our smartphone, or thermal cameras, which measure heat being emitted by the Earth’s surface. One important parameter captured by thermal cameras is the sea surface temperature, which is very useful in the forecasting of sea currents.
Minister for Equality, Research and Innovation Dr Owen Bonnici attended the public engagement event promoting this project. In his address, he congratulated the researchers for their great achievement, which is being recognised internationally.
He also thanked the European Space Agency for their continuous provision of technical expertise and the Space Research Fund Scheme, which is instrumental in making such research projects possible.
Minister Bonnici explained that, “Space research has immense potential that we have only just begun to uncover. It can help us find innovative solutions to issues that effect our everyday lives. Through space research, we can gather better data allowing us to assess environmental hazards, manage natural resources and understand better the changes in our climate and how our environment is being effected.”
Dr Ing Gianluca Valentino, a Lecturer at the University of Malta and the Principal Investigator of the SAT-FIRE project, said that the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-3 satellite can measure sea surface temperature data of the same location every two days, therefore making it suitable for use in forecasting sea currents. However, the resolution of the data is low, as only changes in sea surface temperature over an area larger than 1 kilometre can be measured. On the other hand, the USGS/NASA Landsat 8 satellite can capture images with more detail. Changes in temperature over areas as small as 100 metres can be seen, but as the satellite passes over the same spot only every 16 days, its data cannot be used for forecasting purposes.
The SAT-FIRE (SATellite data Fusion and Imaging Resolution Enhancement for coastal areas) project was one of the first projects to receive funding by the first-ever national Space Research Fund. The principal investigator on this project is Dr Ing. Gianluca Valentino, with the co-investigators being Dr Ing Reuben Farrugia from the Department of Communications and Computer Engineering and Dr Anthony Galea from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Malta.
Project SAT-FIRE is financed by the Malta Council for Science & Technology, for and on behalf of the Foundation for Science and Technology, through the Space Research Fund.
€150,000 f’finanzjament għal SAT-FIRE- proġett li permezz tal-Intelliġenza Artifiċjali se jippermetti li t-temperatura ta’ wiċċ il-baħar titkejjel b’aktar dettall.
Tim ta’ tliet riċerkaturi mill-Università ta’ Malta rnexxielhom itejbu r-riżoluzzjoni tad-data dwar it-temperatura tal-wiċċ tal-baħar bl-użu ta’ tekniki ta’ Intelliġenza Artifiċjali (IA). Dan ifisser li d-data miġbura tkun tista’ tintuża aħjar għall-osservazzjoni tat-tibdil fil-klima u t-tbassir tat-temp.
Iċ-Ċermen Eżekuttiv tal-Kunsill Malti għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija (MCST), Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, fid-diskors tal-ftuħ tiegħu, qal li: “L-MCST għandu rwol ewlieni fl-inkoraġġiment ta’ riċerka innovattiva f’oqsma relatati mal-ispazju. Il-Kunsill jagħti pariri lill-Gvern dwar il-politika tal-Ispazju u għaddej b’ħidma biex jippromovih lokalment permezz tal-edukazzjoni, l-iżvilupp ta’ kompetenzi u inizjattivi oħra. Ħloqna wkoll opportunitajiet ta’ fondi fis-settur, bħall-Fond għar-Riċerka Spazjali, b’riżultat ta’ sforz kollaborattiv ma’ aġenziji ewlenin internazzjonali f’dan il-qasam.
Dalgħodu ċċelebrajna s-suċċess ta’ wieħed mill-proġetti li bbenefika minn dan il-fond, li ġie mwaqqaf bil-għan li jipprovdi għajnuna finanzjarja fl-iżvilupp ta’ riċerka u innovazzjoni fis-settur tal-osservazzjoni tad-dinja. Il-proġett SAT-FIRE rċieva madwar 150,000 ewro f’fondi sabiex itejjeb ir-riżorsi umani meħtieġa u tagħmir teknoloġiku relatat.”
L-għadd ta’ satelliti li qed jorbitaw il-pjaneta tagħna qiegħed dejjem jikber. Dawn qegħdin hemm biex nimmoniterjaw il-kundizzjonijiet ambjentali, ġeofiżiċi u atmosferiċi li qed jinbidlu b’mod kostanti. Dawn is-satelliti għandhom kameras sofistikati abbord li jistgħu jintużaw biex jaqbdu immaġini tad-Dinja hekk kif tgħaddi s-satellita.
Dawn jistgħu jkunu bħal kameras li jieħdu stampi tal-kulur simili għal dawk li nieħdu mit-tieqa tal-ajruplan bl-ismartphone tagħna, jew kameras termali, li jkejlu s-sħana li toħroġ mis-superfiċji tad-Dinja. Parametru importanti li jinqabad mill-kameras termali huwa t-temperatura tal-wiċċ tal-baħar, li hija utli ħafna fit-tbassir tal-kurrenti tal-baħar.
Il-Ministru għall-Ugwaljanza, ir-Riċerka u l-Innovazzjoni Dr Owen Bonnici attenda għall-avveniment li sar fiċ-Ċentru Interattiv Esplora, biex jippromwovi dan il-proġett. Fid-diskors tiegħu, huwa feraħ lir-riċerkaturi għall-kisba kbira li għamlu u li qed tiġi rikonoxxuta internazzjonalment.
Huwa rringrazzja wkoll lill-Aġenzija Spazjali Ewropea għall-għarfien espert tekniku li kontinwament tipprovdi u l-Iskema tal-Fond Nazzjonali għar-Riċerka Spazjali, li hija strumentali biex dawn il-proġetti ta’ riċerka jsiru possibbli.
Il-Ministru Bonnici spjega li “ Ir-riċerka spazjali għandha potenzjal enormi li għadna bil-kemm bdejna niskopru. Din tista’ tgħinna nsibu soluzzjonijiet innovattivi għal problemi li jaffetwawna fil-ħajja ta’ kuljum. Permezz tar-riċerka spazjali nkunu nistgħu niksbu informazzjoni aħjar li tgħinna fl-assessjar ta’ perikli ambjentali, fl-immaniġġjar tar-riżorsi naturali u biex nifhmu aħjar il-bidliet fil-klima u l-effett li dawn qed iħallu fuq l-ambjent.”
Dr Ing Gianluca Valentino, lettur fl-Università ta’ Malta u r-Riċerkatur Prinċipali tal-proġett SAT-FIRE, qal li s-satellita Sentinel-3 tal-Aġenzija Spazjali Ewropea tista’ tkejjel id-data dwar it-temperatura tal-wiċċ tal-baħar tal-istess post kull jumejn, u b’hekk tagħmilha adattata għall-użu fit-tbassir tal-kurrenti tal-baħar. Madankollu, ir-riżoluzzjoni tad-data hija baxxa, peress li jistgħu jitkejlu biss bidliet fit-temperatura tas-superfiċji tal-baħar fuq area akbar minn kilometru. Min-naħa l-oħra, is-satellita USGS/NASA Landsat 8 tista’ taqbad immaġini b’aktar dettall. Bidliet fit-temperatura fuq żoni żgħar daqs 100 metru jistgħu jidhru, iżda billi s-satellita tgħaddi fuq l-istess post biss kull 16-il jum, id-data tagħha ma tistax tintuża għal skopijiet ta’ tbassir.
Il-proġett SAT-FIRE (SATellite data Fusion and Imaging Resolution Enhancement for coastal areas) kien wieħed mill-ewwel proġetti li rċieva finanzjament mill-ewwel Fond Nazzjonali għar-Riċerka Spazjali. L-investigatur prinċipali dwar dan il-proġett huwa Dr Ing. Gianluca Valentino, bil-koinvestigaturi jkunu Dr Ing Reuben Farrugia mid-Dipartiment tal-Komunikazzjoni u l-Inġinerija tal-Kompjuter u Dr Anthony Galea mid-Dipartiment tal-Geosciences fl-Università ta’ Malta.
Il-Proġett SAT-FIRE huwa ffinanzjat mill-Kunsill Malti għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija, għal u f’isem il-Fondazzjoni għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija, permezz tal-Fond għar-Riċerka Spazjali.
This article was last updated on: August 12, 2021