Frontier · In situ sensors and instruments · RF, acoustics, cameras and radar
Event-based and neuromorphic cameras
Sensors that report changes per pixel at microsecond rates with very low power.
EMVA 1288 (reference for characterisation)
Water: every catchment gauged: what is moving at the frontier.
Nexus Observatory/
Water/
FrontierWater, at the frontier.
What is moving now in the technologies this industry runs on, each item traced to the specification or standard behind it.
Plan with usUse casesReference design, drawn to scale · drag to turn
01Frontier
The technologies moving now.
Ranked by how closely each serves what this industry needs to observe. Each item names the specification or standard it is drawn against.
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Tasking, ground segment and access
Optical ground stations
Laser downlink terminals that relieve radio spectrum limits, with weather-diverse site networks.
CCSDS 141.0-B (optical communications physical layer)
Frontier · Field operations and lifecycle · Health, safety and evidence records
Signed photographic evidence
Field photos with signed capture time, location and device for audit.
C2PA Technical Specification 2.x
Frontier · Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management
Distributed low-cost SDR sensor networks
Many inexpensive receivers at sites forming a continuous spectrum picture.
Rec. ITU-R SM.1880 · ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring
Frontier · Spectrum, timing and PNT · Spectrum monitoring and interference management
Machine-learning signal classification
Models that recognise signal types and anomalies in monitoring data.
ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Earth observation payload classes
On-board processing and AI for EO
In-orbit screening, compression and detection that downlink results instead of raw data and shorten time to alert.
CCSDS 122.0-B (image data compression) · CCSDS 123.0-B
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Inter-satellite and space-to-ground links
Optical inter-satellite links
Laser crosslinks giving multi-gigabit, low-interference routing in space without spectrum licensing.
SDA Optical Communications Terminal Standard · CCSDS 141.0-B (optical communications physical layer)
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Inter-satellite and space-to-ground links
Optical space-to-ground links
Laser downlinks to optical ground stations for very high data volumes, managed with site diversity against cloud.
CCSDS 141.0-B (optical physical layer) · CCSDS 142.0-B (optical coding and synchronisation)
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Inter-satellite and space-to-ground links
GEO data relay for LEO missions
Relays in higher orbit that give near-continuous contact to LEO spacecraft and cut data latency.
CCSDS 141.0-B · CCSDS 401.0-B (RF and modulation systems)
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Inter-satellite and space-to-ground links
Space-based quantum key distribution
Satellite links distributing quantum keys between distant ground sites as a research path for key exchange.
ITU-T Y.3800 (QKD network overview) · ETSI ISG QKD specifications
Frontier · Satellite and space systems · Tracking, telemetry and command and space safety
Rendezvous, proximity operations and on-orbit servicing
Inspection, refuelling, life extension and removal missions that change how space assets are maintained.
ISO 24330:2022 (RPO and on-orbit servicing)
Frontier · AI systems · Time-series and sensor AI
Virtual and soft sensors
Estimating quantities that are not measured directly from other sensors and models, labelled as estimates.
W3C SOSA/SSN ontology
Frontier · AI-RAN and Open RAN · AI/ML in the air interface and network management
AI/ML for CSI feedback
Learned compression and prediction of channel state information to improve MIMO precoding.
3GPP TR 38.843 (AI/ML for NR air interface, Rel-18)
Frontier · Core and transport networks · Fibre and optical transport
Distributed fibre sensing
Using telecom fibre as a sensor for vibration, temperature and strain along its route.
IEC 61757 (fibre optic sensors)
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Radar, lidar and microwave sensors
GNSS reflectometry
Reflected navigation signals for ocean wind, soil moisture and flood extent from low-cost receivers.
WMO OSCAR/Space
Frontier · AI systems · Foundation models for Earth observation and geospatial
Geospatial embeddings and similarity search
Vector representations of places and scenes that make large archives searchable by example.
OGC GeoAI Domain Working Group
Frontier · AI systems · Foundation models for Earth observation and geospatial
Super-resolution and gap filling
Generative methods that sharpen or fill imagery, labelled as model output with stated uncertainty.
ISO 19157-1
Frontier · AI systems · Foundation models for Earth observation and geospatial
AI weather and climate emulators
Learned models that emulate numerical weather prediction at much lower compute cost.
WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS)
Frontier · Core and transport networks · Network automation and intent
Network digital twins
A live model of the network for what-if analysis before changes go live.
ITU-T Y.3090 (digital twin network)
Frontier · AI systems · Edge inference, model serving and optimisation
Split and collaborative inference
Dividing a model between device, edge and cloud to balance latency, bandwidth and privacy.
3GPP TR 22.874 (AI/ML model transfer in 5GS) · 3GPP TR 23.700-80
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Frontier and research
Onboard AI and in-orbit processing
Detecting events and compressing to products in orbit so only what matters is downlinked.
CEOS ARD (as output target)
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Frontier and research
Optical inter-satellite links and data relay
Laser crosslinks that cut latency between acquisition and delivery.
CCSDS 141.0-B
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Frontier and research
High-revisit SAR and high-resolution thermal constellations
Hourly radar and fine-scale thermal views for monitoring that cannot wait for the next pass.
CEOS ARD SAR · CEOS ARD Surface Temperature
Frontier · Remote sensing and Earth observation · Frontier and research
Imaging spectroscopy constellations
Routine hyperspectral coverage for minerals, crops, water and methane.
CEOS ARD Surface Reflectance
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