Project overview
GIMEOS (Geospatial Imaging and Modeling Earth Observations Simulator) is an advanced simulation tool project funded by the CDTI program, an initiative from Spain Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities designed to support technological innovation.
In the fast-evolving world of NewSpace, where innovation and agility drive success, GIMEOS aims to transform the way satellite missions are conceptualized and launched. The project focuses on building an algorithm that generalizes satellite pixel sizes and shapes on the Earth’s surface, integrates atmospheric models, and delivers powerful, user-friendly data visualization tools. By creating this solution, we aim to provide essential data even before satellite instruments are operational, bridging the gap between concept and execution, hence making the NewSpace project transition more scalable and cost-effective.
Our goal is to enable faster and cost-effective mission dynamics by automating the process and preparing data processing well in advance. This approach not only reduces risks and costs but also accelerates development, offering mission teams the opportunity to validate algorithms and streamline data processing chains ahead of time.
Project Objectives
This project will be carried out through a series of clearly defined steps, each contributing to the overall development of a user-friendly system. Starting with the core algorithm development, the process will move towards integrating user-facing features and ensuring a strong infrastructure. Each phase plays a crucial role in creating a technically advanced and accessible final product. Below is an outline of the key steps in this implementation journey.
Objective 1. Algorithm Development: Create an algorithm capable of generalizing satellite pixel sizes and shapes on the Earth’s surface, providing critical spatial information for diverse use cases.
Objective 2. Integrated Atmospheric Modeling: Develop an internal interface that seamlessly integrates databases and models of atmospheric components with our radiative transfer simulation tool, ensuring accuracy and consistency.
Objective 3. Result Validation: Validate the simulation results by comparing them against external data sources, ensuring reliability and precision of the generated outputs.
Objective 4. User-Friendly Pixel Price Calculator: Create a pixel price calculator to provide users with transparent and clear pricing for the data they require.
Objective 5. User Interface Development: Design an intuitive interface that allows users to easily input parameters into the tool, making complex simulations accessible for all levels of expertise.
Objective 6. Hosting Infrastructure: Establish a robust hardware infrastructure capable of hosting the simulation calculations and user interface, ensuring a seamless experience for users.
Objective 7. Data Visualization: Deliver data in an efficient, flexible, and powerful manner by creating a visualization tool that allows users to explore and understand the results easily.
Figure 1: Illustration of the proposed approach
Members of consortium
GRASP Spain SL, a subsidiary of the GRASP Earth group, specializes in the development of computing engineering tools essential for advancing the “GRASP” code (Generalized Retrieval of Atmosphere and Surface Properties). GRASP Earth group is globally recognized for its contributions to remote sensing science, providing expertise in state-of-the-art retrieval methodologies and applications across diverse satellite platforms and data synergies.
GRASP Spain SL’s role focuses on the engineering aspects of the GRASP code, ensuring its optimization, scalability, and adaptability for a wide range of remote sensing applications. The team leverages its comprehensive understanding of the code’s physical and mathematical foundations to enable robust and efficient retrieval of aerosol and surface properties.
This expertise has supported numerous projects to extract atmospheric and surface parameters from various satellite sensors (e.g., POLDER, MERIS, AATSR, OLCI/S-3, TROPOMI/S-5p, Himawari), their synergies (e.g., MERIS+AATSR), and integrated ground-based and satellite observations (e.g., AERONET+OLCI/S-3, AERONET+TROPOMI/S-5p). GRASP Spain SL also plays a pivotal role in advancing the algorithm’s synergistic retrieval capabilities to integrate multiple satellite measurements effectively.
These developments are well-documented in scientific literature, including works by Lopatin et al. (2013, 2021) and Dubovik et al. (2021), highlighting the application of GRASP for both passive and active remote sensing techniques.
Data
The data will be available soon.
