11-21, 12:00–12:25 (Pacific/Auckland), WA220
ArkEdge Space Inc. has developed a Free and Open platform to democratize satellite-derived geospatial data. Leveraging FOSS4G technologies and rapid iterative development, we've quickly deployed forestry, agriculture, environmental, and water management apps globally, actively sharing source code to enable easy satellite-data access for everyone, including non-experts.
ArkEdge Space Inc. is a system integrator specializing in ultra-small satellites, having successfully launched and operated thirteen spacecraft to date. In 2024, based on the "Free and Open" philosophy, we initiated development of a platform aimed at making satellite-derived geospatial data easily accessible to everyone.
With the support of FOSS4G, within just one year, we developed multiple practical applications, including a forestry-management tool for local governments, an agricultural decision-support system for smallholder farmers and ministries in Global South countries, an environmental monitoring application, and applications for flood monitoring and water resource management. These tools enable non-experts to easily access, visualize, and analyze satellite data without requiring specialized knowledge.
We have collaborated with government agencies in Global South countries during the development of these applications. Currently, many of these applications have been deployed free of charge to government agencies and primary-sector workers in Global South countries, as well as to local municipalities and educational institutions within Japan.
Furthermore, we have actively provided the source code of our applications to other Web IT application companies. By doing so, we aim to enable a broader range of players—including ordinary IT companies without specialized satellite data expertise—to develop applications leveraging satellite data.
By adopting a rapid iteration approach—frequently developing, testing, and refining mock-up applications based on user feedback—we quickly produced a wide range of solutions tailored to user needs. FOSS4G technologies played a crucial role in enabling this agile development process. Specifically, we actively utilized various FOSS4G technologies such as MapLibre GL JS, PMTiles, TiTiler, and GDAL. Additionally, we leveraged open-source image processing models such as Segment Anything Model 2. The combination of TiTiler and AWS Lambda proved particularly powerful, supporting not only fast raster data delivery, rapid time-series processing, and data download tools, but also more specialized use cases like rainfall analysis applications.
In this way, we adopt the perspective of end users working with satellite-derived geospatial data. This hands-on experience gives us insight into the challenges of leveraging geospatial information—especially satellite data, which is large in size, stored in specialized formats, and requires expert knowledge for processing and analysis. Drawing on these insights, we are committed to further improving the usability of Free and Open geospatial data—including satellite datasets—and to providing an accessible data-delivery experience for all.
In this presentation, we will introduce our journey, discuss the underlying technologies, and share our vision for creating a society where satellite data is effortlessly accessible to everyone.
Dr. Ryo Suzumoto serves as Executive Officer and Co-founder of ArkEdge Space Inc., where he focuses on developing geospatial information platforms that leverage satellite data, driving business development and community engagement, and establishing the computing infrastructure that underpins satellite systems.
He earned his M.E. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering in 2020 and that same year joined Cookpad Inc. as a research engineer in the R&D department. In 2021, he co-founded ArkEdge Space Inc., and in 2023 he completed his Ph.D. in the same department, defending a dissertation entitled “Research on Development of Relative Position and Attitude Control Methods for Ultra-High Precision Satellite Formation Flying.”
His technical work encompasses control methods for ultra-high-precision satellite formation flying, the architectures needed to implement such formation flyings, and software systems for small satellites. In recognition of his early achievements, he received the Student Excellence Award from the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences in 2018 and the Young Encouragement Award at the 64th Space Sciences and Technology Conference in 2020.
More recently, Dr. Suzumoto has expanded his focus beyond the development and operation of satellites to the broader utilization of satellite assets and data. He now strives to create a future in which satellite IoT communications bridge connectivity gaps in remote regions and where technical barriers no longer limit access to satellite data and analytics. To that end, he leverages FOSS4G to build platforms that enable even non-experts to access geospatial information, including satellite data, with ease.
In addition to his research and product work, Dr. Suzumoto is deeply involved in open-source and educational outreach. He developed and released an open-source software suite for small satellites—C2A (Command-Centric Architecture), S2E (Spacecraft Simulation Environment), and WINGS (Web-based Interface Ground-station Software)—supporting community-driven satellite software development, and serves as the principal contributor to c2a-core, the satellite onboard software kernel. He also created and published an open-source CanSat development kit for middle and high school students, inspiring the next generation of space engineers.