An Edmonton-based space tech company made up of University of Alberta alumni is uncovering new perception into the planet with the first-ever business hyperspectral satellite tv for pc.
But what precisely is that? It sounds sophisticated however Chris Robson, the co-founder and CEO of Wyvern, provided a easy method to give it some thought.
“Imagine if you and I were on an airplane looking down. We would see forests and rivers and mountains, but if you could see with hyperspectral eyes, you wouldn’t just see a forest,” Robson stated.
“You would see all the species of trees, you would see if there’s a pine beetle infestation, you would see how much water, moisture is in the dirt, in the vegetation.”
Robson holds a masters in mechanical engineering from the U of A, the place he studied aerodynamic perspective management programs.
A hyperspectral map appears to be like like an infrared warmth map — however within the case of the map pictured above, totally different colors symbolize issues like moisture ranges, vegetation, and a camouflage automobile hiding on the sting of a forest.
“These colour bands are the things that allow you to figure out what sort of chemistry is going on and is happening inside of a pixel,” Robson stated.
According to Robson, the varieties of hyperspectral pictures above may be helpful for all types of sectors, together with agriculture, mining, insurance coverage and authorities defence.
“If you’re in forestry, it’s figuring out exactly what sort of timber inventory you have or the risk of wildfire. If you’re in energy it’s environmental remediation, it’s also measuring how much methane is leaking from your infrastructure,” Robson stated.
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“There’s lots of applications; with hyperspectral there are literally thousands.”
Images are captured utilizing Wyvern’s Dragonette satellites. The company stated it’s a game-changer for the business — the primary business hyperspectral satellite tv for pc company on the earth.
“We started this with a goal of building a better Earth from space by being able to figure out exactly what’s going on earth on any given day,” Robson stated.
Wyvern launched its first three Dragonette satellites final yr, aboard SpaceX rockets.
Its satellites orbit Earth 15 instances a day and go to the identical place on Earth each three days. It takes up to six hours to get one picture.
“We have three more satellites on the way right now that’ll bring the current constellation up to six,” stated Callie Lissinna, engineer and co-founder of Wyvern who additionally has a diploma in mechanical engineering with a arithmetic minor from the University of Alberta.
The workforce stated their satellites are a cheaper various to drone imagery.
“It takes a lot of work to cover a very small area with a drone. Our satellites can take a 400-square-kilometre image in a few seconds,” Robson stated.
“We can discover all kinds of new insights about the world, now that we have this brand-new information available for the first time,” Lissinna stated.
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