Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is to supply infrared data for developers at the US Air Force’s (USAF) recently opened data utilisation lab in Boulder, Colorado.
Using powerful overhead sensors, SBIRS collects and transmits significant amounts of infrared data for both military and civilian uses.
The data from SBIRS will support a wide range of research and development projects across the field of remote sensing.
Lockheed Martin Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) systems mission area vice-president David Sheridan said: "By giving researchers access to this data, our objective is for them to find new, innovative uses for improving situational awareness, whether it is for tactical military missions, natural disasters or even firefighting."
Managed by the Remote Sensing Systems Directorate at the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center, the lab will allow development and demonstration of applications that can maximise utilisation of remote sensing data to support joint warfighter operations in the field.
The solutions developed at the lab for battlespace awareness, intelligence and 24/7 tactical alerts will be considered for operational applications at the SBIRS Mission Control Station, OPIR Battlespace Awareness Center at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, US.
Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center official lieutenant colonel Ross Johnston said: "In an effort to develop, test and transition new or enhanced capabilities, the data utilisation lab will provide an opportunity for users, data consumers and third-party developers to access these sensor feeds, providing an open framework architecture to host new tools, algorithms and processing solutions."
In addition to government and industry teams, academic organisations like the University of Colorado will use the data provided by the lab to facilitate collaboration and support research in areas that include monitoring the earth’s surface to determine the potential for forest fires or informing critical decisions during active fires, the company said in a statement.
Image: The Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Photo: courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
