Software Development

VisioTerra, a French Earth observation consultancy founded in 2004, develops custom software for organisations that need to browse, process and share satellite data: client-server, Android and standalone Java applications. The client-server applications are derived from VtWeb, VisioTerra's free-access platform for inventorying, processing, visualising, sharing and exporting Earth observation, meteorological, climate, biogeophysical and socio-economic data.

They can run on VisioTerra's own infrastructure (6 servers, more than 1 PB of disk space, 1 Gb/s symmetrical fibre). Some servers synchronise with data producers to manage catalogues; others run geoservices that wait for satellites to pass over the areas being monitored. Processing is done on the fly using POF-ML, a language VisioTerra created. Android apps take maps, images and detected events into the field, work offline, capture photos, videos and interviews, and let observers share observations and write reports.

Published references include HEDAVI and VtCryoSat, built for ESA to explore ERS, Envisat, Landsat and CryoSat data; VtGsep for GOCE and Swarm data; DEM4S2, which serves elevation models for Sentinel-2 tiles; and VtEolex, a standalone tool for IRD and CNES that catalogues satellite products on local disks. Under the GMES & Africa programme, VisioTerra supported AfEOS in developing indicators, dashboards and periodic bulletins for MISBAR, an agriculture and irrigation platform, and configured a datacentre for the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS). The references also list the CAFWS deforestation warning platform (Sentinel-1 radar) and a virtual globe for PACe, a cetacean-habitat project with Fondation TOTAL, WMU and the universities of Ruhuna and Iceland.