MEDIA RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MELBOURNE, 12 JULY 2021
FrontierSI Announces Round 2 of the AGO Labs Program
FrontierSI is excited to launch Round 2 of the AGO Labs Program, in partnership with the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO).
The AGO’s Analytics Labs Program (AGO Labs), coordinated through FrontierSI, was created to help AGO better access innovative technology and trial new ways of working with industry. The Program aims to address AGO challenges and build new industry capability through short-term projects with Australian and New Zealand-based companies. AGO Labs Challenge Topics focus on machine learning and analytics challenges for producing automated imagery analysis.
Today marks the launch of Round 2 of the AGO Analytics Labs Program, with an open call for responses to AGO challenge topics due back to FrontierSI by 3 August 2021.
FrontierSI Deputy CEO, Phil Delaney, said ‘’FrontierSI has been impressed with the quality and creativeness of the proposals received to date, and this has been critical to the continued growth and impact of the program. We see this as a unique mechanism to expose innovative specialist capabilities, particularly of Australian and New Zealand small and medium businesses, to agencies such as AGO. Through this process, learnings can be gathered about the barriers and opportunities for AGO to work with an increased breadth of companies. In turn, it could lead to a long-term mechanism for AGO to access and provide a pipeline of activities to industry for testing new innovations and thinking in analytics.’’
The program involves a series of new and emergent capability challenges, via small scale research projects and concept demonstrators. For Round 2 of the AGO Labs program, the four novel capability challenge topics are:
- ‘What Vessel is that?’ which aims to investigate whether algorithms can be run across commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data to classify maritime vessels.
- ‘Made You Look’ which is a research-focussed investigation on the possibility of encountering and detecting malicious modification of commercial imagery products.
- ‘What’s Behind that Hill?’ which aims to determine the impact of masking of imagery by terrain or structures on automated object detection.
- ‘Detections from Geometry’ which aims to investigate whether machine learning techniques can identify categories of objects/facilities of interest based on the input of known dimensions and/or shapes.
This exciting opportunity assists AGO to extend its geospatial-intelligence capability and access those innovative companies to trial new technology approaches. At the same time, the program enables businesses to showcase their skillsets to AGO without needing any defence security clearance.’’ Delaney continued.
After the success of the 2019 pilot AGO Labs program, FrontierSI has worked with AGO to expand the program over 2021. The Program will now include at least seven potential projects valued up to $150,000 each and split over two challenge rounds, the first round of which was announced in November 2020.
Delaney also noted, “We’re proud to lead programs like AGO Labs, which collaborate with our government partners, and continue to invest in our space-enabled industries.”
The successful industry applicants, through FrontierSI, will run projects for approximately six months and involve participants working closely with AGO and Defence subject matter experts demonstrating how modern technologies could be used in the provision of geospatial‑intelligence products to Defence and Government customers.
Further information on Round 2 AGO Analytics Labs challenge statements and how to submit your proposal can be found at https://frontiersi.com.au/agolabs/
ENDS.
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FrontierSI Deputy CEO, Phil Delaney, is available for interviews.
Media contact: FrontierSI Media Communications Manager, Nic Prassopoulos, T: +61 400 824 323 frontiersimedia@frontiersi.com.au
About FrontierSI
FrontierSI is a not-for-profit company which exists to deliver major benefits to government, industry, the research sector, universities, and the community in Australia and New Zealand. We use our strong partner network and deep expertise in spatial mapping, data infrastructures, digital twins, positioning, geodesy, analytics, and standards to solve complex problems. In collaboration with our partners, we have transformed research outcomes into meaningful change in government and industry sectors such as environment, agriculture, defence, health, smart cities, and resources. https://frontiersi.com.au
