Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Solving big data challenges for identifying illegal fishing activity (AER202)

Summary

AWS re:Invent 2022 featured a session on how AWS services support space exploration and Earth security.
Hawkeye 360, a company that launched its first satellites in 2017, now has a constellation of satellites collecting data for global good.
The session focused on building a space business using AWS services, specifically for detecting illegal fishing activities.
Hawkeye 360's satellites collect radio frequency emissions, which are analyzed in the cloud using machine learning and AI to detect problems like illegal fishing.
The satellites fly in formation, allowing for triangulation to locate emitters on Earth.
Data collected includes various signal types, which are used to identify and track vessels, even when AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals are turned off.
Hawkeye 360 has a growing library of signals of interest and is expanding its capabilities to cover the entire radio frequency spectrum.
The company uses AWS to build a big data architecture that enables data discovery and analytics development, accelerating the identification of illegal activities.
The session concluded with a case study on detecting illegal fishing in the Galapagos EEZ, demonstrating the power of space-based RF remote sensing and data fusion.

The use of AWS services for space-based data collection and analysis is a growing field, with significant implications for global security and environmental protection.
The ability to detect radio frequency emissions from space and analyze them in the cloud is a powerful tool for monitoring and enforcing laws, such as those against illegal fishing.
The development of a signals of interest catalog and the expansion of signal capabilities indicate that Hawkeye 360 is continuously improving its detection and analysis methods.
The big data architecture built on AWS, including the use of Lake Formation, allows for efficient data management, discovery, and analytics across multiple teams within the company.
The case study of the Galapagos EEZ highlights the practical application of Hawkeye 360's technology and AWS's big data solutions in addressing real-world problems like illegal fishing.
The session underscores the importance of data fusion and the integration of various data sources to provide a comprehensive picture of activities, which is crucial for identifying illegal behavior.
The advancements in machine learning and AI, as discussed in the session, are key to transforming raw data into actionable intelligence for decision-making.