Combining Earth Observation and Earth Intelligence Data to Combat IUU Fishing and Human Trafficking

Innovative Solutions for some of the World's Leading Security Challenges

By combining Spire Global's AIS tracking data with earth observation and intelligence data from Planet Federal, organizations can help verify or refute suspicions of IUU fishing, human & drug trafficking, or weapons trade - solving one of the biggest challenges with AIS location services. Instead of assuming a ship's transits throughout an AIS darkness event, vessel positioning can be confirmed with certainty, allowing maritime authorities to mitigate illegal fishing and help conserve some of the world's most vulnerable natural resources.

How Spire Global and Planet Federal Detect Suspicious Activity at Sea

One of the primary ways Spire and Federal team up to identify suspicious activities like IUU fishing or human trafficking is by monitoring the quality of the AIS data provided by Spire. When a ship is spoofing or jamming its AIS transmission, certain parameters can tip off a potential illicit event. By matching these suspicious data events with Planet Federal's satellite imagery and other open-source information like EEZ boundaries, weather activity, and expected vessel traffic, authorities are able to better manage these threats.

Not only does this collaboration allow authorities to track current vessel activity in real-time, but Spire Global and Planet Federal log and file a long history of data for future reference. If a vessel is suspected of illicit or illegal activity in real-time, organizations can now go back in time to look for gaps or inconsistencies and identify a historical pattern of circumvention.

The Spire Constellation

Spire Global owns one of the largest private-run satellite constellations in the world. The Low-Earth Multi-Use Receiver (LEMUR) 3U (or 6U) constellation is comprised of over 110 satellites that send radio frequency (RF), radio occultation (RO), and space-based weather data to more than 30 ground stations on the earth's surface. The LEMUR constellation orbits the earth every 90 minutes and offers near-global coverage across even the most remote regions - including the oceans and poles.

The data provided by Spire supports nearly every type of activity, with a strong focus on providing data for the following applications:

• Maritime

• Aviation

• Weather Modeling

• Climate Monitoring

• Soil Moisture

• Ionosphere

• Space Services

With Spire's dynamic satellite capabilities, they turn ideas into live-feed fruition from space in as little as six to twelve months. While the LEMUR constellation currently uses three primary payloads for its core applications, Spire Global has the capability to build and launch cube satellites with custom payloads for customers in nearly every industry.

Planet Federal's Constellations

Planet Federal is an industry-leading provider of real-time satellite and intelligence data for US Federal Civilian Agencies, the Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community - allowing them to monitor and respond to global challenges with confidence. Planet currently has over 200 satellites in orbit as part of two separate constellations: the PlanetScope Dove Constellation and the SkySat Constellation.

PlanetScope Dove Satellites

Planet's dove constellation consists of over 180 satellites, providing daily medium-resolution imagery up to 15km offshore. The satellites orbit the earth in a fixed rotation, but the constellation can move to monitor any area as directed - including the open ocean. The constellation provides daytime imagery, nighttime imagery, and video - delivering a robust collection of information that is invaluable to vessel monitoring applications when used alongside data provided by Spire Global.

For everyday monitoring, the PlanetScope Dove Constellation is the go-to imaging resource for companies in the maritime industry.

SkySat Satellites

Planet's SkySat Constellation is a bit different from the Dove Constellation. Rather than providing a vast scope of imagery and information with a large, medium-resolution fleet, the SkySat Constellation provides high-resolution imagery for unique tasking applications.

If authorities want to monitor a specific vessel or location, the SkySat constellation can be deployed to revisit a site up to ten times in a day - making the constellation a highly-valuable tool in situations where illicit trade or activity must be confirmed before taking authoritative action.

Want to learn more about how space-based data from Spire Global and Planet Federal can support your applications?

Check out this comprehensive video overview of their services HERE.