Industry-First Near Real-Time Technology to Ensure Map Accurate Earth Observation Mapping Directly in Orbit Transforms Speed-to-Insight for Earth Observation Missions
CATALYST BRINGS REAL-TIME IMAGE PROCESSING TO SATELLITES IN ORBIT
PCI Geomatics (DBA CATALYST), a Canadian leader in satellite imagery solutions, announced a breakthrough that allows satellites to process images while in orbit- delivering usable data to customers in seconds rather than hours or days.
CATALYST’s Edge Processing capabilities eliminates the traditional bottleneck of sending raw satellite images back to Earth for processing. Instead, CATALYST software loaded in satellite hardware does the work itself, transmitting only finished, ready-to-use imagery.
Today, most satellites capture images and transmit raw data back to ground stations, where teams of specialists spend hours correcting distortions, aligning colours, and pinpointing exact locations before the imagery becomes useful. During emergencies like wildfires or floods, these delays can cost lives.
June McAlarey, CEO at PCI Geomatics said:
“Speed to insight is the defining challenge for modern Earth observation. CATALYST Edge Processing capabilities represent over 40 years of photogrammetric expertise, hyper-optimised for space. Data providers don’t need to trade quality for speed – we deliver both.”
CATALYST’s solution moves this entire process into space. The satellite captures an image and, within seconds, automated software corrects distortions caused by terrain and camera angles, precisely maps every pixel to its real-world location, removes visual noise and interference, and balances colours across multiple light wavelengths. The result is a finished, map-accurate image ready for immediate use – delivered directly from orbit.
Because the satellite only transmits processed images rather than massive raw data files, operators also save significantly on bandwidth costs and can capture more images per orbit. The system is designed to work alongside artificial intelligence tools, leaving enough computing power onboard for satellites to automatically detect and flag points of interest, such as ships, vehicles, or environmental changes, before the data even reaches the ground.
The solution has demonstrated the ability to process imagery through a complete pipeline, from raw sensor data to analysis-ready, map-accurate products, in seconds, not hours. By filtering and prioritizing data before transmission, only the most critical information is downlinked, massively reducing bandwidth requirements and enabling more frequent acquisitions.
CATALYST Processing addresses urgent needs across multiple sectors:
Emergency Response: Delivers analysis-ready imagery within minutes of capture during wildfires, floods, or earthquakes – enabling faster life-saving decisions.
Defence and Security: Significantly shortening the time between satellite capture and actionable intelligence required for military and intelligence agencies to act with confidence and awareness during changing situations.
Maritime Monitoring: Enables authorities to track illegal fishing, smuggling, or unidentified vessels without ground station delays – improving their ability to intercept threats before they reach territorial waters.
Commercial Satellite Operators: Reduces ground infrastructure costs while increasing the value of each orbit and speeding up customer delivery times.
Kevin Jones, Chief Product Officer at PCI Geomatics said:
“Every second saved in processing translates to real operational and commercial value for satellite operators. CATALYST enables constellation operators to filter out unusable data before it consumes precious storage and bandwidth, which represents significant cost savings and operational efficiency.”
CATALYST Edge Processing is available now for integration into new satellite missions during design or construction. Demonstration systems are available for evaluation.
The technology builds on CATALYST’s 40-year track record processing imagery from more than 70 different aerial and satellite sensors, with over 30,000 software licences deployed in more than 150 countries worldwide.
