In the below spotlight, we meet Louis Aberdeen, Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate for Metrea.
Metrea Mission Data Limited and the Centre for Machine Vision (CMV) at UWE Bristol began their KTP together in October 2023. The KTP is developing unique software solutions that process telescopic images of objects in Low Earth Orbit to detect, track, image and categorise Resident Space Objects. The KTP will embed machine learning principles to allow autonomous detection and categorisation of space objects to provide essential data to clients. Metrea sought a partnership with CMV in order to utilise their extensive experience and expertise in employing state-of-the-art machine learning for complex image processing and feature recognition.
What attracted you to the position?
At the time I was searching for Data Analysis roles and was immediately drawn in by the title “Space Data Analyst” because what’s cooler than space. Initially I assumed I would be underqualified as I had only done a degree in mathematics. However, as I read the job description, I could see how I matched more and more of the requirements and this really excited me. Because of the nature of work the details of the job description were vague which just made me more interested. Space debris is a very serious problem and there aren’t enough cost-effective approaches to dealing with this, this project will take a step forward in this regard.
“I’m looking forward to when the work I have done makes a real impact on the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) system and contributes to the field of SDA”
How is the partnership between UWE Bristol and the company working?
The partnership between UWE Bristol and Metrea is really productive for both parties. The guidance and technical background of UWE Bristol and specifically the Centre for Machine Vision has been critical to the progress of the project and I’d especially give credit to Lyndon and Mark for their mentorship as I follow down this pathway. Metrea have the unique capability to capture imagery of objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and the opportunity to work on this project is only possible because of the hard work Metrea has done to develop this system. In particular I would like to highlight Chris and Ryan for their stewardship of the project and for giving me invaluable direction as I develop professionally.
“The benefits are that UWE Bristol are able to produce novel research in an area of study new to the CMV and that Metrea have access to the resources and expertise at the CMV to develop their SDA system.”
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I really love the variety of the work. The project encompasses so many different areas, machine learning, optical systems, signal processing, workflow optimisation, customer engagement, project management. The research is really enjoyable, the processes of working through a problem and experimenting with different approaches is very rewarding. I have a lot of work ahead of me but I’m excited to tackle it head on.
What do you think about the support available from UWE and the Company – give examples if you can
Thanks to Metrea and UWE Bristol’s support I have been able to take a course in video and image processing which has been instrumental in the progress of the project, inspiring a promising direction of study. I have attended serval conferences including the Farnborough air show and SPAICE hosted by ESA on using AI in space. These gave me a really great insight into the wider Space Domain Awareness business as well as modern reinforcement learning, and AI techniques being applied in the space domain. I learned how these trends will only continue to grow which is why it is so important to become knowledgeable.
I have also had many discussions with the academics at UWE Bristol in the CMV guiding me towards writing my first paper. The process of writing a good literature or abstract were very new to me and their expertise was really helpful.
Additionally, I am working with UWE Bristol and Metrea to use the KTP budget on a machine learning/development computer. As a part of this I consulted with many stake holders at UWE and within Metrea to determine the correct allocation of the money. UWE have a lot of experience with purchasing workstations for researchers, so their input was invaluable. Metrea’s IT department were very knowledgeable and knew how they wanted the workstation to be integrated within the wider IT system.
KTPs integrate academic research into companies, to promote innovation and growth. The unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity.