Space Analysis and Research Centers (SpARCs) for SSA Data and Analytics

Widespread use of massive data and increasing reliance on space-based infrastructure are two of the emerging megatrends of the early 21 century. However, both come with liabilities: movement and processing of large data volumes is very expensive, and reliance on space-based infrastructure adds risk that problems in the still incompletely-understood space domain might cause work disruptions. ExoAnalytic proposes the use of Space Analysis and Research Centers (SpARCs) to begin addressing both these issues. A SpARC is a facility which integrates volumes of data collected on satellites, centrally analyzes it, and makes available resulting useful information. The SpARC serves as a customer clearinghouse and a home for informed R&D centered around using data streams to extract useful information while limiting resources spent on moving vast data volumes. Accordingly, a SpARC would possess a systems-oriented research arm as well as a service-oriented customer arm. Housing these functions together matures both in tandem as institutional knowledge and experience related to the stillburgeoning SSA domain grows. In a future where research-derived knowledge of the space domain may grow as rapidly as business-driven utilization of the domain, it is important to have institutional constructs which are specifically designed to serve both needs. A SpARC is uniquely suited to this purpose. ExoAnalytic has developed a concept for a commercial SpARC, to interface among and provide information to government, commercial, and academic users, and is working to stand up an internal protoSpARC, followed by one or more operational SpARCs customized for customer needs.