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ORCA HUNTR - no code environment for accurate object detection and classification in minutes

BLACKSHARK.AI NAMED TOP AI & DATA PRODUCT IN THE 2024 PRODUCT AWARDS

By Market, Solution, Tech

ORCA™HUNTR won the Award as one of the Best Products for Product Managers. Follow @productscount @mightycapital and @capgemini on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to see all the highlights from the Product Awards.

GRAZ, AUSTRIA — 13th March 2024 – blackshark.ai announced today that it has been named a Top AI & Data product in the 2024 Product Awards. The 7th Annual Product Awards, presented by Products That Count in partnership with Mighty Capital and Capgemini, is the only awards program designed to celebrate the tools that help Product Managers build great products.

Nominees are chosen by Products That Count’s product manager network, and winners are chosen by an independent Awards Advisory Board composed of top product leaders. This year’s Board included product leaders from companies like Bank of America, Amazon’s Twitch, and S&P Global.

ORCA HUNTR - no code environment for object detection and classification in minutes
ORCA HUNTR screenshot: Ship detection and classification

ORCA™HUNTR  is a revolutionary no-code environment that enables anyone to train, test and exploit AI/ML-powered object detection and classification, which can be applied to a variety of scenarios, including ISR, operational planning, infrastructure monitoring, disaster response and emergency management, site scouting and environmental stewardship.

“Great tools are the Product Manager’s secret weapon,” said SC Moatti, founding CEO of Products That Count, “essential for staying ahead in the competitive market landscape. I congratulate blackshark.ai on defining product excellence in 2024 and beyond.”

“We are thrilled to be recognized with this award, it underscores our vision of empowering users everywhere to harness the power of AI to detect and classify objects to serve their business purposes. We couldn’t have done this without the strong partnerships we have in place and we would like to thank the Awards Advisory Board for this honor” Gastao De Figueiredo, SVP, GM Geospatial Intelligence.

Learn more about all of the AI & Data winners at the 2024 Product Awards here: https://productsthatcount.com/?p=34264

About Blackshark.ai 

blackshark.ai is at the forefront of revolutionizing global visualization and geospatial intelligence. By reconstructing the globe in photorealistic 3D and creating a digital twin of Earth, we employ cutting-edge AI to transform satellite imagery into detailed digital environments. Renowned for our work on Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020, our technology is essential for urban planning, simulation, augmented reality, and more. Leveraging AI and satellite technology for object detection and training, blackshark.ai provides valuable insights, reshaping decision-making across industries.

About the product awards

The 7th annual Product Awards, produced by Products That Count in partnership with Capgemini and Mighty Capital, celebrate the best products for product managers, chosen by product leaders. Based on insights from thousands of product managers, the Product Awards showcase product managers’ favorite products within categories as defined by our independent Awards Advisory Board, 25 product leaders committed to pushing forward the product conversation. Learn more at productsthatcount.com/awards.

Downtown Manhattan Heliport on Pier 6, rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine and used for VTOL pilot training.

Blackshark.ai selected by TRU Simulation to transform pilot training with immersive 3D environments

By Market, Solution, Tech

GRAZ, Austria (February 28, 2024) – blackshark.ai today announced a groundbreaking collaboration with TRU Simulation + Training Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company in pilot training. Leveraging blackshark.ai’s AI-driven platform, virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality technologies, as well as Epic’s Unreal Engine, the technology will revolutionize pilot training with immersive and hyper-realistic 3D environments. TRU Simulation will be the first to launch the innovative technology in the new Veris VR Simulator, unveiled on the eve of HAI Heli-Expo. 

Downtown Manhattan Skyline rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine
Downtown Manhattan Skyline rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine

Blackshark.ai’s technology recreates airports and locations with unprecedented speed and quality, simulating the complexities of navigating dense urban landscapes. Blackshark.ai’s Digital Airport Generator is a pivotal component of the technology, enabling the creation of detailed digital airport models complete with dynamic lighting systems and runway markings. 

Surrounding area of JFK International Airport, New York rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine.
Surrounding area of JFK International Airport, New York rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine. 

As a concrete starting point, JFK Airport and the larger NYC area, including Manhattan’s heliport, have been developed to demonstrate the technology’s capabilities. Blackshark.ai’s AI-driven platform can recreate any airport and location to serve new customers of the Veris simulator. 
This innovative training technology will be showcased at HAI Heli-Expo 2024, setting the pace for the future of pilot training in urban air mobility. 

Ground-level details at JFK International Airport rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine
Groundlevel details at JFK International Airport rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine
Surrounding area of JFK International Airport, New York rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine.
Surrounding area of JFK International Airport, New York rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine.

About Blackshark.ai 

Blackshark.ai is revolutionizing the way we visualize our world by reconstructing the entire globe in photorealistic 3D. As a leader in geospatial data analysis and visualization, Blackshark.ai employs AI-driven technology to transform satellite imagery into highly detailed digital environments. Renowned for their contributions to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, their platform is pivotal for various applications, including urban planning, simulation, and augmented reality, making them a vital player in the advancement of global mapping and visualization technologies.  

Downtown Manhattan Heliport on Pier 6, rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine and used for VTOL pilot training.
Downtown Manhattan Heliport on Pier 6, rendered in blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine and used for VTOL pilot training.
blackshark.ai 10 most notable achievements from 2023.

Top 10 Most Notable Achievements from 2023!

By Market, Solution, Tech

The best part of starting a new year is reflecting on the past year to note your achievements, challenges, and lessons learnt. Like every company, we have overcome challenges and learnt a lot of lessons, but as a startup, we have had some very notable achievements from 2023.

blackshark.ai and Eagle3D Streaming Collaboration.

blackshark.ai and Eagle 3D StreamingTeam Up

By Market, Solution, Tech

Eagle 3D Streaming and blackshark.ai are thrilled to announce that they are teaming up to provide a geospatial 3D digital twin that can be experienced in any web browser. blackshark.ai specializes in generating a real-time, realistic, and semantic 3D digital twin of the entire planet.

This collaboration is relevant and good news for many companies and industries, as it allows everyone to experience any location on the surface of the globe in photorealistic 3D in every web browser based on Eagle 3D Streaming’s pixel streaming technology.

Let’s explore more about blackshark.ai: 

Blackshark.ai possesses a real-time photorealistic 3D digital twin of the entire world. Their geospatial platform utilizes machine learning algorithms to extract valuable insights about the planet’s infrastructure from current satellite and aerial imagery on a global scale. By employing artificial intelligence, missing attributes are enriched to create a photorealistic, geo-typical digital twin. These results can be utilized for visualization, simulation, mapping, mixed reality environments, and other enterprise solutions. The massive cloud-computing capability of blackshark.ai enables rapid updates at any time.

Blackshark.ai possesses a real-time photorealistic 3D digital twin of the entire world.

Here are a few solutions provided by blackshark.ai: 

Blackshark.ai SYNTH3D is a synthetic but realistic 3D replica of the surface of our planet derived from Maxar Vivid – a current, color-corrected and high-resolution global set of 2D satellite imagery.

blackshark.ai SYNTH3D | Paris, France
blackshark.ai SYNTH3D | Paris, France

Blackshark.ai’s global 3D maps, including buildings with accurate heights, vegetation coverage, and more, can be streamed through Eagle 3D Streaming. Users can access highly detailed 3D city models, allowing them to explore building volumes, rooftop reconstructions, tree positions, and other features.

About the Eagle 3D Streaming and blackshark.ai Team-up: 

Eagle 3D Streaming enables the global deployment of Unreal Game Engine based applications within minutes through their self-serve pixel streaming platform. The digital twin of the world experienced via the blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine leveraging can now be seamlessly streamed through the Eagle’s platform. With its flexibility and unique feature updates, Eagle 3D Streaming ensures high visualization quality during the data streaming process. This collaboration allows customers using the digital twin platform to experience a realistic view without any delays or compromises. This integration provides benefits such as real-time visualization, high-quality visuals, seamless access, collaboration, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and enhanced accessibility. This integration empowers users to fully leverage the potential of the digital twin for analysis, decision-making, and collaborative efforts.

 

“blackshark.ai’s partnership with Eagle 3D Streaming has been a game-changer. Their pixel streaming technology superbly complements our 3D digital twin, offering users a seamless, photorealistic experience of any global location directly in their web browsers. This collaboration is not just an innovation but a leap forward in making advanced digital twin technology like SYNTH3D accessible and scalable.”
Hannes Walter, VP Product Management – 3D Simulation Environments,
blackshark.ai

 

How does Eagle 3D Streaming Technology enhance the real-time visualization capabilities of the blackshark.ai digital twin platform?

 

Eagle 3D Streaming Platform, enables real-time streaming and visualization of the blackshark.ai Digital Twin model. This integration allows users to access and interact with the digital twin in a dynamic and responsive manner, facilitating better understanding and data analysis.

    • The Eagle 3D Streaming Platform prioritizes delivering high-quality visuals, ensuring that users can experience the blackshark.ai Digital Twin Platform with impressive graphics and intricate details. This emphasis on visual fidelity enhances the realism of the digital twin, enabling more informed decision-making and analysis.
    • One of the key advantages of streaming through our platform is the seamless access it provides to the blackshark.ai Digital Twin data. Users can effortlessly access the platform without the need to download or install large files or complex software. This eliminates barriers to entry and enables quick and easy access from various devices.
    • The collaborative features of the Eagle 3D Streaming Platform facilitate collaboration and sharing within the blackshark.ai Digital Twin data. Multiple users can simultaneously access and interact with the digital twin, fostering teamwork, knowledge sharing, and collective decision-making.
    • Eagle 3D Streaming Platform, offers cost-effectiveness for the users of blackshark.ai, as it eliminates the requirement for high-end hardware or powerful computing devices to run resource-intensive digital twin applications. The processing power and rendering capabilities are offloaded to the server, reducing hardware requirements and associated costs.
    • Scalability is another advantage provided by pixel streaming platforms like the Eagle 3D Streaming Platform. The blackshark.ai digital twin model can accommodate a large number of users and scale according to demand. This scalability is particularly beneficial when multiple users or teams need simultaneous access and collaboration within the digital twin environment.
    • Pixel streaming enhances the accessibility of the blackshark.ai data to the whole world. Users can access the platform from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling remote work and empowering users to leverage the capabilities of the digital twin regardless of their physical location.

The team-up between Eagle 3D Streaming and blackshark.ai brings together cutting-edge technology and a seamless streaming experience, enhancing the possibilities for users of the digital twin platform. Through the collaboration, Eagle 3D Streaming facilitates the seamless streaming of blackshark.ai’s data, ensuring that users can access the most recent and updated information. Automated updates enable users to leverage the latest data for their applications.
Sign up and get to know more about Eagle 3D Streaming.

Blackshark.ai and Cesium Enhance Geospatial Modeling with SYNTH3D Support for 3D Tiles

Blackshark.ai Enhances Geospatial Modeling with SYNTH3D Support for 3D Tiles OGC Community Standard Created by Cesium

By Market, Solution, Tech

Blackshark.ai, a leading innovator in geospatial technology, announced the official support of the 3D Tiles OGC Community Standard during I/ITSEC23 in Orlando. This expands the integration of their detailed 3D global reconstructions, known from Microsoft Flight Simulator, into a broader spectrum of applications via a globally recognized data standard for geo-referenced training, simulation and visualization use cases.

Cesium, the creators of 3D Tiles and the widely used Cesium ion platform, and blackshark.ai are showcasing the art-of-the-possible based on this exciting announcement. 

During I/ITSEC you can experience two ways to integrate the announced 3D Tiles support showcased on a 3D model of the Orlando region.

    1. By combining the blackshark.ai Globe Plugin for Unreal Engine providing the according contextual SYNTH3D data with the Cesium for Unreal Engine plugin, streaming in Google Maps Platform Photorealistic 3D Tiles. High-precision geo-referencing and the ability to flexibly define exclusion zones in both plugins allow a watertight combination of both datasets.
    2. The second showcase provides the same area of Orlando as SYNTH3D data, exported to 3D Tiles, hosted on Cesium ion and visualized with Cesium runtime engines including CesiumJS and Cesium for Unreal Engine. This allows integrators to use Cesium ion functionalities, pipelines, and experiences – with the newly available SYNTH3D data. Cesium is facilitating the showcase of SYNTH3D in 3D Tiles on its Cesium ion platform, providing a clear demonstration of how it works in tandem with the blackshark.ai Globe Plugin and Cesium for Unreal.
Play the video to see how blackshark.ai SYNTH3D and Cesium Google Maps Platform Photorealistic 3D Tiles fit together. 

Building upon its notable presence in the industry, recently bolstered by an extended Series A funding round featured on TechCrunch, blackshark.ai continues to refine its solutions that adeptly transform 2D satellite and aerial imagery into photorealistic 3D environments. These digital creations serve a broad spectrum of uses, from training and simulation to complex visualizations.

SYNTH3D is a core part of blackshark.ai’s offerings and is born from the Maxar Vivid 50cm satellite data set to produce a realistic, vectorized, and semantic 3D model of the Earth’s terrain. This model combines a global elevation model, fine 50cm ground texture, regional-specific and geo-typical buildings and vegetation. SYNTH3D’s utility is already proven, with numerous clients having integrated it within their training, simulation, or 3D globe visualization workflows, leveraging blackshark.ai’s software frameworks. The introduction of 3D Tiles support only expands its versatility, allowing SYNTH3D to be hosted, streamed, and integrated across all 3D Tiles-compatible solutions, with Cesium being the leading platform in this space.

Unveiled at I/ITSEC 23, the new export of SYNTH3D as 3D Tiles standard allows for a combination of lightweight, realistic yet simulation-ready data integration, either streamed from servers or self-hosted to all supported runtime engines. This marks a significant enhancement offering users the ease of integrating high-quality 3D models into various platforms and industries.

Visualise blackshark.ai SYNTH3D and Cesium Google Maps Platform Photorealistic 3D Tiles in action with this short demo video.

About Blackshark:
Blackshark.ai is revolutionizing the way we visualize our world by reconstructing the entire globe in photorealistic 3D. As a leader in geospatial data analysis and visualization, blackshark.ai employs AI-driven technology to transform satellite imagery into highly detailed digital environments. Renowned for their contributions to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, their platform is pivotal for various applications, including urban planning, simulation, and augmented reality, making them a vital player in the advancement of global mapping and visualization technologies.

 

About Cesium:
Cesium created 3D Tiles, the Open Geospatial Consortium open standard for streaming massive 3D geospatial data. Use Cesium ion to optimize, host, and combine your data with curated global 3D content, and stream to any device. With unique expertise at the intersection of 3D geospatial and computer graphics, Cesium is deeply committed to openness and interoperability through open standards, open APIs, and open source offerings like CesiumJS, Cesium for Unreal, Cesium for Unity, and Cesium for Omniverse.

AMST uses Blackshark.ai Technology to Advance High-G Training

AMST uses blackshark.ai Technology to Advance High-G Training 

By Market, Solution, Tech

In a significant collaboration, AMST and blackshark.ai came together to work on a human centrifuge project, specially constructed by AMST for an undisclosed client. This collaboration marked a step forward in the realm of flight simulation technology. 

A human centrifuge is designed to simulate the high-speed, high-G conditions experienced by fighter pilots. This device is critical in preparing pilots for the physical and psychological demands of high-G maneuvers, offering a safe yet realistic training environment. 

AMST human centrifuges offer the Dynamic Flight Simulation (DFS) training mode. DFS allows pilots to experience and adapt to the intense forces and conditions they will encounter in actual flight, improving their reaction times, decision-making skills, and overall flight performance.

At the core of the DFS is AMST’s own VISIM IG Image Generator, which provides an exceptionally realistic out-the-window view. Its advanced physically based rendering capabilities produce high-quality lights, shadows, and reflections, and it supports sensor modes like Infrared, enhancing the realism of the simulation. 

The project aimed to quickly create a detailed 3D model of a specific geographic region for inclusion in VISIM IG. This detailed model was essential for providing a realistic and immersive environment in the DFS within the centrifuge. 

AMST’s skills in aerospace simulation combined with blackshark.ai’s expertise in creating 3D models using artificial intelligence significantly improved VISIM IG capabilities. Together, the two companies developed a high-quality, independent training environment that does not require a network connection. The environment was smoothly integrated into AMST’s VISIM IG with a Software Development Kit (SDK).

AMST centrifuge using blackshark.ai AI technology for simulation.

The integration of blackshark.ai’s technology into AMST’s VISIM IG not only enhanced its realism and performance but also showcased blackshark.ai’s adaptability and innovation in AI-driven simulation solutions. 

Looking ahead, this collaboration opens up the possibility of rapidly providing detailed models for different areas in AMST’s VISIM IG. This capability is crucial for AMST’s extensive range of Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs) and could be beneficial for other simulator manufacturers.

 

About AMST 

For over 40 years, AMST has been a leader in simulation and aerospace medicine. They specialize in a wide array of technologies, from human centrifuges to immersive full-flight simulators equipped with their cutting-edge VISIM Image Generator. AMST’s commitment to innovation is evident in its comprehensive product range, which includes solutions designed to realistically simulate extreme flight conditions. Their dedication extends to providing a full-service package, ensuring ongoing support and expertise across the lifecycle of their products.

 

About blackshark.ai: 

Blackshark.ai is revolutionizing the way we visualize our world by reconstructing the entire globe in photorealistic 3D. As a leader in geospatial data analysis and visualization, blackshark.ai employs AI-driven technology to transform satellite imagery into highly detailed digital environments. Renowned for their contributions to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, their platform is pivotal for various applications, including urban planning, simulation, and augmented reality, making them a vital player in the advancement of global mapping and visualization technologies. 

AMST centrifuge using blackshark.ai AI technology for High G training

A human centrifuge, designed to simulate the high-speed, high-G conditions experienced by fighter pilots.  

Building volumes extracted from blackshark.ai’s GEOINT capabilities for Seattle, Washington, USA

Blackshark.ai Closes an Oversubscribed Extension to its Series A Round, Totaling $35 Million, to Fast-Track Commercialization of its Unique GEOINT and 3D Mapping Technology.

By Market, Solution, Tech

BURLINGAME, Ca / GRAZ, Austria; November 16, 2023. 

Blackshark.ai, a leading AI geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) company, known for creating the first 3D digital twin of the entire Earth for Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, announces the successful closure of an oversubscribed $15 million Series A extension, thereby raising the total Series A round to $35 million.

Existing investors Point72 Ventures, M12 Microsoft’s Venture Fund, and Maxar are joined by In-Q-Tel (IQT), Safran, ISAI Cap Venture, Capgemini’s VC Fund managed by ISAI, Einstein Industries Ventures, Interwoven Ventures (formerly ROBO Global Ventures), Ourcrowd, Gaingels and OpAmp Capital.
Michael Putz, CEO of blackshark.ai, states, “The new partnerships strengthen our vision to democratize high-frequency 3D mapping applications across an extensive range of geospatial use cases, both public and private.”

Originating from the dynamic world of video gaming, blackshark.ai emerged as a pioneer offering government and commercial clients dynamic, high-frequency 3D mapping, geospatial intelligence, and valuable insights, empowering them to make informed, strategic decisions. Traditional 3D mapping based on photogrammetry is slow and costly, and requires a large amount of imagery, while blackshark.ai can deliver 3D visualization for digital twins, training & simulation rapidly at scale for a fraction of the cost with one single image.

At the core of blackshark.ai’s innovation is a platform that seamlessly transforms massive volumes of raw data from satellite and aerial imagery into semantically labelled geospatial Digital Twins. This ground-breaking software not only facilitates rapid and accurate object detection and classification at scale without the need for extensive, costly, and time-consuming training data, but also enables comprehensive analysis of land use and land cover.

Blackshark.ai empowers organizations to harness unmatched intelligence and insights to address a wide range of global challenges, including security, environmental conservation, urban planning, critical infrastructure monitoring, disaster response and humanitarian aid.

IQT highlighted the platform’s potential for meeting geospatial intelligence and training use cases, while Lucia Sinapi-Thomas, Capgemini Ventures Managing Director, states that:  “blackshark.ai’s technology has shown great potential for applications in renewables, critical infrastructure monitoring, real estate property management, urban planning, and autonomous vehicles, among many others.”
Safran Corporate Ventures’ CEO, Florent Illat adds, “blackshark.ai’s expertise in high-frequency mapping using satellite imagery unlocks new potential for Safran’s development in Position, Navigation, and Timing applied to all domains such as autonomous or collaborative missions as well as training and simulation.”

Jana Hecker from Einstein Industries Ventures states: “We believe blackshark.ai is a category-defining software company operating in the fast-growing GEOINT market and with the potential to deliver key digital twin capabilities to industries in the IoT era.”

With this latest funding, blackshark.ai is strategically positioned to advance their mission of expanding their 3D high-frequency mapping and geospatial intelligence capabilities offering immense value across a diverse range of sectors and addressing their challenges on a global scale. The funding will be allocated to support strategic technology developments and to bolster blackshark.ai’s sales and marketing activities.

CEO Michael Putz: “We aim to become the foundational geospatial search engine for real-time, actionable geospatial insights on a global scale.

Building volumes extracted from blackshark.ai’s GEOINT capabilities for Seattle, Washington, USA

Building volumes extracted from blackshark.ai’s GEOINT capabilities for Seattle, Washington, USA

blackshark.ai use geo intelligence and AI to provide building footprints and height analysis.

blackshark.ai use geo-intelligence and AI to provide building footprints and height analysis

blackshark.ai 3D Digital Twin of San Jose Airport and surrounding area.

blackshark.ai 3D Digital Twin of San Jose Airport and surrounding area

blackshark.ai 3D generated representation of wind turbines, San Jose, CA, USA

blackshark.ai 3D generated representation of wind turbines, San Jose, CA, USA 

blackshark.ai 3D Digital Twin of Central Park, Manhattan and the surrounding area.

blackshark.ai 3D Digital Twin of Central Park, Manhattan and the surrounding area

blackshark.ai selected to participate in the first AWS European Defence Accelerator

blackshark.ai selected to participate in the first AWS European Defence Accelerator

By Market, Solution, Tech

We proudly announce that blackshark.ai was selected to participate in the first AWS European Defence Accelerator.

AWS European Defence Accelerator is designated to enhance the European Defence industry. The top startups, interested in doing business with defence and national security organizations across Europe, will receive technical, business, and mentorship support to extend their operational knowledge. The program is delivered in collaboration with Plexal and consists of mentorship, networking opportunities, access to AWS computing credits and special training.

“I congratulate blackshark.ai and all those selected to participate in the AWS European Defence Accelerator. With the tech sector’s support, there is an opportunity for defence ministries and multilateral organizations to build a unique level of engagement with commercial, non-traditional defence companies. The AWS European Defence Accelerator will help facilitate this type of connection and cooperation,  enabling customers to solve problems using the power of technology,” said Cameron Brooks, AWS Director (Europe).

Read the official AWS statement

“We are very excited to provide blackshark.ai’s High-Frequency Mapping and Change Detection capabilities as a fully integrated service through the AWS European Defense Accelerator very soon,” said Michael Putz, CEO of blackshark.ai.

The acceleration of the first cohort of 13 startups is intended to elevate energy resilience, secure information sharing, sensing and decision making, and quantum and cyber resilience for mission-critical needs for land, air, maritime, space, and cyber domains in Europe.

Learn more about blackshark.ai
3D model of an area in Paris exported from SYNTH3D.

Celebrating Excellence

By Market, Solution, Tech

blackshark.ai and SYNTH3D have won Three Prestigious Awards: Born Global Champion, the 2023 Auggie Award for the “Best Use of AI”, and the 2023 AI Breakthrough Award for “Best Overall Use of AI for Virtual Reality.”

The good news is always delightful to share: blackshark.ai and our joint product with Maxar Technologies, SYNTH3D, have scored several awards in the last few weeks.

Our relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to innovation has been recognized and honoured as we proudly announce that our company has been bestowed with not just one but three prestigious awards for our groundbreaking product and unwavering dedication to advancing the field of geospatial intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI).

With immense pride and enthusiasm, we would like to take a moment to celebrate this achievement and express our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported us on this incredible journey. Especially to the ones behind the wheel – our rockstar team!

Maxar’s team accepts the Best Use of AI Auggie Award from AWE co-founders Ori Inbar (far left) and Tish Shute (far right) during the Augmented World Expo conference in early June. Image courtesy: Maxar.
Maxar’s team accepts the Best Use of AI Auggie Award from AWE co-founders Ori Inbar (far left) and Tish Shute (far right) during the Augmented World Expo conference in early June. Image courtesy: Maxar.

The first of the accolades we want to highlight is the highly coveted Auggie Award for the “Best Use of AI”. This award recognizes the exceptional innovation and impact of the product we created in partnership with Maxar, called SYNTH3D. SYNTH3D seamlessly integrates cutting-edge technology and robust analytical capabilities of blackshark.ai’s patented generative AI to extract 3D buildings from Maxar’s VividTM imagery basemap. The latter is a global, cloud-free, virtually seamless view of planet Earth. It offers developers and creators a technology to simulate and visualise 3D environments representative of real-world locations where aesthetics and performance are critical to commercial applications. This 3D digital twin is available in a visually pleasing and highly compatible format that is representative of the geographic and building features of a given area.

3D model of an area in Paris exported from SYNTH3D.
3D model of an area in Paris exported from SYNTH3D

Furthermore, SYNTH3D has been honoured with the 2023 AI Breakthrough Award for “Best Overall Use of AI for Virtual Reality”, which showcases breakthrough companies, technologies, products and services in the field of AI around the world. The award further underscores our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the virtual reality (VR) landscape with our advancements in AI-generated synthetic 3D world technologies.

SYNTH3D is a geotypical replica of all the buildings on the planet, along with vegetation, biomes, infrastructure, and more. SYNTH3D offers the power to utilise this existing representation of Earth to expand developers’ gaming, simulation, metaverse, smart city, or any other VR projects to the next levels at unprecedented speed and scale.

SYNTH3D is available on various platforms, including NVIDIA’s Omniverse and Epic Games’ Unreal Engine (currently in private beta), as free samples and in multiple formats, such as USD.

Group photo of the winners of “Born Global Champion" award from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)
Group photo of the winners of “Born Global Champion” award from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)

Lastly, we are delighted to announce that our exceptional team has been recognized with the “Born Global Champion”, awarded by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ). This recognition pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of Austrian start-ups that are “born globals,” offer innovative products and services and show rapid growth. We are excited to be recognized for the relentless pursuit of excellence in research and development that propelled us to the forefront of innovation across the globe. This would not have been possible without the collaborative spirit, passion, and expertise that fuels our company’s success and drives us to continually raise the bar in the geospatial intelligence domain coupled with AI.

“Born Global Champion" awards from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)
“Born Global Champion” awards from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ)

These three awards not only validate our commitment to delivering unparalleled geospatial intelligence solutions but also reaffirm our position as industry leaders and innovators. Current achievements inspire us to continue pushing boundaries, driving innovation, and harnessing the full potential of geospatial data to address real-world challenges across various sectors.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our clients, partners, and the entire blackshark.ai team for their persistent support, trust, and belief in our vision. We invite you to join us in celebrating these achievements, which can be seen as confirmations of the transformation of the ways geospatial intelligence is being leveraged with blackshark.ai technologies and services.

Explore SYNTH3D
BISim and blackshark.ai join forces a major step toward the Military Metaverse

BISim and blackshark.ai join forces: a major step toward the Military Metaverse

By Market, Solution, Tech

ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 24, 2023 — Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a leading global developer of military simulation and training software, is pleased to announce a partnership with blackshark.ai, the developer of a 3D Digital Twin of Earth and a range of AI-based geospatial technologies. Together, they plan to deliver unprecedented realism in whole-Earth terrain generation through combing BISim’s Mantle ETM and blackshark.ai’s SYNTH3D™ geospatial solution.

“As we launch our partnership with blackshark.ai, we’re excited about the unprecedented quality of terrain that our customers will be able to experience. SYNTH3D™ paired with Mantle ETM’s support for multiple runtime engines will enable customers to leverage simulation like never before,” says BISim CPO Pete Morrison.

The collaboration between BISim and blackshark.ai will enable customers to acquire highly accurate recreations of real-world locations for mission planning, rehearsal or training based on little more than high-resolution satellite data. This aligns with NATO’s direction and global partners’ goals to accelerate defense training and simulation and improve multi-domain capabilities. BISim’s flagship product, VBS4, will be fully supported, in addition to other Mantle ETM supported runtimes including Unreal.

“With this partnership, any real-world location becomes available as a current and photorealistic 3D training environment. blackshark.ai and BISim are the perfect combinations for everyone looking for country-scale real-world mission planning and mission rehearsal environments,” says Michael Putz, CEO of blackshark.ai.

BISim’s Mantle ETM is a custom-built platform based on proven COTS components and expert design/development services for creating simulated terrain for training, mission rehearsal, visualization and terrain analysis. A Mantle ETM installation delivers a cloud-capable custom terrain pipeline that works with your data, processes, servers, and runtimes, integrating with your existing terrain capabilities or delivering a full end-to-end solution from scratch.

blackshark.ai’s 3D Base Globe, derived from high-resolution and current satellite data, is named SYNTH3D™. blackshark.ai’s proprietary format allows storing and using the surface of the entire globe offline and using it as a multi-domain, massive multiplayer-ready synthetic training and simulation environment.

 About blackshark.ai

blackshark.ai provides a 3D Digital Twin of Earth by extracting information from satellite imagery and reconstructing detected attributes in photorealistic 3D fully automatically. A scalable artificial intelligence builds the core of the blackshark.ai platform, detecting features globally with incredible accuracy and speed. A patented approach to 3D reconstruction, can store petabytes of data and render it in infinite detail in real-time, allowing for powerful visualization and simulation applications for government, geospatial intelligence, humanitarian relief, planetary management, autonomous driving and flying, insurance, smart cities and more. The blackshark.ai platform, backed by M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund, Point72 Ventures and provider of global space solutions Maxar Technologies, serves large clients globally with a team of 100+ people based out of Silicon Valley/US and Graz/Austria, Europe’s computer vision hub.

About BISim

Founded in 2001, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc, is a global software company at the forefront of simulation and training solutions for defense and civilian organizations.

Globally, many hundreds of thousands of military personnel are trained every year using BISim’s high-fidelity VBS software products. More than 60 NATO and NATO-friendly countries, and over 300 integrators/prime contractors use VBS technology, many making significant funding commitments to extend VBS product capabilities. BISim’s customers include the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Canadian Armed Forces, UK MOD, French Army, Bundeswehr, Swedish Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force and many major system integrators.

Media Contacts

Simona Huebl
blackshark.ai
shuebl@blackshark.ai
www.blackshark.ai

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BISim and blackshark.ai join forces a major step toward the Military Metaverse

Image: Blackshark.ai’s 3D data derived from 2D satellite imagery will soon be available via BISim’s Mantle ETM