Algorithm Hosting Service
APEx offers an algorithm hosting service as part of its propagation services to ensure that project results remain accessible to the EO community beyond the project’s completion. This service aims to sustain and promote the use of algorithms developed during ESA projects, ensuring their longevity and continued utilization.
For engagement with stakeholders of the algorithm, APEx collaborates closely with the Stakeholder Engagement Facility. This initiative will provide outreach and training towards users, to maximize the uptake of the onboarded algorithms.
By leveraging APEx’s algorithm hosting service, you can ensure that your project’s innovations continue to benefit the EO community long after project completion.
Service Overview
APEx Algorithm Catalogue
The algorithm hosting service supports result propagation through an algorithm catalogue, facilitating easy browsing and access to available algorithms. Users and other projects can also easily onboard their own algorithms, fostering collaboration and innovation within the EO community.
The algorithm catalogue allows visitors to execute algorithms on the corresponding APEx-compliant hosting environment. For more details, please refer to this section.
Automated Testing and Benchmarking
To maintain the integrity of the algorithms, APEx conducts automated testing and benchmarking in collaboration with the respective project teams. This ensures that the algorithms remain functional and accessible over time.
Support for ensuring APEx compliance
To ensure smooth integration, algorithms onboarded to the service must adhere to interoperability guidelines. These guidelines ensure algorithms are constructed to be published in the APEx catalogue, promoting their availability as reusable, on-demand processes aligned with FAIR data principles. Through these guidelines APEx is able to link onboarded algorithms to their execution tools and provide clear integration instructions. Projects can request additional support from APEx to guide them through this process and to select the appropriate algorithm hosting platform.
Integration into ESA’s Network of Resources (NoR)
The service supports projects in making their algorithms APEx compatible for integration in ESA’s Network of Resources. This enhances visibility within the EO community and offers developers opportunities to generate additional revenue streams.
Condiserations and Project Responsiblities
Algorithm Maintenance
While APEx ensures the long-term availability of the algorithm within the catalogue, the creation, maintenance, and updating of the algorithm remain the responsibility of the original developer or the open-source community.
Algorithm Execution
Algorithm execution is carried out one of the respective APEx-compliant hosting platform. By default, APEx does not provide direct access to processing resources on these platforms. However, projects can request processing resources through ESA’s Network of Resources (NoR). When resources are requested for a specific algorithm, onboarded to the NoR, APEx can facilitate access to cloud processing resources on the corresponding platform as a broker.
Large-scale data processing
For large-scale processing tasks, projects can request additional support through the APEx upscaling service.
How to use the Algorithm Hosting Service?
- Develop Your Algorithm: As a project developer, ensure your algorithm is built according to the APEx interoperability guidelines for algorithm developers. This compliance ensures that your algorithm is compatible with APEx and can be easily onboarded and propagated after your project concludes. Learn more about these guidelines and how to implement your algorithm using APEx-compliant technology here.
- Onboard Your Algorithm: Follow the detailed instructions on our onboarding page to integrate your algorithm into the APEx algorithm catalogue. This process will make your algorithm available for reuse within the EO community.
Interested in generating revenue from your algorithm and making it available as a service on the NoR? Please contact us for further instructions.
Onboard Your Algorithm on the APEx Algorithm Catalogue
Stay tuned for more detailed instructions on how to onboard your algorithm into our catalogue.
Execute a service from the APEx Algorithm Catalogue
APEx relies on the APEx-compliant algorithm hosting environments for algorithm execution and the provisioning of the corresponding cloud resources. Users wishing to execute an algorithm will need a valid account on the relevant hosting platform or make a request through ESA’s Network of Resources (NoR).
Stay tuned for more detailed instructions on how to execute an algorithm through the APEx Algorithm Catalogue.