From Enlightenment to Orbit: Edinburgh's Journey as Europe's Space Data Capital
By Ross Hamilton
Once known as the "Athens of the North" for its rich intellectual history, Edinburgh, is becoming known as the “Space Data Capital of Europe.” This transformation from a historical beacon of enlightenment to a modern hub of space data and astronomy tells a story of not just continuity, but one of reinvention.
At the heart of Edinburgh's intellectual revolution during the 18th century was the University of Edinburgh. Established in 1582, it became a crucible of ideas, driving the Scottish Enlightenment. The philosopher David Hume and mathematician Colin Maclaurin walked its corridors, challenging existing norms and laying the foundations for modern scientific inquiry. Hume, with his calls for scepticism and evidence-based research, alongside Maclaurin, with his advances in mathematics under the influence of Newton and celestial mechanics, shaped disciplines that would centuries later underpin fields such as data science and astrophysics. Notably, astronomy has been taught in Edinburgh since 1583!
The establishment of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 marked another milestone, creating a forum where ideas on astronomy and other scientific, literary, and artistic disciplines could be exchanged freely. This nurturing environment fostered a close-knit community of intellectuals who thrived on and promoted collaborative exploration.
Fast forward to the 19th century, the narrative of Edinburgh's astronomical prowess continued to unfold with figures like Thomas Henderson, the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland. Henderson’s work, particularly his measurement of the parallax of Alpha Centauri, brought humanity one step closer to understanding the vast scales of the universe. His legacy is carried on at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE), founded in 1818. Initially perched on Calton Hill and later relocated to Blackford Hill in 1896 for a clearer view of the heavens, the observatory became a beacon of astronomical research, contributing vital knowledge on celestial mechanics and stellar spectra.
During the 1970s and '80s, the ROE took responsibility for the creation and operation of the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia, the UK Infrared Telescope in Hawaii, and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, again in Hawaii. The ROE was truly "the observatory on which the sun never sets."
The ROE has significantly expanded its role in contemporary astronomy and astrophysics. Managed by the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UKATC), it plays a pivotal role in the development of state-of-the-art instruments for some of the world’s most ambitious observatories. Indeed, Professor Gillian Wright MBE, Director of the UKTAC at the ROE led the project to design the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) of the James Webb Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever to be launched into space. The ROE has also been instrumental in the European Extremely Large Telescope, resulting in these instruments advancing our understanding of distant galaxies, star formation, and the properties of exoplanets.
The ROE is also a leading centre for data-intensive astronomy, developing technologies that handle the large volumes of data produced by space telescopes and satellites. It partners with the European Space Agency (ESA) on a range of projects, from space instrumentation to satellite data applications for climate science and environmental monitoring. And it is home to the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, which focuses on theoretical and observational astrophysics.
The narrative leaps into the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as Edinburgh embraced the digital age. The establishment of the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) in 1990, one of the leading supercomputing centres in Europe, and later the DataLab and involvement with the Alan Turing Institute, positioned Edinburgh as a leader not just in astronomy but in data science and artificial intelligence. These institutions have developed an environment where massive amounts of data from space can be analysed with groundbreaking precision.
In recent years, Edinburgh has established itself as a centre for climate monitoring and earth observation, harnessing space data to address some of the most pressing environmental issues. The University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences and Edinburgh Earth Observatory are at the forefront of using satellite data for monitoring climate change, deforestation, and urbanisation.
These efforts are crucial in providing accurate, up-to-date information that informs policy and conservation efforts worldwide. Advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques developed in Edinburgh are used to enhance the resolution and accuracy of satellite imagery, vital for tracking environmental changes and predicting future trends.
Moreover, Edinburgh’s expertise in space data analytics is reshaping how we utilize satellite data across various sectors. The integration of AI with space data at the Bayes Centre, for instance, allows advanced real-time image analysis and predictive modelling, enhancing the capabilities of satellites to provide immediate insights into weather patterns, natural disasters, and resource management.
A spin-out from the University of Edinburgh, Space Intelligence, focuses on interpreting satellite data using AI to tackle global environmental issues. These leading-edge AI capabilities also support commercial applications. Orbital Micro Systems (OMS), a US-based company with a significant presence in Edinburgh, has developed a constellation of weather satellites to provide real-time data for improving weather forecasting. OMS leverages the data and AI expertise in Edinburgh to analyse satellite data and deliver insights to industries like agriculture, insurance, and logistics.
The Bayes Centre and the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and AI based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, are also leaders in robotics and autonomous systems, key to the future of In Orbit Service and Manufacturing (IOSM), and in data science for health and medicine research in space.
From the intellectual salons of the 18th century to the high-tech labs of today, Edinburgh has navigated a journey from astronomical inquiry to high-performance data science, continually reinventing itself while staying true to its quest for knowledge. Edinburgh’s rise as a leading centre for space research, earth observation, and space data analytics is the result of decades of investment in data science, AI, and supercomputing infrastructure.
Together with Glasgow’s global leadership in manufacturing cube satellites, and Scotland’s emerging expertise and services around launch, Edinburgh is helping to build a complete end-to-end space sector capability and ecosystem in Scotland for space technology startups.
As Edinburgh stands on the cusp of new frontiers in space and data, one can imagine Hume and his contemporaries nodding approvingly at how their city has continued to push the boundaries of understanding the universe, transforming philosophical inquiry and observational evidence into data-driven insights of our planet and the universe.
Written by:
Ross Hamilton
Chief Operating Officer
Scottish Space Network