Disruptive Technologies for Decentralized Storage and Provenance of EO Data — Theme 2
EDFS investigates disruptive technologies for decentralized storage and provenance tracking of Earth Observation data, developing a working file transfer engine, satellite constellation simulator, and provenance framework under ESA Φ-lab funding.
4000148100/25/I-NSThe EDFS project (Disruptive Technologies for Decentralized Storage and Provenance of EO Data, Theme 2) is an ESA Φ-lab funded research activity executed by CloudFerro (Poland) and DuoBit (Poland).
The project develops a proof-of-concept framework combining a decentralized file transfer engine (EDFS) with a satellite constellation simulator featuring an interactive GUI, energy cycle simulation, and a curated reference test dataset for EO data validation.
The project runs under ESA Contract No. 4000148100/25/I-NS and concludes with a Final Review and Live Demo at ESRIN in June 2026.
"Ensuring that EO data is not only accessible but verifiably trustworthy from acquisition to final use is the cornerstone of the EDFS vision."
The exponential growth of satellite constellations and EO sensors is generating petabytes of data daily. While data volumes grow, the infrastructure to manage, distribute, and verify this data has lagged behind — creating critical gaps in trust, sovereignty, and scalability.
Satellite constellations generate increasing volumes of Earth Observation data daily. Traditional centralized storage infrastructures face challenges in scalability, resilience, and data sovereignty that require new architectural approaches.
Tracking the full lineage of EO data — from raw acquisition through processing and distribution — is critical for scientific reproducibility and compliance. Existing systems lack immutable, verifiable provenance mechanisms.
Emerging decentralized storage and distributed ledger technologies offer new primitives for building resilient, trustless data infrastructure. EDFS systematically evaluates and implements these for real EO data scenarios.
ESA's Φ-lab funds disruptive, early-stage research pushing boundaries of space data utilization. EDFS is part of the Disruptive Technologies programme Theme 2, alongside parallel projects exploring complementary approaches.
EDFS is structured around four core technical objectives that together deliver a comprehensive proof-of-concept framework for decentralized EO data management.
Design and implement a decentralized file transfer engine capable of storing, retrieving, and managing Earth Observation data across distributed nodes, with performance benchmarking against centralized baselines.
Develop a satellite constellation simulator with an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) enabling visualization of orbital parameters, ground station coverage, and data relay scenarios relevant to EO data distribution.
Implement a satellite energy consumption and recharge simulation module covering solar panel exposure and shading cycles, providing realistic power budget modelling for constellation scenarios.
Compile and publish a curated reference test dataset for EO data provenance validation, enabling reproducible benchmarking of the EDFS framework against real-world Earth Observation data characteristics.
EDFS is validated against three operational use cases derived from the project's Use Case Definition document (ESA-DECENTRALIZED-STORAGE-UCD-0001). Each use case drives the design, implementation, and benchmarking of the EDFS prototype.
An Earth Observation satellite acquires imagery of a disaster event and immediately distributes it in chunks across the decentralised EDFS network — via both satellite and ground-station nodes — to accelerate delivery of urgent data to relief planning teams. Expected impact: measurable reduction in time-to-availability compared to the standard Near-Real-Time baseline of 2–4 hours.
A satellite with constrained ground communication windows sends mission telemetry in small chunks via EDFS to any satellite currently in Line of Sight. Corrective command files are uploaded to EDFS and delivered to the affected satellite during its next available pass. Expected impact: near-real-time command and telemetry delivery with target success rate ≥ 95% under degraded connectivity.
Using knowledge of orbital parameters and node capabilities, a satellite dynamically routes data only to nodes that minimise power consumption while maximising bandwidth efficiency — adapting in real time to changing Line of Sight and resource constraints. Expected impact: energy consumption reduction with indicative target ≥ 20%; improved replication performance with Priority-Aware Routing versus baseline.
The EDFS project final review will take place at ESA's ESRIN facility in Frascati, Italy. The team will present project results and demonstrate the EDFS file transfer engine and satellite constellation simulator to ESA representatives.
EDFS will be presented at PHiNovation — ESA Φ-lab's flagship innovation event. The team will showcase the live EDFS demo and satellite constellation simulator to the broader space innovation community. More information at philab.esa.int/phinnovation/
The EDFS consortium kicked off the experimentation phase, initiating the first series of controlled tests across all three defined use cases — Rapid Disaster Response, Continuous Line of Sight, and Situation-Aware Data Routing. Experiments are executed in a Kubernetes-based simulation environment with automated observability and fault injection.
EDFS is executed by a Polish consortium combining deep expertise in cloud infrastructure for space data and distributed ledger technologies.
A leading European cloud operator and managed services provider specializing in Earth Observation and space data infrastructure. CloudFerro operates CREODIAS — one of Europe's largest EO cloud platforms — and brings deep expertise in large-scale geospatial data management and ESA data infrastructure projects.
A Polish software development company specializing in distributed systems, backend engineering, and advanced software architecture. DuoBit leads the technical implementation of the EDFS engine and simulator components within the consortium.
The European Space Agency's Phi-lab incubates disruptive technologies for future space missions and Earth Observation applications. Φ-lab funds early-stage research that bridges cutting-edge technology with real operational space data challenges.
EDFS is funded under the ESA Φ-lab Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP) programme, supporting disruptive technologies for the future of Earth Observation. The views expressed are those of the project team and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ESA.