Marie Devant, a Product Owner at Capgemini, leads the development of the Coverage Service Application within the Domino architecture. In this interview, she shares insights into the innovative modular design of the Domino-E project and the challenges of integrating flexible solutions for Earth Observation ground segments.
What is Capgemini’s stake in the Domino-E project and what are you working on specifically?
We’re developing components for Earth Observation (EO) ground segments. Given the complexity of these systems, we break them down into smaller functionalities. Essentially, we aim to divide the large “black box” of EO ground segments into smaller, manageable units, which we call Dominos. These Dominos are modular building blocks that can be interconnected, enabling flexible and scalable systems.
To give you an overview, Dominos are part of a modular architecture designed for EO ground segments. This architecture focuses on defining the various functionalities of a mission chain and organizing them into Dominos.
Within this larger architecture, the Coverage Service is one specific Domino. It manages large areas by splitting them into smaller zones, enabling efficient image capture across multiple missions. For instance, if a client requests an image of a large region, the Coverage Service will break it into smaller segments and distribute the programming requests across different mission chains. To do this efficiently, the algorithm in the Coverage Service needs to predict how mission chains will handle these requests. That’s the essence of what we’re working on.
What are the key challenges from a software perspective?
One of the biggest challenges we faced was integrating an algorithmic solution into the Coverage Service. We were working with two different companies, each providing its own solution. So, we had to design the Coverage Service in a way that could accommodate both algorithms, making it flexible to enable or disable functionalities based on the selected solution. This was a major challenge in the design phase, as we had to balance common features and specificities of each solution.
Initially, the Coverage Service was just a prototype. However, as stakeholders aligned, we decided to elevate it to the standards of an operational system. This meant applying the same quality assurance and testing protocols used in full-scale operational systems, which introduced another layer of complexity.
You mentioned standards and collaboration with different companies. How does the Domino architecture support collaboration?
The Domino architecture provides a lot of flexibility. From a software development perspective, each company has the freedom to develop its Domino as long as they adhere to the standardized API. This ensures seamless integration with other systems, no matter who developed the Dominos.
In the Domino-E project, we’ve set up a test bed in a cloud environment where all stakeholders can deploy and test their Dominos. This means that any developer or company with a good idea for a Domino can start working on it immediately because the standards and interfaces are already defined. They can even compare their solution to others in the same functional domain.
Do you think the Domino architecture will create more competition or collaboration in the field?
I see it as a combination of both competition and collaboration. While there might be competition because everyone is free to develop their own solutions, the architecture also facilitates collaboration. The key is respecting the API standards. When you know that your Domino can integrate with others seamlessly, it fosters collaboration. Ultimately, we all share the same goal of building a ground segment that works effectively.
Thank you!