The Remote Sensing Research and Development Centre
The Remote Sensing Research and Development Centre is a structural unit of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, established in 2022. The Centre’s team consists of seven top-level experts and researchers whose mission is to integrate satellite and airborne remote sensing technologies, as well as unmanned aerial vehicle detection, counter-UAV solutions, and digital forensics into internal security services through research and development.
The Centre conducts cross-agency applied research, provides specialised expertise, and supports education in the field of internal security. It has developed subject modules that have been integrated into the curricula of the Police and Border Guard College and the Rescue College. In addition, the Centre offers continuing education programmes.
Since 2023, the Centre has delivered a microcredential programme in remote sensing, with its third cohort starting in the academic year 2025.
Studies and reports are available in the EASS Digiriiul.
Contacts of the Staff of the Remote Sensing Research and Development Centre are available in Estonian.
Contribution to National Defence
The activities of the Centre are closely linked to Estonia’s comprehensive national defence strategy, providing scientific and technological support to strengthen national security and resilience. A modern material and technical base has been established to support both research and development as well as teaching.
Through the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, a test environment has been created for the development of unmanned systems, which is also offered via the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). In addition, the Centre contributes its equipment and expertise to activities that directly enhance Estonia’s internal security and national defence.
Projects and Research
The Centre’s researchers and experts:
- deliver trainings and technology testing,
- organise seminars and professional meetings,
- participate in working groups and committees that shape the development of the field.
Recent Development Projects
“Kratt Kotkas” – a prototype software for drone search operations that processes image and video streams from drones using artificial intelligence, automatically detecting objects. The solution is used in the study process of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences.
Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Data Collection at Traffic Accident Scenes – a three-year applied research project in cooperation with the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board and the Estonian Forensic Science Institute. The aim of the project was to develop methodologies for collecting and processing evidence using new technological tools and to provide expert assessments based on the collected data.
Possibilities for Creating Digital Evidence of Border Incidents (DMDLBVEC) – a project funded by Frontex, carried out in cooperation with the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, aimed at developing solutions for creating digital evidence related to border incidents.