This year, BCSS student Ole Martin Borge (NTNU) is the winner of the annual NIFRO Prize for his Master’s thesis “Atmospheric Correction over Coastal Waters Based on Machine Learning Models”. Borge has, under the supervision of Prof. Joseph Espy of NTNU, developed mathematical models that will make it easier for satellites to track ocean plankton.
Every year, the NIFRO Prize is given to the best Master’s thesis in space technology. The goal of the prize is to encourage Master’s students to make extra effort in completing good projects that are of relevance to the Norwegian space industry. The prize is NOK 20,000.
Plankton are small marine organisms that move with water currents. They are an important part of the ocean ecosystem as they comprise the bottom of the food chain. Satellite cameras can be used to track and capture useful information regarding plankton but the problem is that the cameras also pick up a lot of atmospheric “noise”. Borge’s models will allow satellites to correct for undesirable atmospheric effects and give a more accurate picture of the composition of plankton in a given area.
Read more about Ole Martin on the Andøya Space Center’s homepage.
