Reliable monitoring in unpredictable times
AI for Earth Transparency with Human Explainable Reasoning.
AETHER is a collaborative European research and innovation project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the EXPRO+ programme, in response to the ITT: “Opening the Black Box: Self-Explainable AI for Earth Observation“.
AI Earth Observation
The AETHER project is rooted in ESA’s FutureEO programme and Φ-lab strategy, which aim to push the frontiers of AI for Earth Observation. Building on decades of EO data, scientific excellence, and open innovation principles, AETHER aligns with European efforts to ensure trustworthy, transparent, and inclusive AI systems for sustainable development and climate action.
Multidisciplinary Consortium
The AETHER consortium brings together a diverse and complementary group of European research institutions, combining leading expertise in Earth Observation, artificial intelligence, climate science, agriculture, biodiversity, and urban sustainability. Together, we aim to pioneer transparent and trustworthy AI solutions for high-impact environmental applications.
Let’s build trust in AI for Earth Observation through transparency and explainabillity!
CONSORTIUM
Participating European research institutions
Wageningen Environmental Research
A leading applied research institute within Wageningen University & Research. It specializes in the use of environmental data, digital innovation, and geospatial science.
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
Norwegian Institute for Air Research is a leading European institute in climate, atmospheric, and environmental research, with strong expertise in Earth Observation data integration and air quality modelling.
Linköping University
Linköping University is one of Sweden’s top research universities, renowned for its pioneering work in computer vision, machine learning, and explainable AI (xAI).
University of Agriculture Kraków
University of Agriculture Kraków plays a leading role in urban climate research, with a focus on urban heat mapping, microclimate dynamics, and sustainable city planning.
USE CASES
Three high-impact application areas
Urban heat islands
This use case focuses on the detection and temporal evolution of urban temperature patterns in Dutch cities, Kraków (Poland), and Guatemala City, combining EO data, climatic variables, and AI models…
Crop yield prediction
Biodiversity
NEWS
Latest AETHER developments
Requirements and activity baseline document released!
Requirements and activity baseline document released!Dec 21, 2025 The AETHER project has published its Requirements and Activity Baseline Report, marking a key milestone following the successful…
First AI-ready dataset generated for the Urban Heat Island use case
An AI-ready dataset for the Urban Heat Island (UHI) analysis in Guatemala City integrates multi-source geospatial and socioeconomic data to enable predictive modelling and decision support for…
AETHER project kick-off
The AETHER project (Advancing Explainable AI for Earth Observation) has officially launched, marking the start of a one-year European research and innovation initiative funded by the European Space…
Visit Linkedin for news & updates
Discover additional information on the project’s LinkedIn page
AETHER Project
Advancing the field of Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation by developing innovative explainable AI approaches that increase transparency, trust, and usability of AI models for real-world environmental applications.
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