iMagine kick-off at #EGI2022

iMagine focuses on imaging data and services for aquatic science. For the next three years, the consortium will work on developing a common iMagine AI framework and computing platform, based on DEEP, connected to the EOSC, facilitating researchers in the development, testing, training, hosting, and operating of AI-based image analysis services, following the FAIR practices.

At the kick-off meeting, after a round of introduction of all the partners and some introductory words from the EC project officer Pierre Quertenmont, the scientific coordinator Dick Schaap (Maris) and the project coordinator Gergely Sipos (EGI) guided the consortium through the objectives and expected impact of the project. Next, Alvaro Lopez Garcia (CSIC) presented an overview of the technical development and status of the iMagine AI platform. Finally, the day concluded with the presentations by Dick Schaap, Valentin Kozlov (KIT) and the involved partners about the status and plans of the project’s five more mature use cases and the prototypes to be further developed.

The use cases rely on the services provided by the iMagine platform, are led by domain experts, and seek shared solutions to upgrade the quality and performance of their image processing services, in particular by adopting AI in their processing (prototype use cases) or optimising existing AI-based services (mature use cases).

The project relies on the collaboration with the major Research Infrastructures in the marine and inland waters domains, namely LifeWatch, EMBRC, JERICO, EMSO-ERIC, and SeaDataNet, and relevant EU initiatives such as Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS) and European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet).

iMagine will establish synergies with the EU initiatives and projects working on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, as also presented during ion “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning session” at #EGI2022.

The iMagine project receives funding from the European Union Horizon Europe Programme – Grant Agreement number 101058625.