ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands, April 24, 2023 — Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a leading global developer of military simulation and training software, is pleased to announce a partnership with blackshark.ai, the developer of a 3D Digital Twin of Earth and a range of AI-based geospatial technologies. Together, they plan to deliver unprecedented realism in whole-Earth terrain generation by combining BISim’s Mantle ETM and blackshark.ai’s SYNTH3D™ geospatial solution.
“As we launch our partnership with blackshark.ai, we’re excited about the unprecedented quality of terrain that our customers will be able to experience. SYNTH3D™ paired with Mantle ETM’s support for multiple runtime engines will enable customers to leverage simulation like never before,” says BISim CPO Pete Morrison.
The collaboration between BISim and blackshark.ai will enable customers to acquire highly accurate recreations of real-world locations for mission planning, rehearsal or training based on little more than high-resolution satellite data. This aligns with NATO’s direction and global partners’ goals to accelerate defense training and simulation and improve multi-domain capabilities. BISim’s flagship product, VBS4, will be fully supported, in addition to other Mantle ETM supported runtimes including Unreal.
“With this partnership, any real-world location becomes available as a current and photorealistic 3D training environment. blackshark.ai and BISim are the perfect combinations for everyone looking for country-scale real-world mission planning and mission rehearsal environments,” says Michael Putz, CEO of blackshark.ai.
BISim’s Mantle ETM is a custom-built platform based on proven COTS components and expert design/development services for creating simulated terrain for training, mission rehearsal, visualization and terrain analysis. A Mantle ETM installation delivers a cloud-capable custom terrain pipeline that works with your data, processes, servers, and runtimes, integrating with your existing terrain capabilities or delivering a full end-to-end solution from scratch.
In 2021, during a five-day Simulation Exercise codenamed EX LION HEART at the Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria, Giri, Abuja, MASA Group and Bohemia Interactive Simulation, provided trial versions of their MASA Simulated War gaming for Operational Readiness and Doctrine (SWORD) and the Virtual Battle Space Series 4 software to the Army’s Land Forces Simulation Centre.
blackshark.ai’s 3D Base Globe, derived from high-resolution and current satellite data, is named SYNTH3D™. blackshark.ai’s proprietary format allows storing and using the surface of the entire globe offline and using it as a multi-domain, massive multiplayer-ready synthetic training and simulation environment.
About blackshark.ai
blackshark.ai provides a 3D Digital Twin of Earth by extracting information from satellite imagery and reconstructing detected attributes in photorealistic 3D fully automatically. A scalable artificial intelligence builds the core of the blackshark.ai platform, detecting features globally with incredible accuracy and speed. A patented approach to 3D reconstruction, can store petabytes of data and render it in infinite detail in real-time, allowing for powerful visualization and simulation applications for government, geospatial intelligence, humanitarian relief, planetary management, autonomous driving and flying, insurance, smart cities and more.
The blackshark.ai platform, backed by M12 – Microsoft’s Venture Fund, Point72 Ventures and provider of global space solutions Maxar Technologies, serves large clients globally with a team of 100+ people based out of Silicon Valley/US and Graz/Austria, Europe’s computer vision hub.
About BISim
Founded in 2001, Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BISim), a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, Inc, is a global software company at the forefront of simulation and training solutions for defense and civilian organizations.
Globally, many hundreds of thousands of military personnel are trained every year using BISim’s high-fidelity VBS software products. More than 60 NATO and NATO-friendly countries, and over 300 integrators/prime contractors use VBS technology, many making significant funding commitments to extend VBS product capabilities. BISim’s customers include the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, Canadian Armed Forces, UK MOD, French Army, Bundeswehr, Swedish Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force and many major system integrators.