Perception System

The Perception System is an integrated and strategic architecture for real-time, large-scale environmental monitoring, designed to meet the challenges of continuous observation of critical ecosystems. Operating through two satellite communication networks, the system is capable of collecting and retransmitting data from field-installed sensors, ensuring remote coverage of environmentally significant areas.

At the core of Perception are the Remote Monitoring Units (RMUs), composed of two main components: the Central Micrometeorological Tower (CMT), dedicated to measuring atmospheric and surface variables such as solar radiation, turbulent energy fluxes, and carbon balance; and the Soil Monitoring Cell (SMC), focused on capturing soil parameters such as temperature, moisture, and environmental quality indicators. These units feed a multi-layered IT architecture, composed of edge devices, real-time control panels, and a hierarchical structure for data storage, analysis, and visualization.

Based on this foundation, the system enables the creation of an Environmental Digital Twin, structured across five dimensions: physical elements, virtual elements, data descriptions, system services, and interconnections. This integrated model allows synchronization between real data and simulations, enabling predictive modeling, anomaly detection, and environmental scenario simulation. The entire Perception framework follows the principles of Model-Based Systems Engineering, using the Arcadia/Capella methodology and is organized into four main layers: operational, system, logical, and physical.

Communication between the RMUs and the satellite network adopts a dual-link approach: a high-data-rate (HDL) channel for transmitting large volumes of data, and a low-data-rate (LDL) channel, operated by the Perceive satellite network, focused on telemetry and the exchange of critical data in low-bandwidth environments.

The definition and development of the RMUs stem from two foundational pilot projects: the K34 Tower, located in the Amazon rainforest approximately 64 km from Manaus, and the Cerrado Tower at the Água Limpa Farm of the University of Brasília (UnB). Both represent strategic environments that serve as references for designing and validating the remote monitoring model. In the case of the K34 Tower, part of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA), Perception contributes to the collection and processing of telemetry data and environmental statistics using the Perceive satellite, conceived from the Alfacrux space mission. This mission marks the beginning of command and control operations of the project's satellite network, enabling secure communication of critical data, as well as technical training of teams in the full life cycle of a space mission.

The integration of the Perception System with the LBA Program, an initiative of the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI) coordinated by the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), in 2023, consolidates its role as a scientific and strategic instrument for the country. With 27 years of activity, LBA is one of the world’s leading references in data on biosphere-atmosphere interactions in tropical forests. In this context, Perception expands its contribution by providing technological solutions for environmental management, climate monitoring, and public policy development, based on high-quality, real-time data.