Case Study
Vantor Sweden
What it takes to map the world in 3D
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Challenge
The slogan “We are building the Globe in 3D” accurately captures what Vantor Sweden does: developing geodata technology where high-resolution satellite images are transformed into detailed three-dimensional maps and models.
The business originated within the defense industry group Saab, then spun off to the independent company Vricon and since 2020 is part of the space technology company Vantor. About one hundred of the Vantor Group’s 4,600 employees are now based in Linköping, Sweden. Most of the Swedish team are R&D engineers, including several machine learning experts.
Vantor’s 3D maps are used for planning and navigation within various industries and sectors. Defense forces remains the largest customer category. A well-known example of such use cases is when Maxar received media attention for images evidencing apparent Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Meanwhile, 3D visualization technology is increasingly adopted for civilian uses, e.g. in telecommunications and emergency services.
“We manage the entire value chain. From manufacturing and launching the imaging satellites to developing algorithms and creating 3D models,” says Tomi Ojala Carlbergh, manager of development support and 3D production at Vantor Sweden.
In terms of data, producing a detailed three-dimensional map of the world’s entire land surface, totaling almost 150 million square kilometers, is an enormous task. It requires massive computing power, provided by thousands of CPUs in clustered blade servers.
With this goal now within reach, the effort will not end there. Vantor’s vision going forward is to reflect how the world is changing and help customers analyze this. The business is moving towards subscription services where Vantor continuously delivers updated content along with algorithms and analytics tools.
On-prem infrastructure for development
Applying the broad enterprise view on IT, Vantor relies on a hybrid environment. Some functions are cloud-based, others are centralised and provided by the Group, while the server cluster powering the 3D technology is hosted and managed at the Linköping site. This has proven to be the most cost-effective solution. Additionally, on-prem operations offer great flexibility, which the development team highly appreciates.
“It takes powerful hardware to build and train our models and locate objects on 3D maps. Our developers like to save much of the content they produce, adding to the need for storage,” says Tomi Ojala Carlbergh.
We have a productive dialogue with Proact. They respond quickly and are very easy to deal with.
Solution
As Vantor went searching for a new server and storage provider, they first made contact with Proact. The company had outgrown their existing datacenter setup and together with Vantor, Proact developed a new concept based on clustered Dell PowerEdge servers and PowerStore storage arrays using NVMe/TCP transport. In addition to better performance, this solution also provides powerful data reduction features, enabling Vantor to free up substantial storage space for new applications.
“We are constantly on the lookout for new solutions, and when a device is due for replacement, that gives us a reason to talk with suppliers,” says Tomi Ojala Carlbergh.
Upgrade and local support
Vantor had two underlying needs. The most urgent was finding a partner to maintain and update the infrastructure. When the server cluster is expanded, storage capacity must also keep up to prevent bottlenecks.
Secondly, the company sought change, by obtaining a Swedish partner for hardware support.
“We wanted a local provider who could work on-site with us when needed. Storage systems, in particular, typically require hands-on tuning. Then it’s convenient to have someone who comes to visit us and who speaks Swedish,” says Tomi Ojala Carlbergh.
In addition to the ongoing hardware support assignment for Vantor’s Swedish operations, Proact has delivered additional solutions to replace ageing devices, mainly for file and object storage, based on the versatile and scalable Dell PowerScale platform.
The partnership has also extended to expert services and advice, including market research and studies of storage and backup issues. It has worked out well.
“We have a productive dialogue with Proact. They respond quickly and are very easy to deal with,” says Tomi Ojala Carlbergh.
Benefits
- Proximity to support resources
- Certified expertise
- Counselling
Key components
- Servers: Dell PowerEdge R660, PowerEdge MX 7000 blade chassis with PowerEdge MX760c blade servers.
- Storage: Dell PowerStore 1200T, PowerScale H700 and A3000 NAS.
About Maxar International
Vantor is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. The company delivers disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space.
Vantor combines a huge satellite image archive with 3D technology to provide customers with the most accurate representation of the Earth for mission planning, point surveying, navigation, simulation, training and other complex environments.
Vantor team members are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. www.vantor.com