Repository navigation
About
actinia was created to provide a scalable, efficient and flexible platform for processing complex geospatial data in the cloud. It was originally developed by Sören Gebbert and mundialis (Germany) in 2017, following the growing availability of high-quality Copernicus data. Since then, actinia has evolved to also address data from New Space satellite sensors and other geospatial data sources.
As an open source, cloud-based REST API, actinia enables scalable and distributed high performance processing of raster, vector and time series data. It mainly uses GRASS GIS and GDAL for geospatial computation and provides a modular architecture that can be extended with plugins for functionalities such as metadata catalogue management, STAC support and parallel processing.
actinia is written in Python and can be deployed in cloud environments for scalable and distributed processing. Its REST API supports integration into existing applications and data science workflows, including Jupyter Notebooks and JupyterHub.
actinia is used by:
- companies, organisations and institutions requiring advanced geospatial processing capabilities;
- professionals, analysts and scientists working with satellite imagery, geospatial data and Earth observation;
- developers and engineers looking for a scalable, cloud-based geospatial processing platform;
- corporations, technology companies, startups, governmental and environmental agencies, research institutions and universities.
Its open source nature, high scalability, modular design and broad geospatial processing capabilities make actinia suitable for customised deployments and a wide range of cloud-based geospatial workflows. actinia is a community project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo.org).
Compared to the OpenEO API actinia targets a broader range of applications as it includes the entire range of GRASS GIS functionality and more which isn't reflected in the openEO API. The openEO API in turn is generic and not tied to a specific GIS processing software stack. Instead, the openEO API intends to provide a common user interface to various different backends (data processing engines). As a consequence, the openEO API is focussing on earth-observation data and not GIS/RS processing in general, and it does not specify more specialized functionality, even though individual backends are allowed to add more functionality, as long as the interface conforms to openEO specifications.
Here is a short overview of the main differences:
-
actinia offerings (overview of actinia API):
- in addition to openEO: access to 500+ GRASS GIS modules via /grass_modules endpoint:
- list of allowed modules for a user: https://actinia.mundialis.de/api/v3/grass_modules (user:
demouser, password:gu3st!pa55w0rd). Possible to combine are full GRASS GIS command list plus selected addons (Sentinel related and more).
- list of allowed modules for a user: https://actinia.mundialis.de/api/v3/grass_modules (user:
- optionally: user-defined process chains based on Python, C, etc. commands
- in addition to openEO: access to 500+ GRASS GIS modules via /grass_modules endpoint:
-
openeo-grassgis-driver offerings
- openEO compliant functionality for raster, vector, time series processing, and more
- if the openEO use cases fit and are sufficient (mainly processing and analysis of earth observation data) and if the concept of data cubes fits well to the data to be processed, then using the openEO API might be a better approach because of interchangeability.
- benefit for the user is to use a standard API:
- no research / implementation of multiple proprietary API specifications
- out-of-the-box usage of multiple backends and various clients
- a generic openEO python client is available to easily create more complex process graphs
- a generic openEO web editor is available, providing a graphical user interface to openEO backends
- benefit for platform operators might be easier error handling for multiple backends / clients although most likely experts of the specific implementations are needed
- disadvantage for platform operators is that an additional layer is added on top of the actual data processing engine which makes debugging more difficult
2025:
- Kartierung von Überflutungsgebieten aus Sentinel-1 Radardaten mit Hilfe von actinia (Workshop). FOSSGIS 2025, 26-29 March 2025 in Münster, Germany (abstract | Jupyter notebooks)
- Neues von actinia - mit Knative weiter wolkenwärts (Vortrag). FOSSGIS 2025, 26-29 March 2025 in Münster, Germany (Slides, Video)
2024:
- Blumentrath, S., Are Antonsen, Y., Widforss, A., Fossli Gjersø, N., Verpe Engeset, R., and Havstad Winsvold, S. (2024): Implementing National Copernicus services for hydrology and natural hazard monitoring at NVE using Open Source tools Apache Airflow and actinia, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-19421, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-19421.
- Oberflächenklassifikation aus Luft- und Satellitenbildern mit Hilfe von actinia (Workshop). FOSSGIS 2024, 20-23 March 2024 in Hamburg, Germany (abstract | Jupyter notebook)
2023:
- Implementing Copernicus services at the (NVE) with Airflow and actinia. Blumentrath, S., FOSS4G Prizren Kosovo 2023. 10.5446/66441 (DOI)
- Neues von actinia (presentation), Tawalika, C. FOSSGIS 2023, Berlin, Germany. Slides (use Chromium/Chrome browser)
- < 8000 em>Oberflächenklassifikation aus Luft- und Satellitenbildern mit Hilfe von actinia (Workshop). FOSSGIS 2023, Berlin, Germany (abstract | Jupyter notebook)
- Einführung in actinia (Workshop). FOSSGIS 2023, Berlin, Germany (Jupyter notebook)
2022:
- A gentle introduction to actinia: geoprocessing in the cloud (workshop), Tawalika, C., Neteler, M. FOSS4G 2022, Florence, Italy. Slides (use Chromium/Chrome browser)
- News from actinia - let's STAC! (presentation), Tawalika, C., Herrera Maldonado, J.A., FOSS4G 2022, Florence, Italy. Slides (use Chromium/Chrome browser)
- Neues von actinia (presentation), Tawalika, C. FOSSGIS 2022, Marburg, Germany. Online. Slides (use Chromium/Chrome browser)
- STAC und openEO in der Praxis: Integration in actinia (presentation), Tawalika, C. FOSSGIS 2022, Marburg, Germany. Online. Slides (use Chromium/Chrome browser)
2021:
- News from actinia (presentation), Tawalika, C. FOSS4G 2021, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Online, video
- A gentle introduction to actinia: geoprocessing in the cloud (workshop), Tawalika, C. FOSS4G 2021, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Online, material
- actinia: geoprocessamento nel cloud (workshop in italiano), Neteler, M., supported by Delucchi, L.
2020:
-
Geoprocessing in the cloud with actinia (presentation), Neteler, M.
- DOI Open Source Geospatial Meeting, USA, October 29, 2020 7:00-8:00 p.m., online
-
actinia: geoprocessing in the cloud (presentation), Neteler, M.
- FOSDEM 2020 Feb. 2020, video
2019:
-
Die Open Source Geoprozessierungsplattform actinia (presentation). Neteler, M.
- Neue Perspektiven der Erdbeobachtung, 2. Symposium zur angewandten Satellitenerdbeobachtung, 12.-13. Nov. 2019, Köln, Germany
- GRASS GIS in the cloud: actinia geoprocessing (presentation). Tawalika, C., Neteler, M.
-
Cloud based processing of geo and Earth observation data (workshop), Neteler, M.
- GeoSTAT 2019, Sep 2019, Münster, Germany
-
Actinia: Cloud based geoprocessing (presentation). Neteler, M., Gebbert, S., Tawalika, C., Bettge, A., Benelcadi, H., Löw, F., Adams, T., Paulsen, H.
- Big Data from Space (BiDS'19) - Turning Data into Insights. 19-21 Feb 2019, Munich, Germany (paper)
2018:
-
Actinia Open Source – geoprocessing in the cloud (presentation), Adams, T.
- FOSS4G 2018, Aug. 2018, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2017:
-
Processing and spatial analysis of multi-temporal remote sensing data (presentation), M. Neteler, C. Tawalika, T. Adams, H. Paulsen
- Feld-Phänotypisierung - Merkmale von oben messen, 27. - 29. Juni 2017
-
actinia – API zur Prozessierung von Copernicus-Daten (presentation), T. Adams.
- GeoIT round table, June 2017
Neteler, M., Gebbert, S., Tawalika, C., Bettge, A., Benelcadi, H., Löw, F., Adams, T., Paulsen, H. (2019). Actinia: cloud based geoprocessing. In: Proc. of the 2019 conference on Big Data from Space (BiDS'2019) (pp. 41–44). EUR 29660 EN, Publications Office of the European Union 5, Luxembourg: P. Soille, S. Loekken, and S. Albani (Eds.), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2631917
actinia at OSGeo: https://www.osgeo.org/projects/actinia/
If you use this software, please cite it properly, depending on the version you use:
- Tawalika, C., Weinmann, A., Riembauer, G., Metz, M., Haas, J., Jansen, M., Herrera Maldonado, J. A., Gebbert, S., Neteler, M., Mawad, M., & Pesek, O. (2026). actinia-core (7.0.2). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5879231
- Tawalika, Carmen, Weinmann, Anika, Riembauer, Guido, Metz, Markus, Haas, Julia, Jansen, Marc, Herrera Maldonado, Jorge A., Gebbert, Sören, & Neteler, Markus. (2022). actinia-core (3.0.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5865317
- Tawalika, Carmen, Weinmann, Anika, Riembauer, Guido, Metz, Markus, Haas, Julia, Jansen, Marc, Gebbert, Sören, & Neteler, Markus. (2021). actinia-core (2.0.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5865265
- Gebbert, Sören, Tawalika, Carmen, Weinmann, Anika, Riembauer, Guido, Metz, Markus, Jansen, Marc, & Neteler, Markus. (2021). actinia-core (1.0.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5864848
The actinia Project Steering Committee (PSC) is the official managing body of actinia and is responsible for setting overall project direction. The committee is drawn from the actinia community and is based on merit and interest.