Visual Computing Report

We are living in an age of profound transformation. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, social and ecological challenges are becoming more complex, and expectations of science and actionable innovation are growing. For an institute like Fraunhofer IGD, this means above all one thing: Our research must remain closely tied to practical applications and deliver immediate benefits to the economy, public institutions, and society.

This orientation has guided our actions for many years, and we have further intensified our focus this year. A critical step in this process is further developing our industry structure. By shifting our industry focus from “automotive” to “manufacturing and mobility,” we are setting a clear priority and acknowledging the close connection between production and mobility in networked value chains. We have also renamed the former “Software and IT Industry” to “Infrastructure and Public Services,” reflecting the places where digital technologies have a central impact today: in municipal services, urban and spatial planning, environmental monitoring, critical infrastructure operations, and public safety and hazard prevention.

An example from European research illustrates just how relevant this reorientation is. As part of the EU-funded FOCAL project, we are developing an open digital ecosystem to make climate, environmental, and earth observation data available where it is needed: locally, in real time, and in a way that supports decision-making. This allows local governments to identify heat islands, plan climate-resilient infrastructure, and use data to select appropriate tree species for urban areas. Research becomes a direct tool that empowers cities, administrations, and public services to take action.

Our strategic industry orientation is a key part of this focus. It facilitates transfer to the private sector and opens up new areas of application. With curiosity, dedication, and a commitment to turning knowledge into action, we will continue to expand and strengthen these areas. This focus is also reflected in broad-based future-oriented topics that are gaining importance across many technological fields, for example, the issue of dual-use technologies. Technologies that can serve both civilian and security-related applications must be used responsibly. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s strength in this area is particularly evident in Hesse, where four institutes are pooling their expertise to advance solutions to these challenges.

At Fraunhofer IGD, we focus on AI-powered situational awareness, geospatial data analysis, and maritime sensor technology — tools we use to support government agencies and emergency response organizations in crisis management, infrastructure resilience, and security. These then form the basis for decision-making and assistance systems that can detect anomalies in real time and automatically generate prioritized recommendations for action. In this way, we are strengthening a field that aligns with our core business: integrating computer vision, computer graphics, data science, and artificial intelligence to reveal complex relationships and enable the effective use of data-driven decisions.

Institutsleitung

We offer expertise and technologies in four service areas, covering all application-relevant fields of visual computing. Our cross-functional teams of experts support customers in the business and political sectors across six industries with flexible software solutions.

Problem Analysis

We analyze existing processes and business systems by systematically searching, aggregating, merging, and linking available data and data sources to identify optimization opportunities.

Optimal data management and efficient data storage and processing are essential for us to gain meaningful insights from the data volumes through a combination of automated analytics methods and visualization.

Big data, machine learning, and AI methods provide customers with deep insights into their data, revealing hidden connections within their heterogeneous data sets.

Software and hardware system design

A user-centered, agile, and iterative approach is used to design software and hardware systems based on a detailed requirements analysis. These systems are tailored to customers and their specific tasks, aiming to visualize complex data.

Identifying the technical components and processes creates target visions for new systems and suggestions for improving existing ones.

Our goals are optimal usability, user-centered design (HCI and UI), efficiency, and innovative functionalities. Our customers can count on our industry-standard software design methodologies, testing methods, and development environments.

Prototype development

Our work doesn't have to end with a concept paper. We can also create a solid prototype that can undergo thorough testing of all its performance features.

Prototyping is carried out iteratively and in close consultation with the customer. This enables key design decisions regarding functionality to be made quickly and efficiently, ensuring that development work is always goal -oriented.

Through rapid prototyping, we use testing and validation to demonstrate feasibility and benefits, help minimize risks, and make implementation decisions.

Realization and implementation of visual interactive systems

We develop individual solutions or prototypes into ready-to-use operational systems that can be replicated in software and hardware.

These solutions are implemented through HW/SW integration, testing, and rollout in such a way that they can be optimally integrated into the customer's existing system environment.

In addition to support during the introductory phase, the software solutions are available for purchase or licensing with ongoing support.

Certified software development processes in accordance with the DIN EN ISO standard are also available upon request.

Manufacturing and Mobility

We develop innovative technologies for the mobility sector—from manufacturers and suppliers to software providers and mechanical engineering firms. We offer customized solutions for development, production, and after-sales service. We use computer graphics, computer vision, data science, and AI to make processes more efficient, products smarter, and new workflows possible. Our cutting-edge research spurs technological transformation and provides application-specific solutions to industry.

Further information

Healthcare

Tool wear is a key factor affecting both costs and quality in sheet metal processing. Random inspections disrupt the workflow and are often no longer sufficient, for example, when dealing with high-strength materials in the context of vehicle electrification. That’s why the EFB project, funded by the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations (AiF) is systematically investigating wear in multi-stage forming processes and developing guidelines for SMEs. The project has resulted in the development of a cost-effective, inline measurement system based on photometric stereo. The system continuously analyzes components at up to 400 cycles per minute and detects deviations early on. It operates autonomously, requires no special training, and reduces waste and downtime. For its innovative and practical contributions to the advancement of quality assurance, the project received the Industrial Collaborative Research Excellence Award in 2025, in recognition of solutions that enable predictive maintenance and intelligent process monitoring.

Further information

Infrastructure and Public Services

Our cutting-edge research is shaping the twin transformation, an integrated, sustainable digital evolution. Our application-specific solutions make us a key partner for stakeholders in infrastructure and public services that operate critical infrastructure and provide public services. We focus on transportation, energy, telecommunications, and IT infrastructure; as well as construction, security, administration, smart cities, cybersecurity, and information security. It’s our way of laying the groundwork for a sustainable society.

Further information

Maritime Economy

We're helping to drive digitalization in the maritime industry. We work together to ensure your technological competitiveness through market-driven products and new business models. When it comes to protecting the oceans as a natural habitat and using them sustainably as an economic resource, you can count on our innovative strength and our understanding of the specific requirements and conditions of the maritime economy. We provide tailored solutions for your needs on, in, and around the water.

Further information

Bioeconomy

We help businesses and public institutions develop sustainable and technologically advanced concepts for the bioeconomy. Our application-oriented system solutions are designed to optimize the use of resources in food and raw material production, monitor animal welfare, and harness ecosystem services in a sustainable and resilient manner. We leverage our expertise in visual computing to provide tools that capture, interpret, and visualize data, improving processes and creating new marketing concepts.

Further information

To quantify its economic impact, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft commissioned a series of studies analyzing the impact of its research activities on Germany as a business and innovation hub. All studies are published and freely accessible. The publication “Fraunhofer-Forschung wirkt” [Fraunhofer Research Works] provides a concise summary of these studies’ key findings and is available for download here:

www.fraunhofer.de/de/forschung/leistungsangebot/wirkung-von-fraunhofer-forschung.html.