GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification
Research Article  ·  Published: 19 April 2026
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ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics
Volume 1, Issue 1, 2026: 53-66
Research Article Open Access

GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification

1 College of Intelligence and Computing, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
2 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
3 Department of Computer Science, City University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar 24370, Pakistan
* Corresponding Author: Yar Muhammad, [email protected]
Volume 1, Issue 1

Article Information

Abstract

Remote Sensing (RS) data streams necessitate classification models capable of assimilating novel information without the computational burden of retraining from scratch. Although Few-Shot Incremental Learning (FSIL) offers a promising paradigm for adaptation using limited samples, existing methodologies often falter due to the high inter-class similarity and complex background clutter inherent in aerial imagery. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel framework, Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive Compatible Training, designed to mitigate catastrophic forgetting in dynamic environments. This method ensures forward compatibility by strategically allocating embedding space for future categories via virtual prototypes, while simultaneously maintaining backward compatibility through knowledge distillation and selective network freezing. The proposed framework was rigorously evaluated on the AID and NWPU-RESIS45 benchmark datasets to assess its ability to balance plasticity for new tasks with stability for previously learned classes. Experimental analysis using accuracy, loss, and F1-score metrics demonstrates the robustness of the approach, achieving a base-session accuracy of 96.62% on the AID dataset and 96.74% on the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset. These results confirm that the proposed model effectively addresses the limitations of current state-of-the-art techniques, offering a scalable solution for RS classification, Catastrophic Forgetting, Forward Compatibility, and Few-Shot Incremental Learning.

Graphical Abstract

GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification

Keywords

incremental learning few-shot learning remote sensing Geo-FACT image processing

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Funding

This work was supported without any funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

AI Use Statement

The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

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Cite This Article

APA Style
Farooq, K., Zarar, M., Muhammad, Y., Hasnat, M., Li, Y., & Luo, X. (2026). GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification. ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics, 1(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.62762/TAIC.2026.348838
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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Farooq, Kawsar
AU  - Zarar, Muhammad
AU  - Muhammad, Yar
AU  - Hasnat, Muhammad
AU  - Li, Yanze
AU  - Luo, Xin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/19
TI  - GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification
JO  - ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics
T2  - ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics
JF  - ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics
VL  - 1
IS  - 1
SP  - 53
EP  - 66
DO  - 10.62762/TAIC.2026.348838
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/TAIC.2026.348838
KW  - incremental learning
KW  - few-shot learning
KW  - remote sensing
KW  - Geo-FACT
KW  - image processing
AB  - Remote Sensing (RS) data streams necessitate classification models capable of assimilating novel information without the computational burden of retraining from scratch. Although Few-Shot Incremental Learning (FSIL) offers a promising paradigm for adaptation using limited samples, existing methodologies often falter due to the high inter-class similarity and complex background clutter inherent in aerial imagery. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel framework, Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive Compatible Training, designed to mitigate catastrophic forgetting in dynamic environments. This method ensures forward compatibility by strategically allocating embedding space for future categories via virtual prototypes, while simultaneously maintaining backward compatibility through knowledge distillation and selective network freezing. The proposed framework was rigorously evaluated on the AID and NWPU-RESIS45 benchmark datasets to assess its ability to balance plasticity for new tasks with stability for previously learned classes. Experimental analysis using accuracy, loss, and F1-score metrics demonstrates the robustness of the approach, achieving a base-session accuracy of 96.62% on the AID dataset and 96.74% on the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset. These results confirm that the proposed model effectively addresses the limitations of current state-of-the-art techniques, offering a scalable solution for RS classification, Catastrophic Forgetting, Forward Compatibility, and Few-Shot Incremental Learning.
SN  - 3143-0309
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  - 
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@article{Farooq2026GeoFACT,
  author = {Kawsar Farooq and Muhammad Zarar and Yar Muhammad and Muhammad Hasnat and Yanze Li and Xin Luo},
  title = {GeoFACT: Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive and Compatible Training Framework for Remote Sensing Images Classification},
  journal = {ICCK Transactions on Applied Intelligence and Cybernetics},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {1},
  number = {1},
  pages = {53-66},
  doi = {10.62762/TAIC.2026.348838},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/TAIC.2026.348838},
  abstract = {Remote Sensing (RS) data streams necessitate classification models capable of assimilating novel information without the computational burden of retraining from scratch. Although Few-Shot Incremental Learning (FSIL) offers a promising paradigm for adaptation using limited samples, existing methodologies often falter due to the high inter-class similarity and complex background clutter inherent in aerial imagery. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel framework, Geospatial Few-Shot Adaptive Compatible Training, designed to mitigate catastrophic forgetting in dynamic environments. This method ensures forward compatibility by strategically allocating embedding space for future categories via virtual prototypes, while simultaneously maintaining backward compatibility through knowledge distillation and selective network freezing. The proposed framework was rigorously evaluated on the AID and NWPU-RESIS45 benchmark datasets to assess its ability to balance plasticity for new tasks with stability for previously learned classes. Experimental analysis using accuracy, loss, and F1-score metrics demonstrates the robustness of the approach, achieving a base-session accuracy of 96.62\% on the AID dataset and 96.74\% on the NWPU-RESISC45 dataset. These results confirm that the proposed model effectively addresses the limitations of current state-of-the-art techniques, offering a scalable solution for RS classification, Catastrophic Forgetting, Forward Compatibility, and Few-Shot Incremental Learning.},
  keywords = {incremental learning, few-shot learning, remote sensing, Geo-FACT, image processing},
  issn = {3143-0309},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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CC BY Copyright © 2026 by the Author(s). Published by Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
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