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Technological developments allow satellite imagery simpler and quicker to use than ever before. A growing number of companies are having their data accessible free of charge: in 2008, the United States Geological Survey made free-to-use data from its Landsat satellites, contributing to a major increase in the usage of satellite data for scientific and industrial purposes. The European Space Agency has now introduced a focus on free and transparent data for the Copernicus program.

What are satellite data services?

Satellite data services are designed to implement satellite Earth Observation ( EO) technologies that are transverse to the broad EPOS population and ideal for usage in many solid Earth science application scenarios. Satellite Data is integrated by National Research Infrastructures that have innovative and established Earth Observation (EO) products and services to be used in many Solid Earth Sciences technology scenarios.

Satellite data services are cloud-based services providing access to near-real-time, ready-to-use satellite imagery and products derived from Sentinel-1 and 2 satellites. They handle pre-processing and associated costs, so you don't have to. Low cost monthly or annual licenses provide consumers with access to review of ready-to-use satellite data under an open data license for applications to help track, control, and calculate land-based operation and change over time.

Who needs satellite data services?

Natural resources

Satellite data services and GIS Maps (Geographic Information Systems) have a significant role in the evaluation and study of natural resources, including livestock, forestry, and coastal management. Satellite images can offer up to 30 centimeters of spatial resolution for improved study, measurement, and tracking of natural resources.

This technology can contribute to a wide range of global change-related potential applications for vegetation and ecosystem dynamics, hazard and disaster monitoring, geological and soil analysis, land surface climatology, hydrology, land cover change, and the generation of ortho-rectified Digital Elevation Models (DEMs).

Defense & Intelligence

Satellite data services provide geospatial services to government departments and military companies for various defense and security mapping applications. From satellite picture acquisition to final image analysis, these services can recognize the need for impeccable precision and image quality for the mapping and knowledge requirements.

Satellite imagery and GIS maps optimize security systems that enable local governments to properly evaluate and consider how to implement strategies to save a life, protect property, and enhance the potential economic prosperity of their cities. Current threats to a world range from terrorism activities and intelligence assaults on vital facilities to the possible usage of weapons of mass destruction and the spread of infectious diseases. Each of these threats could cause massive losses and disruption to a country.

Mining

Satellite data services and aerial photography have proven to be valuable resources for mineral discovery projects. They can be seen in a number of ways. First, they supply geologists and field crews with the location of paths, highways, fences, and inhabited areas. It is critical for mapping future access corridors for exploration areas and considering the environmental effects of large projects. Satellite map data is also useful for mapping outcrops and regolith systematics and covering vegetation through research blocks and geographical areas.

Satellite data services can also benefit geologists, scientists, and exploration managers from the multiple bands that satellites carry that allow them to interpret wavelengths that cannot be seen by the human eye. Near-infrared, short-wave infrared and thermal infrared can be used to identify differences in the structural features of the earth's surface. Multispectral imaging and thematic analysis allow researchers to capture reflective data and the absorption properties of dirt, rock, and vegetation. This data can also be used by professional photogeologists to view surface lithologies, to distinguish clays, oxides, and soil types from satellite imagery.

Geographic Information Systems(GIS)

The Geographic Information System or GIS is a system that provides a fundamentally new way of creating and utilizing the maps required to navigate our cities and industries. GIS produces intelligent super maps from which complex planning and analysis can be carried out at the click of a button. Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC) integrates orthorectified satellite imagery with derived vector data and client-provided geospatial data to produce single, GIS data-rich maps for numerous industrial uses, including agriculture, emergency prevention, energy, and environmental monitoring.

Satellite data services incorporate GIS data to achieve a multi-layer result for many types of analysis and management related to a project. The expertise and accuracy of GIS mapping services prevent almost all potential problems associated with GIS maps. Through utilizing machine learning, neural network algorithms and satellite remote sensing techniques, automated extraction of objects observed on satellite imagery will speed up and minimize the cost of, for example, tracking and counting animals, detection of solar panel installations on commercial and residential buildings, detection of related objects in form or materials or other suitable applications.

Here's how user-friendly satellite data can revolutionize development:

Satellite imagery can offer valuable data that complement conventional data collection mechanisms, such as censuses and surveys. This can provide valuable insights on disaster response, track deforestation by calculating the evolution of forest cover over time, and help urban development by monitoring urban growth.

However, despite the increased accessibility of satellite data, converting it into accessible knowledge also needs significant skills and resources. Although recent advances in data analytics have enabled some analysis to become computerized and automated, such practices have yet to be implemented on a scale by the construction industry. Nevertheless, if the processing burden for any individual country is removed, the data can be incorporated much more easily within the country, the national system, and processes.

Making satellite data ‘analysis-ready’

Satellite images have to be processed before they are ready for analysis. One specific technique, for example, is to eliminate cloud cover from photographs by replacing contaminated pixels with clean ones. Another is to remove the haziness that may occur as a result of atmospheric disturbances — a method referred to as "atmospheric correction."

To make satellite data more user-friendly, several vendors have started selling analysis-ready data or ARD data. The term applies to data that has already been stripped of any irregularities, in particular by utilizing algorithms — making it more available to companies who might not be willing to utilize it.

Bringing ARD to the development community

The Earth Observation organization has created tools to convert a large amount of satellite data into user-friendly formats. These include open-data cubes — open-source systems in which satellite databases are arranged by space and time coordinates. This helps end-users to watch the development of Earth data — such as plants, land usage, or water coverage — within time. In the context of sustainable development, this could mean having easy and quick access to monitoring the effects of climate change in a particular location or urbanization pattern where there are no census mechanisms in place.

ARDC has come to life as a result of previous discussions between the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and partner countries. This exposed some of the obstacles that nations encountered when pursuing environmental growth locally, including the time required to process satellite results. In order to promote the adoption of new practices across the different government agencies responsible for data handling, ARDC carries out a range of skill development initiatives, including training.

Conclusion

The satellite data services market is expected to grow at substantial rates over the forecast period. Major progress in geospatial imagery analysis combined with the implementation of AI and big data, privatization of the space industry, and the growing demand for small earth observation satellites are driving the market.

Free Valuable Insights: Global Satellite Data Services Market to reach a market size of USD 16.2 billion by 2026

As in the case of satellite data services to revolutionize growth, the Earth observation industry is still young and developing. Despite technical developments in fields such as machine learning that the pace at which data can be analyzed, the full potential of Earth observation data has yet to be explored. And as the number of users and products grows, ARD may ultimately develop a number of standards that reflect growing types of user needs and requirements.