Emiliano Kargieman - Founder and CEO - Satellogic.
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The barriers to accessing Earth observation (EO) satellite imagery have been reduced in recent years with the emergence of commercial providers focused on making data more affordable. EO, radar and radio frequency commercial sensors provide near-real-time visibility into the health and security of our planet and populations. This information allows governments to make wise and efficient choices with the richest datasets possible.
Throughout the 20th century, most satellite imagery was the restricted domain of individual governments, primarily for defense purposes. The United States' Corona satellite reconnaissance program to monitor the Soviet Union was launched in 1960, but its images weren't declassified until 1995.
Today, the market for imagery has increased with the growth of satellite programs and additional commercial providers. While the supply of satellite data continues to be a capacity-constrained market dominated by a handful of large players, newer players are allowing the public sector access to high-resolution, high-cadence imagery at a lower cost.
Governments around the world can now buy and lease access to satellite data for national purposes with far less friction than in the past. Also helping to enable access and drive decision-making is the "constellation as a service" model, where specific strategic areas are observed with increased frequency and high resolution.
Public Sector Enables New Market Entrants
The proliferation of commercial satellite imagery has expanded the applicability of this dataset for the global public sector, leading to great transparency into the natural and built environment.
For example, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, uses data from satellites and surveillance tools as part of its Eurosur Fusion Services. Eurosur is a framework focused on improving the oversight of Europe's external borders. Eurosur Fusion Services includes vessel tracking and detection as well as weather and oceanographic forecasting. The European Maritime Safety Agency also uses EO data for its CleanSeaNet oil spill and vessel detection service as well as for its Copernicus Maritime Surveillance service, which offers to monitor activities of the sea. In Asia, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) employs satellite technology in its disaster monitoring services.
Additionally, monitoring federal lands using commercial space imagery is emerging as a cost-effective and reliable method for remediating clean-up events and holding licensees accountable. Twice each year, 180 mine inspection agents at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) are required to inspect thousands of surface mines for health and safety compliance. Access to cost-effective satellite imagery greatly increases the effectiveness and efficiency of these inspections while dramatically lowering costs.
For governments without space programs, the introduction of new and unique affordable imagery programs can enable them to build a space program quickly in their countries without investment in hardware. These programs can enable users to manage a fleet of satellites over a specific area and develop a geospatial imaging program featuring high-resolution imagery and the ability to revisit specific points of interest several times at a low cost.
Climate change is increasing both water scarcity and extreme weather events, causing a global concern about food security. Using images from space, private and public sector agencies can assess and adapt to a rapidly changing environment to better understand crop yields, soil and growing conditions. Last year, 12 countries across the developing world participated in a United Nations program to build capacity and know-how on the use of geospatial and satellite data to monitor crop conditions for better agricultural productivity.
Furthermore, climate change is driving how nations think about the evolving global security landscape, and armed forces such as the U.S. Coast Guard are adapting their operating posture to confront this challenge. The Climate Community of Interest (CCOI) was established to evaluate engineering, intel, mission support, planning, operations, logistics, energy management, infrastructure development, resiliency planning, strategy and resourcing to identify mission and operational risks and assess climate resiliency gaps. Commercial satellite imagery is integral to monitoring coastal erosion, exclusive economic zones and water quality. The U.S. Department of the Interior is spending tens of millions of dollars to support and protect critical infrastructure in the Marshall Islands against adverse effects of climate change.
Several nations that are leveraging satellite data for enhanced real-world training in virtual environments are also starting to use satellite data to build synthetic and virtual environments to train troops for the battlefield and conduct war games. Up-to-date geographical and other environmental data to create custom battlefield simulations can add realism and accuracy to these experiences.
Opportunities To Expand Usage
As commercial satellite imagery continues to grow, both in number and type of sensor data, the opportunities for public sector entities are immense. From urban planning and infrastructure to border security and resource management, EO data can offer a consistent, scalable source of data to ensure accuracy and efficiency across agencies and programs.
Challenges around secure distribution and usage of this data, conflation with other sources and standardization will become ever more critical for widespread adoption. This is an opportunity for industry leaders to collaborate with their growing markets for safe and secure ease of access and use.
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