27 July 2015
Earth Observation
Markets and applications
Nick Veck
Earth observation
is the gathering of
information about
the Earth's
physical, chemical
and biological
systems
• Natural resource management
• Agriculture and Food security
• Risk assessment & Emergency
response
• Environmental protection &
Climate services
• Urban planning
• Insurance & Financial services
• Transportation & Communication
• Consumer, Retail & Tourism
• Defence
Where are the satellites? 4
Remote Sensing
Remote sensing systems make use of the electromagnetic spectrum in two ways:
1. Collecting the radiation that is reflected, emitted or scattered by a target (passive systems)
2. Illuminating a target with a pulse or beam of radiation and collecting the signal that is reflected
or refracted back to the sensor (active systems).
5
Radar- Microwaves(Active Sensors)
Visible Light
K X C S L P
1cm 1m+400 nm 700nm+
Wavelength (µm)
10-6 1 108
Infrared Thermal
6
Optical Imagery at LEO
8
Radar Imagery
9
Centre for Landscape and Climate Research
Microwave Spectrum
• Shorter frequencies penetrate deeper into a vegetation (forest or crop) canopy.
10
Austrian pineVHF > 3 m
P band= 70 cm
L band= 24 cm
X band= 3 cm
The main direct backscatter comes from elements having
dimension of the order of the wavelength.
This has strong implications for what radar intensity and
coherence tell us about the forest.
Where are the scatterers in a forest canopy?
UTILISATION OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM BY EARTH OBSERVATION SENSORS (1)
P-BandP-Band SAR(Biomass)
DORIS-NG (CryoSat, SPOT)
L-BandPALSAR (ALOS)
PALSAR-2 (ALOS-2)
SAR-L(SAOCOM-1A,1B, 2A, 2B)
L-band Radar & L-band Radiometer
(SMAP)
MIRAS(SMOS)
S-BandNovaSAR
DORIS-NG (CryoSat, SPOT)
C-BandC-Band SAR
(Sentinel-1A,B,C)
SRAL(Sentinel-3A,B,C)
Poseidon-4 SAR(Sentinel 6A,B)
AMSR-E(Aqua)
X-BandX-Band SAR
(TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X)
AMSR-E(Aqua)
Frequency (GHz)1 2 4 8 12.5
P-Band(0.299 – 0.999GHz)
L-Band(1– 2GHz)
S-Band(2 – 4GHz)
C-Band(4 – 8GHz)
X-Band(8 – 12.5GHz)N
OM
INA
L R
AN
GE
420-450MHz
890-942MHz
1.215–1.4GHz
2.3-2.5GHz
2.7-3.7GHz
5.25–5.925GHz
8.5–10.68GHz
SPEC
IFIC
B
AN
DS
PRELIMINARY / DRAFT (JULY 2015)
AP
PLI
CA
TIO
NS
(PA
SSIV
E)(A
CTI
VE) Imager (6MHz) Scatterometer (5-500kHz)
Imager (20-85MHz)Altimeter (200MHz)Imager (20-200MHz)
Scatterometer (5-500kHz)Altimeter (320MHz)Imager (20-320MHz)
Scatterometer (5-500kHz)Altimeter (100, 300MHz)
Imager (20-100, 20-600MHz)
(BW: 100MHz)Soil moisture, Ocean Salinity,
agriculture, forest biomass, carbon stocks
(BW: 45MHz)Soil Moisture, agriculture, change
detection
(BW: 200MHz)Earthquakes and strain rates, ice and sea ice, forest height, REDD+,
deforestation, agriculture, climate, oceanography
(BW: 100MHz)Rain rate, snow water content, ice
morphology, sea state, ocean wind speed, sea surface
temperature
Sen
sor/
Sate
llite
C
om
mu
icat
ion
RadiosondesSatellites: Geostationary &
Polar orbiting (data)
Satellites: Geostationary & Polar orbiting (data & uplink)
Data distribution
Ground based RADARSatellites: Geostationary &
Polar orbiting (data)
Satellites: Polar orbiting (data)Data distribution
Radiosondes
(BW: 100MHz)Forest biomass, carbon stocks ,
REDD+, sub-surface sensing
PRELIMINARY / DRAFT (JULY 2015)
Ku-BandSIRAL
(CryoSat)
SRAL(Sentinel-3A,B,C)
Poseidon-4 SAR(Sentinel 6A,B)
K-BandAMR
(Jason-2. Jason-3, SWOT)
AMSR-E(Aqua)
AMSU-A(NOAA-15,16,17,18, Metop-
A,B,C)
SSM/I(DMSP F-14,15)
Ka-BandAMR
(Jason-2, Jason-3, SWOT)
KaRIN(SWOT)
AMSR-E(Aqua)
AMSU-A(NOAA-15,16,17,18, Metop-
A,B,C)SSM/I
(DMSP F-14,15)
13.4–14.0GHz
15.7–17.7GHz
24.05-24.25GHz
33.4-36.0GHz
V-Band(40 – 75GHz)
W-Band(75 – 110GHz)
V-BandAMSR
(Adeos-II)
AMSU-A(NOAA-15,16,17,18, Metop-
A,B,C)
ATMS(NPP, NPOESS)
CMIS(NPOESS)
W-BandCPR
(CloudSat)
ICI(EPS-SG)
AMSR-E(Aqua)
AMSU-B(NOAA-15,16,17)
SSM/I(DMSP F-14,15)
59-64GHz
76–81GHz
92–100GHz
NO
MIN
AL
RA
NG
ESP
ECIF
IC
BA
ND
S
Ku-Band(12.5 – 18GHz)
K-Band(18 – 26.5GHz)
Ka-Band(26.5 – 40GHz)
MillimeterICI
(EPS-SG)
AMSU-B(NOAA-15,16,17)
Frequency (GHz)7526.518 40 110
UTILISATION OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM BY EARTH OBSERVATION SENSORS (2)
12.5
AP
PLI
CA
TIO
NS
(PA
SSIV
E)(A
CTI
VE)
Scatterometer (5-500kHz)Altimeter (500MHz)
Precip. radar (0.6 - 14MHz)
Precip. radar (0.6 – 14MHz) Scatterometer (5-500kHz)Altimeter (500MHz)
Precip. radar (0.6 – 14MHz)
Cloud profile radar (0.3-10MHz)
(BW: 200MHz)Water vapour, rain rate,
weather forecasting, climate
(BWs: 200, 300, 400MHz)Rain rates, sea state, sea ice,
water vapour, ocean wind speed, soil emissivity, humidity
(BWs: 0.5, 1GHz)Sea ice, water vapour, oil spills,
cloud, liquid water, surface temperature
(BWs: 0.2, 6.7GHz)Atmospheric temperature
profiling, weather forecasting, climate
(BWs: 2, 6GHz)Clouds, snow, rain, weather
forecasting
Sen
sor/
Sate
llite
C
om
mu
icat
ion
Satellites: data reception Satellites: data reception Satellites: data reception
ESA Sentinel Space Segment – use of EDRS
14
15
AWS data pipeline &
Storage
Web
GS
server
GS
server
GS locations
● Australia
● New Zealand
● UK (x2)
● Germany
● Hawaii
● USA (x2)
UHF Tx/Rx
Commissioning,
telemetry, tracking
& scheduling
X & S-band
Image downloads &
software uploads
GS
server
GS
server
GS
server
1995
1991
2002
2007
1999
2001
2002
2008
2014
Spatial Resolution Trend over the past 15 years
Ikonos
Quickbird
SPOT 5Worldview 2
Worldview 3
ERS 1
Radarsat 1
Envisat ASAR
TerraSAR X
1990
2015
1993
Landsat 6
SPOT 2
Ikonos was the first commercial satellite to collect publically available data at 1m
DigitalGlobe launched Quickbird in 2001 had the capability of imaging at 0.61m
Legislation change in the States saw the launch of Worldview 3 with 0.31m resolution
2014
TerraSAR X (new mode)
Radarsat 1 , the first commercial SAR Mission
TerraSAR X, launched in 2007 with an advertised top resolution of 1m, in 2014 Airbus released a new mode capable of 0.25m imaging
© DigitalGlobe, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Image © Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd 2014.
19
20Situational AwarenessHigh resolution Thermal Infrared Monitoring
Identification of Thermal anomalies
Hot Cold
Warmed up Cars
show a clear white
colour- indicating
their high relative
heat
Refrigerated and
Air-con buildings
are illustrated as
dark
The Illegal Fishing Virtual Watchroom
There are over 50 sites
worldwide proposed for
protection from industrial
fishing
Eyes on the Seas Overview
© 2014 Mission Blue mission-blue.org
Marine reserves are a great test case, zero fishing allowed.
Regulations can be set to facilitate enforcement.
Dark vessels are the primary concern.If a fishing vessel is not
directly transiting and
does not have its gear
fully stowed, or does not
have AIS on it should be
in violation of the reserve
Vessels colour coded by
type and depth of data
available.
Visualisation
Eyes on the Seas Overview
User can filter in various
ways to focus on fishing
activity.
Marine reserves and
surrounding areas
highlighted and vessel
activity monitored.
Computer highlights
vessels to the user via a
ring, with coloured
regions to convey
activity
23Interferometric SAR
How it works:
1. Two SAR images taken at different time intervals
2. Remove the amplitude from each Image, leaving the phase
3. Subtract the phase of the second image by the first
4. An interferogram!
Example
InSAR was used to predicted the
Mount Etna eruption of 1998 (Lanari et
al, 1998)
InSAR-Risk and Disaster Management 24
Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar
To map out highly accurate ground deformation, aiding disaster management and furthering academic
knowledge of Geohazards.
[ERS-2 data – 1992-2000] © ESA, JPL
Terrain Displacement of Mount Etna
Infrastructure Monitoring 26
Overview - Global EO Market
Size of the global EO market and growth rate
• EO commercial data market Value: $1.4Bn in 2011
• Over the next decade the number of EO satellites launched will
almost doubled (149 288 by 2021) (Euroconsult, 2012)
• Main targeted markets:
• Banking & Insurance
• Agri-food
• Oil & Gas
• Government remains the primary user of EO data and services,
accounting for over 80% of all commercial revenues.(Euroconsult, 2012)
• 70% of the Global EO commercial is captured by the 2 major
companies: Digital Globe (25%)(+25% from merger with GeoEye) and
Astrium GEO (20%).(Spacetec Partners, 2013)
• Mining
• Maritime
• Environment and Carbon monitoring
EO new trends and opportunities
• More Small Satellites…
Smaller (size), Cheaper (fraction of traditional manufacturing and
launching costs), Faster (deployment and technology adoption);
Between 2,000 and 2,750Nano/Micro-Satellites will require a launch
from 2014 through 2020 (Satellite Applications Catapult, 2014);
Size of commercial EO data market by 2020: £1.8Bn (£970m
nano/micro-satellite share) (Satellite Applications Catapult, 2014).
Nano/Micro-Satellite Launch Projection
…and Pressure on Business Models
“Including the launch, a nanosat of CubeSat dimensions might cost
$150,000-1m, rather than $200m-1 billion for a full-sized one.”
(Economist, 2014*);
Google acquired SkyBox Imaging: high resolution satellite photos and
videos soon available for free (via Google Maps?); *http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21603240-small-satellites-taking-advantage-smartphones-and-other-consumer-technologies
Technology improvements are opening up new business
model opportunities based on Small Satellite constellations:
Reconfigurable on-board electronics
Fractioned satellite architecture
Inter-satellite connectivity
Nano-tech and micro-sensors
Micropropulsion systems
201420132012201120102009 20192018201720162015
OVER THE PERIOD 2014 – 2020,
NANO/MICRO-SATELLITES ARE FORECAST
FOR LAUNCH
BETWEEN 2,000 AND 2,750
Copyright © Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd 2014.
10m
5m
3m
1m
Weekly Daily 5X Daily
GeoEyeWorldView Pleiades
EROS-B
Spot
RapidEye
SkySat
Flock-1
Average Data Prices ($/Km2)
50 25 5 0.5 0.05
3000Kg 300Kg 30Kg 3Kg
Spacecraft Mass
Res
olu
tio
n
Revisit TimeCopyright © Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd 2014.
EO imagery: data price trends
Very High (sub-meter) Resolution
73%
High Resolution
20%
Medium Resolution
7%
GLOBAL EO DATA SALES
(Booz&Co., 2012)
Copernicus’s Sentinels data policy: “Full and open access to
Sentinel data for all users.”
“Data from the Sentinel satellites will [have] […] data resolutions
down to 10m optical (Sentinal-2 series). At this resolution, free data
is encroaching on commercially available data (such as Deimo-1)
and can impact commercial distribution.” (Euroconsult, 2012)
US has allowed sales of satellite images up to 31cm
resolution;
Optical data overall comprises 80% of the market with high
resolution optical data retaining the largest share of the
market (35%).
Demand is strong for VHR and new satellites being launched
should push up the share of VHR data sales.
Price down (free data?) …and Resolution up
EO imagery: a small part in a Bigger (Data) market trend
(EARSC, 2013)
Hyperspectral data provide much
greater richness of information and can
have multiple applications on soil
analysis (mining, agriculture, hydrology)
ESA is working on a miniaturized and
cubesat-fit hyperspectral instrument.
New satellite missions will further
improve hyperspectral capabilities:
PRISMA (ITA) ~ launch in 2014
2017
EnMAP (GER) ~ lunch in 2017
HyspIRI (USA) ~ launch in 2022
Number speak for themselves: only
from EU companies a sales growth of
15,000%, from virtually 0 in 2006
(when only the public ERS-2 and
Envisat SAR data were available) to
20% of overall sales in 2012.
Current radar data EU sales revenue
contribution: £121.5M (€151.4 M).
(EARSC, 2013)
Radar (SAR) data
Hyperspectral data
UAVs (and aerial) data
Several industries and large companies
are attracted by UAVs’ cheaper prices, high
resolution and technology flexibility.
Currently, most of the competition
between sat, aerial and UAVs data is at the
0.3 m to 0.5 m range. (NSR, 2014)
(ESA, 2014)
Big Data
Fusion
x0.36
x0.3x3.8
x3.9
x0.48
EO Satellite Manufacturing Revenues
Commercial EO DataRevenues
EO Value AddedServices
Commercial EO Data
EO Consumer Applications
Upstream
DownstreamUpstream
Downstream
During the next 6 years, the Upstream/Downstream balance will reverse,
bringing the satellite manufacture and EO data markets merely a means
fo r enab l i ng much l a rger downs t ream app l i ca t i on marke t
M a r k e t S h a r e s o f N a n o / M ic r o - S a t e l l i t es
Downstream Applications enabled by
EO Nano/Micro-Satellites missions
could result in commercial revenues of
£1.5 b i l l ion in 2020
£1.1bn
£400m
£290m
£100m
£1.5bn
£1.6bn
£780m
EO Satellite Manufacturing
THE COMMERCIAL EO DATA MARKET IS PREDICTED
TO GROW AT AN AVERAGE OF 14% CAGR
OVER THE NEXT 6 YEARS
£390m
Copyright © Satellite Applications Catapult Ltd 2015.
Thank you!