Today it is challenging to find an industry that does not use satellite data. It significantly expands the possibilities for research and analysis by providing reliable information. Furthermore, the availability of sources has increased substantially in recent years. Its application is crucial in various human activities and industries, from environmental protection to NDVI data download for agriculture and tracking supply chains.
What Satellite Data Is
Artificial satellites are put into orbit to collect information about Earth and other planets, called satellite images or data. The most common type is Earth observation satellites which provide accurate information about everything that happens on our planet.
The data from space enables a thorough analysis of past events to form patterns and predict future changes. They have many valuable applications on land and sea, generating large amounts of data using SAR and other remote sensing technologies.
Decision-makers in various organizations and governments can get valuable information to respond and take timely action in the event of natural disasters or crimes. Different business sectors can use satellite data to develop improved strategies and services.
How Data From Space Can Be Used
Thanks to satellites, humanity can track events and changes in vast territories and places that are hard to reach. Based on the obtained data, specialists can assess the ecosystem health, biodiversity, damage from natural disasters, and the impact that production and other human activities have on the environment. Tracking illegal activities and crimes can also be performed using data from space.
Special software is available for interpreting and analyzing data. It also enables the combining of different parameters to obtain valuable insights. The analysis of satellite images provides a range of crucial benefits for agriculture and forestry. For example, NDVI mapping can help to save money and time by getting information about the vegetation from space.
Sea and Land Applications of Satellite Data
Today images from EO are available to many users. Data availability makes many local and global processes more understandable, and it’s also transforming industries. Accurate information makes it possible to monitor and analyze the changes taking place on Earth from day to day and hour to hour. For example, thanks to SAR images, it’s possible to track changes in the long term and see what is happening in the present.
Applications of images range from helping to solve both global and local problems. For example, satellite imagery can help assess the impact of natural disasters, track maritime traffic in a selected area, or detect crop issues using an NDVI image.
Land cover types
Satellites can be equipped with visible or infrared sensors to distinguish between land cover types. Based on the intensity of the reflected light with different wavelengths, it is possible to determine forests from rice fields and commercial areas from vegetable farms.
The ability of satellite data to consider how plants reflect light makes it possible to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index that helps assess the health of vegetation. The NDVI values show the number of healthy plants in the fields.
Urban footprint
Remote sensing data is a source of valuable information for city planners. It gives access to accurate information from vast urban areas and detects illegal constructions.
SAR image processing is applied to extract various textural features and classify urban footprints through analysis. By combining the classification results with optical data, experts assess the degree of influence of the city on the study area.
Natural hazards
The use of satellite data makes it possible to compile hazard inventories. It also helps to monitor droughts, tropical cyclones, forest fires, and other hazards. Earth stations linked to satellites are used for hazards such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
The combination of data from sensors and ground stations provides the ability to analyze potential threats and monitor the consequences of natural disasters. It can also be helpful for rescue teams’ coordination.
Sea applications
The satellite data applications at sea are as varied as on land. Governments, coast guards, businesses, scientists, and other stakeholders apply obtained information to research, monitor, and assess the impact of various events.
With the help of data from space, it’s also possible to detect foreign vessels and make decisions about coastal areas’ protection. In the event of oil spills, tsunamis, and other man-made or natural disasters, the data can be used to assess the damage. In addition, satellite data helps to improve the coordination of rescue operations. Monitoring port congestion and water traffic are also becoming more efficient thanks to remote sensing data.
Change Detection
Long-term satellite datasets are essential for research and change detection. They allow you to analyze events and transformations over a particular period. In the process, researchers identify changes and can find their causes. Satellite data can also be used to predict future changes based on information about past trends.
Climate change, ice sheet loss, deforestation, and monitoring specific fields are among the many opportunities scientists, governments, and businesses are getting from space-derived data. In addition to static comparison, there are methods for combining satellite images. It enables combining several images into a single “multi-temporal” image to detect changes in location over a certain period.
Conclusion
Satellite images make it possible to obtain information from vast areas inaccessible to the naked eye. The number of applications of this technology is pervasive. The processing and analysis of satellite data help to extract valuable information for solving local and global problems, including the impact of anthropogenic activities on the environment.