Earth observation is the act of monitoring the globe with remote sensors. GIS is a geographical information system that analyzes satellite data collected in an Earth observation project.

Remote sensing can provide fundamental, new scientific data or biophysical information such as x, y location, z evaluation or depth, biomass, temperature, moisture content, etc. Common use cases may include but are not limited to mapping, environmental monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, asset monitoring and more.

While both GPS and Earth observation use satellites, they are not the same thing. Global positioning systems (GPS) leverage navigation satellites that transmit a signal that a GPS-enabled device can decode and use to precisely determine its location. Earth observation satellites are equipped with sensors to capture images of and other data about Earth from space.

Satellites used for Earth observation circle around the globe so all countries can have geographical locations captured via satellite imagery. Countries that own satellites currently orbiting the Earth may include USA, China, Russia, Japan, India, Argentina, France, Finland, Germany, Taiwan, and various countries associated with the European Space Agency.

Commercial satellite imagery can be used to describe two different things. Sometimes, commercial satellite imagery is used to distinguish images captured by satellites operated by businesses from images captured by government-operated satellites, including those operated by space agencies such as NASA or ESA. Commercial satellite imagery can also be used to describe imagery that is being collected and used for commercial applications (such as agriculture, mining, oil and gas) versus imagery collected for government or military purposes.

Very high resolution (15 cm) is considered the highest quality image possible.

SkyWatch has the most up-to-date satellite images in the market. You can task images for specific geohprahical location and timeframe, or you can purchase archival imagery.

There are two common types of satellite images:

Optical images are taken using visible light, similar to how a camera works. These images show the natural colors of the earth's surface and are often used for mapping, land use analysis, and environmental monitoring.

Radar images are taken using radio waves. These images can penetrate clouds, fog, and darkness, and are often used for observing the earth's surface, weather forecasting, and military use cases.

Yes. Buying satellite images from an aggregator like SkyWatch grants you access to the world's top satellite providers with affordable prices.

Yes. You can access satellite data through SkyWatch, as it provides data options from the world's top satellite data providers.