Remote sensing

As we go about our business or pleasure, important decisions based on satellite weather forecasts are being taken all the time, be it at airports or ski resorts …

Value-added products and services derived from satellite remote-sensing data – highly sophisticated client-specific image interpretation, maps, databases and analysis – are much in demand for a wide range of applications in increasingly diversified and conscientious markets. Sectors include environmental planning, land use and natural resource management, geological exploration, regional and urban development, insurance and risk, security and defence …

Just a few examples. In agriculture, satellite data enables identification of insects, disease and irrigation problems, and helps farmers decide the best times to plant, fertilise and harvest their crops, right down to field level. Oil and gas deposits are more readily located by combining satellite imaging information with other sources of geological data such as seismic assessments. Remote imagery can assist local authorities with property appraisal and infrastructure management. The retail industry, too, employs satellite remote-sensing – to forecast potential sales of items such as air conditioners, heaters, snow tyres, or umbrellas!

There are some areas of the world, for instance tropical and subtropical forests often hidden by cloud cover, where quality geographic data for accurate mapping is only now being gathered, thanks to advances in satellite radar technology.