Tag: Remote Sensing
-
China’s State-Owned Space Company Expands Global Markets
As China marks the 70th anniversary of its space program in 2026, China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) is expanding its international business from commercial launches to integrated space systems and services. Established in 1980, the company serves as the specialist international business arm of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), supporting national strategic…
-
Can Satellite Imagery Detect Oil Spills on Land?
Satellite imagery can help identify some oil spills on land, particularly where contamination is exposed, sufficiently extensive, and observable in suitable spectral bands. It can also reveal surface changes that warrant investigation. But a dark patch near an oil well, an unusual soil color, or declining vegetation does not by itself confirm petroleum contamination. For…
-
Can AI Super-Resolution Replace High-Resolution Satellite Imagery?
AI super-resolution can make satellite imagery look sharper and, in some validated workflows, improve the information extracted from it. But it does not automatically turn a low-resolution observation into the equivalent of a native high-resolution image. Whether it can replace a new imagery purchase depends on the task: a background map, a land-cover classification, a…
-
How to Check Historical Tree Cover Before Planting
Checking whether trees existed on a plot before planting requires more than searching a forest-loss map. A useful assessment connects each plot boundary to its planting date, examines evidence from the relevant historical period, and records what the available data can—and cannot—establish. Satellite archives can help screen large numbers of plots, but missing loss records…
-
A Cloud Provider in Orbit: How Is Space Computing Priced?
Whether an industry can survive over the long term comes down to one question: Who keeps paying for it? Space computing has three potential revenue models, each with a parallel in the evolution of cloud providers. Model One: Selling Data—The “Selling Produce” Business The most established model is also the most straightforward: package processed results…
-
Onboard Intelligence, Space Data Processing in Orbit and Earth Data Processing in Orbit: Which Will Succeed First?
Space computing covers three distinct approaches: satellites that process their own observations, constellations that share computing tasks in orbit, and orbital infrastructure designed to handle workloads originating on Earth. They share a label, but their technical requirements and commercial readiness differ substantially. This lesson maps out the three approaches, making it easier to understand where…
-
How Does Satellite Imagery Become Intelligence?
Think of a satellite as a courier collecting packages. But what happens after collection? Between a satellite pressing its “shutter” and a wildfire alert, flood map or vessel track appearing on your phone, how many steps does the data go through? Let’s unpack the entire data pipeline. The Traditional Pipeline: Shipping Every Ingredient Back to…
-
Can Satellite Imagery Detect Selective Logging?
Satellite imagery can detect some selective logging, particularly when tree removal creates visible canopy gaps, new access routes or repeated changes in the radar signal. However, detecting a large clear-cut is a different task from identifying scattered tree removal beneath a mostly intact canopy. The reliability of the result depends on the disturbance footprint, forest…
-
What Can Satellite Imagery Actually Tell You About Crop Health?
Satellite imagery can reveal where crop growth is uneven, how vegetation changes through the season, and which areas deserve closer inspection. It can also support estimates of canopy cover, biomass and water-related conditions. But a vegetation map does not, by itself, establish whether a crop is diseased, short of water or likely to produce a…
-
How to Monitor Mining Expansion Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Imagery
Multi-temporal satellite imagery can reveal where a mine’s surface footprint is expanding, which facilities are changing, and how surrounding land is being affected. Reliable monitoring, however, requires more than placing two images side by side. The images must be comparable, the changes must be linked to specific mine features, and the findings must be checked…