Satellite Imagery

Trying to decide on satellite imaging? 

With all the recent advances in the satellite remote sensing industry, today's decision makers need up to date information in order to make effective and cost efficient choices.  To keep you informed of new satellite launches and technological advances, we present a brief summary of available systems and key terms.

Definitions

Sensor Types: Optical and radar are the two primary sensor types.
Optical sensors are sensitive to visible and infrared wavelengths.
Radar sensors use microwaves to create an image, and have the
advantage of seeing through clouds as well as working at night.
Multispectral, hyperspectral and multipolarization sensors collect
images in different bands, allowing advanced detection.

Footprint: Refers to the size of the image that the satellite captures.

Spatial Resolution: Is a measure of the smallest feature that may be
detectable by the sensor.

Revisit Time: Is a measure of how often the satellite is able to collect
an image of a specific location on earth.  Some satellites are programmable,
which enables more frequent imaging opportunities.

Optical Satellites

Radar Satellites