In September 2004, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Satellite and Information Service contracted with Global Marketing
Insights Inc. to provide a comprehensive review of the international
remote sensing market for aerial and spaceborne sensors based on NOAA’s
specific requirements. A year later 1,547 on-line surveys and 250
personal interviews were completed. The surveys and interviews provide a
sample from the following eight project sectors: Aerial Film, Aerial
Digital, Aerial Sensor, Satellite, Software/Hardware, Commercial End
User, Government and Academic. The survey results also represent global
input, with respondents from the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa,
Asia, Australia, Central America and South America.
Multiple research techniques were used with a global database of more
than 10,000 contacts. Data were collected through detailed on-line
surveys and personal interviews. Surveys were developed in close
coordination with NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, then
reviewed by 15 industry luminaries and pre-tested in focus group
settings with the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric
Surveyors (MAPPS), a U.S.-based geospatial professional organization.
Respondents learned about the surveys at international industry
conferences, and through an alliance of 26 geospatial organizations and
publications, including Earth Imaging Journal. The 1,547 on-line
responses to the eight sector surveys and 250 personal interviews
provided more than 2,000 pages of statistical data.
In addition to completing extensive technology and business (revenue and
employee projections) components of the survey, the respondents selected
the technical, political, economic and environmental trend information
they feel will have the greatest impact on their businesses during the
next five to 10 years.
A portion of the analysis concentrates only on the U.S. respondents in
the three aerial sectors—film, digital and sensor—with international
comparisons made where relevant. Overall the survey results for this
part of the analysis reflect a positive future for the aerial market.
The market is changing dynamically, with digital cameras, Light
Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and hyperspectral sensors offering
positive indications that the aerial market will continue to grow during
the next decade.
Technical Advances
The most frequently mentioned technical advances centered around
improvements on existing technology rather than the development of
new technology. This includes the integration of existing
technologies, which for purposes of this study is defined as the
integration of presently independent and/or semi-independent
technologies to generate a geospatial product. The study uncovered
an even greater expectation and desire of the remote sensing
industry for additional technology integration. In addition,
respondents indicated their belief that ever-increasing processing
speeds for computers, increased data storage capabilities, and
processing software (to lessen image noise) would be technology
trends in 2015 and would impact their businesses.
There were some variations in technical trend responses by sector
and geography that reflect an individual sector’s particular needs.
For example, the Aerial Digital and Satellite sectors were most
concerned with Greater Ground Resolution, while the other sectors
had Technology Integration as their top selection. Geographically,
respondents from Africa selected Improved Airborne GPS Units as
their top choice, while South America selected Greater Ground
Resolution, and all other geographic regions selected Technology
Integration as the most significant technical trend that would
impact their businesses in the years 2010 and 2015.
For 2010, the Local, State, Federal Defense and Federal Civil
respondents tracked closely on which technical advances would impact
them the most, with Technology Integration and Greater Ground Resolution
at the top of the list. In 2015, Stereo Data and Artificial Intelligence
were included in the top 10 for all government units as technology
trends that will impact their use of remote sensing data.
Respondents in the Satellite sector also selected Technology Integration
and Greater Ground Resolution as having the greatest impact on their
businesses, but advances such as Improved Digital Elevation Models (DEMs),
Improved Ground Control and Increased Channels and Bands ranked higher
than in the overall survey group. In 2015, Virtual Operators/Sensors and
Lighter-than-air Remote Controlled and Piloted Airships moved up
significantly, ranking just below the top 10 technology trend
selections.
The 250 personal interviews supplied additional data about the
importance of certain technical advances in the remote sensing industry.
The following statements represent the most typical comments from the
personal interviews and support the selections of the respondents in the
on-line surveys:
• “The distinction toward GIS and IT will fade; they will become the
same. The challenge will be in finding adequate and sufficient numbers
of trained individuals to perform all of the tasks. Educational
institutes will not be able to keep up with this demand.”
• “The price of LiDAR data will decrease, and there will be better
storage and processing available. The trend toward LiDAR data and
digital imagery that is georectified and fused, along with sensor fusion
is expected. There appears to be concern over the lack of
standardization of both the digital and LiDAR data, resulting in
methodology and equipment that are not consistent, causing varied
output.”
In 2010, Technology Integration, Greater Ground Resolution, and Greater
Horizontal and Vertical Accuracy were the top three advances selected,
while in 2015, Even Greater Ground Resolution, Even Greater Computer
Processing Speed, and Even Better Processing Software were the most
frequently selected.
Respondents also selected the
Political, Economic and Environmental trends that will
impact their businesses in the years 2010 and 2015. Overall,
they indicated National Defense/Homeland Security will have
the greatest impact on the industry in 2010, and will
continue to have an impact in 2015. This isn’t surprising,
considering the emphasis in the United States by local,
state and federal government on emergency preparedness since
Sept. 11, 2001. There has been a surge of interest in
geographic information systems (GIS) and demand for the data
needed to populate these databases. The threat of terrorist
attacks throughout the world, but particularly in the United
States, has strongly influenced a major push to share data
and fill data “gaps.”
Another highly ranked economic trend is the interest in
Remote Sensing Data becoming a Commodity. This trend was
selected by the data producers and the data users. Although
organizations often hope that their “product” becomes a
household name, most businesses don’t want that product to
become a commodity because it generally means prices
decrease and competition increases. If realized, this trend
could have a dramatic impact on the commercial end users and
the software/hardware/value added businesses, as data will
become more standardized and easier to purchase at lower
prices. The same trend may worry the data providers about
their profit margins in future years.
The geographic comparisons between
sectors indicated more pronounced differences in the
Political, Economic and Environmental trends than in the
Technical Advances. The United States and Canada were most
concerned about National Defense/Homeland Security, while
the other sectors were split geographically between Remote
Sensing Data Becoming a Commodity, Required Cadastral
Mapping, Expansion of the European Union and Licensing
Issues.
The top trends varied slightly between the government units.
For 2010, Local, State and Federal Defense selected National
Defense/Homeland Security as the largest impact on the way
in which they operate. For 2015, the emphasis changed
somewhat for the State respondents. They selected, along
with the Federal Civil unit, Global Warming and Endangered
Species and Natural Resources/Heritage Protection as the
most important impacts.
The Satellite sector respondents made some unique selections
in their top 10 lists of trends. Some of the items that rank
higher on their list than in the overall results are
Licensing Issues, Availability of Prime Orbits, and Recovery
of Investment. They also show a more consistent interest in
the international trends, such as Expansion of the European
Union, most likely due to their global data collection and
distribution operations.
The 250 personal interviews further
supported the importance of National Defense/Homeland Security and
Endangered Species/Heritage Protection throughout the remote sensing
industry. The following statements are representative of the most often
received comments mentioned in the personal interviews and support the
selections of the respondents in the on-line surveys for the Political,
Economic and Environmental Trends impacting their businesses in the
years 2010 and 2015:
• “The trend toward outsourcing project work off-shore will continue due
to lower wage rates in developing countries. While the processing may be
transferred overseas, the flight crews and ground control teams will
continue to be local. Processing can be done in any location, so larger
shops (today) will become significantly smaller and their functions will
shift from production to quality control.”
• “Remote sensing will need to become a part of daily life. It will be
difficult to make money selling imagery back to the government. It will
need to be integrated into society for the greatest profits and the
greatest competition. It is like the PCs. They did not take off until
they became a part of one’s daily life. The focus on National Security
is going to speed up this acceptance curve.”
The survey responses shed light on the eight
project sectors’ thoughts concerning the future. The study clearly
indicated the aerial and spaceborne sectors are significantly impacted
by government policies that determine the volume, quality and areas of
interest for aerial data, which is of no surprise to anyone involved in
the industry. The U.S. response from these sectors indicate growth in
the industry closely tied to National Defense/ Homeland Security issues.
The projections for increased revenue during the next 10 years indicate
good growth potential, particularly for the aerial industry. Aerial
Digital respondents predicted especially strong revenue growth, with 26
percent of respondents selecting the U.S. company revenue category of
greater than $10 million in 2005 compared with 58 percent of respondents
selecting that category in 2015, and 25 percent selecting the
international company revenue category of greater than $10 million in
2005 increasing to 44 percent in 2015. The Satellite sector appears to
be more advanced in the international market than the other three
sectors in 2005, with 22 percent of respondents selecting the
international departments with greater than $5 million in revenue
category, and 30 percent of the respondents selecting the company
category of greater than $5 million. The multiple examples of interest
in international trade throughout the survey indicate excellent
potential for market expansion for all geographic regions. Overall, the
global outlook for the remote sensing industry is strong and growth
oriented.
Of the more than 2,000 pages of statistics produced by the survey, only
a small percentage of the data have been analyzed. The full report is
posted at
www.licensing.noaa.gov. Further information about the data available
for analysis can be obtained by contacting Global Marketing Insights at
info@globalinsights.com.
