The annual Earth Imaging Journal polling of its Editorial Advisory Board and industry experts typically asks the same overarching question to everyone. That's possible when one dominant theme or trend becomes obvious, but Earth imaging is seeing a remarkable period of innovation and disruption, including the rise of unmanned aircraft systems, smallsats, phenomenal growth in the number of commercial imagery providers, cloud computing and Big Data analytics, and more.
The annual Earth Imaging Journal polling of its Editorial Advisory Board and industry experts typically asks the same overarching question to everyone. That's possible when one dominant theme or trend becomes obvious, but Earth imaging is seeing a remarkable period of innovation and disruption, including the rise of unmanned aircraft systems, smallsats, phenomenal growth in the number of commercial imagery providers, cloud computing and Big Data analytics, and more.
Sofradir has had an active role in space missions for Earth observation, scientific exploration and weather since 1994. It is the only European infrared (IR) manufacturer to have its detectors deployed in space, with proven performance, robustness and reliability.
Earth Imaging Journal's Editorial Director Matt Ball spoke with Bobby Machinski, CEO of Hera Systems, about these new capabilities and the ongoing demand for Earth observation.
User of UAS aerial images must be open to the idea that an exempted UAS operator might not be able to fly the mission as planned due to the many operational restrictions imposed by the FAA. Be flexible, knowing that operating within regulations is, in the long run, the best approach.
Aviation safety is always at the forefront of airfield operations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DOD) have stringent criteria regarding location and classification of airfield obstructions, which is any feature that breaks a specified plane in relation to an airfield, including terrain, vegetation, buildings, electric poles and antennas.
Between 2005-2014, 179 Earth-observation (EO) satellites (> 50 kilograms) were launched by civil government and commercial entities from 36 countries. Supply is expected to go through significant expansion, resulting in the launch of 427 satellites from 2015-2024. This will translate to $38.8 billion in manufacturing revenue during this period.
In response to growing needs for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3D representations of natural and constructed features, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program (NGP) is leading the development of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP).
