High Resolution Data (RapidEye - 5mt)
From April 2011 Iptsat became Local Official Distributor of RapidEye for Italy
In addition to distribution, Iptsat takes care of RapidEye data processing solutions with high added value for the following application fields: Agriculture, Vegetation, Forestry, Environment, Planning, Emergency, Security, Geographic Information Systems, Energy and Infrastructure. In the design and evolution of its solutions, Iptsat works closely with universities and research institutions..
RapidEye satellite constellation is unique in the field of Earth observation from space, it is in fact made up of five satellites eliosincroni aligned on the same orbit and perfectly identical that allow the acquisition of images at a resolution of 5 meters and five multispectral bands, of large areas (up to 5 million km2 per day), with a very short time of revisiting (even daily).(BlackBridge)
RapidEye has also been the first constellation of commercial satellites to dispose of the band "red-edge" which, thanks to its ability to detect changes in the chlorophyll content, is particularly suitable for the classification, analysis, monitoring and health status of plant species. RapidEye images, thanks to their low cost, therefore lend themselves to be used in particular for the study of vegetation, agriculture, forestry, the environment, and in all applications that require frequent updated monitoring and information in near real time. The launch into orbit took place in August of 2008 and after a few months the RapidEye satellites were able to capture images of the world. After just two years of commercial operation RapidEye had already accumulated in the archive over 2 billion km2 of high-resolution images.
Features Mission
- 5 satellites, 15 orbits per day per satellite (Orbit Altitude: 630 km)
- Update Rate: daily (off-nadir) / 5.5 days (at nadir)
- Acquisition of 5 million km2 per day
- 77 km wide swath stretching 1500 km with streaks
Technical characteristics of Images
RapidEye images have the following technical characteristics
Radiometric resolution: Bands in dynamic range up to 12 bits (the sensor is able to detect and record up to 4096 gray levels for each band)
Spatial resolution: GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) 6.5 meters, 5 meters for products orthorectified (Reference Scale 1:25,000)
Spectral resolution: 5 spectral bands: (Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge, NIR)
Acquisition Modes
- New acquisition: Area of interest minimum purchasable 3,500 Km2
- Archive: Area of interest minimum purchasable 500 Km2
The Catalogo EyeFind TM, allows you to easily view all satellite covers in the archive: BlackBridge global archive hrough simple search tools you can define an area so as to identify their images of interest.
The global archive RapidEye has over 4 billion square kilometers of high resolution multispectral satellite imagery, collected since February 2009.
RapidEye Covers since 2009 to the present: Global Coverage and Imaging Frequency
RapidEye satellites have no longer been in operation since 2019
Products
iptsat
Iptsat's Ortho Product: Correction Radiometric, sensor and geometric (all products are orthorectified using a DTM to 20 feet or 5 meters or 10 when possible) in all cases the accuracy is guaranteed at the scale of 1: 25,000. The level of geometrical processing provides an orthorectified image from Iptsat by orbital model or model RF-RPC at least 7 isp. The level of radiometric processing (when required) can predict the atmospheric correction to the ground with a coefficient of absolute reflectance, purified of the phenomena of interaction with the atmosphere. The process involves the use of ancillary data and / or spectral measurements on the reference surfaces.
Iptsat Mosaic: A collection of orthorectified satellite data from different acquisitions.
Iptsat Indicies: Vegetation and Chlorophyll Maps: NDVI, NDVI Red Edge; OSAVI; LAI, FPAR; Chlorophyll; TCARI; MCARI…
rapideye
The application areas of data PLANET
agriculture
RapidEye is recognized as one of the few satellite constellations capable of knowing how to respond quickly and accurately to the demands of those who work in agriculture, in fact, RapidEye data, allows customers to take advantage of the images of their crops in all seasons of the year to better monitor agricultural resources.
Some possible applications in agriculture:
- Field mapping and classification of crops
- Assessing and monitoring the phenological stages for the development of agro-meteorological models
- Analysis of plant health and pest monitoring
- Estimated damage caused by natural disasters (hail, snow, floods ...) or any other event (fires, earthquakes, landslides…)
- Realization of NDVI maps, Red Edge NDVI, FPAR, LAI, Chlorophyll, OSAVI, TCARI, MCARI…
- Management of irrigation water
- Management of agricultural productivity

More: Satellite Precision Farming
vegetation
The vegetation manifests spectral behaviors specific to different wavelengths, producing a characteristic signature.
The reflectance curve can vary its behavior as a function of many factors such as the type of vegetation and its density, the phenological stage, the state phyto-sanitary, moisture content, etc. In particular, its performance is adjusted in the visible, near and mid-infrared respectively by the content and type of leaf pigments, the leaf structure and water content.
The RapidEye constellation of sensors are specifically designed to extract the maximum information in the study of vegetation.
forests
The RapidEye system with its five spectral bands can be a useful support tool for public bodies and research institutes in the process of classification of vegetation types, in managing inventories, monitoring the change, the phenological state and the health of forests, thus analyzing in detail what happened, is happening, or is about to occur in certain areas of woodland, including, damage caused by fire.
Some possible applications in forestry:
- Definition of vegetation types through processes of classification and photo interpretation
- Determination of areas hit by fire
- Definition of fire risk
- Determination of deforested areas
- Estimation of Biomass through correlations with indices of vegetation


using soil (corine land cover)
The Charter Land Use is a thematic map that represents the basis of the current state of land use and is part of the Corine Land Cover project of the European Union.
The Charter Land Use, with a shared language as par European directives, is based on five main classes (artificial surfaces, agricultural areas used, Wooded areas and semi-natural environments, moist environment, Environment water) and extends for successive levels of detail according to the scale of representation. It is an indispensable aid to applied research in the natural sciences and territorial, the programming, planning and management of the various territorial levels.
The technical specifications for the classification of land use Corine Land Cover 1990 2000, 2006 provide for the use of satellite imagery with a minimum size of 25 hectares cartografabile. In particular, the specification for the CLC 2006 provides and recommends the use of medium-high-resolution satellite imagery for the detection of changes and update databases.
In this context, the RapidEye images are well within the requirements.


security, environmental monitoring and land use planning
RapidEye is able to provide powerful tools to help public administrations and companies interested in emergency management (and therefore to the protection of national security), as well as the monitoring of changes in the landscape and urban interventions.
The five satellites also provide an important contribution to the identification and control of any disaster risk areas or to support environmental impact assessments (such as that of a future subdivision), which is aimed at both the prevention and consequently to a better response to emergencies arising from storms, fires, floods, earthquakes and landslides, both to optimize business planning.
energy and infrastructure
Companies that deal with energy and technological networks rely on their vast network of pipelines, transmission lines and other infrastructure to serve customers. The protection of these assets is one of the main concerns of this sector. RapidEye has created monitoring services for "photograph" periodically pipelines and transmission corridors and to identify problems in the area such as the invasion of vegetation, the expansion of the surrounding buildings, the development of roads, leaks or other problems around the pipes. In the telecommunications sector, RapidEye provides an important aid (in combination with digital elevation models) for the study of the territory, which allows, for example, the telecommunications companies to establish or refine models of wave propagation that govern the placement of repeaters and ensure that their networks operate with maximum efficiency.
solutions for gis
RapidEye, offering customers the chance to have a system tailored to their needs, is a reliable source for the background images of Geographic Information Systems and as an integral component in 3D modeling, GIS and WebGIS solutions. Furthermore, due to the significant need for continuous updating of mapping solutions and local and online maps, RapidEye is able, thanks to the very short revisiting time and the acquisition of images of large areas, to respond promptly to such needs.