Search for the satellite data
Select the area of your interest to identify the types of monitoring and satellites available
Satellite Analysis
The use of high- and very-high-resolution multispectral satellite data, combined with specific GIS and Remote Sensing expertise, along with the support of its scientific collaborators and, where necessary, the use of ground surveys and/or other data sources, enables Iptsat to offer high value-added solutions and services and to design new ones based on client needs.
GEOREFERENCING
Two-dimensional image correction process capable of associating known real-world coordinates to an object within the image.
ORTHORECTIFICATION
Three-dimensional image correction process (more accurate than georeferencing) that allows the correction of remote sensing images, particularly minimizing distortions occurring during acquisition and those related to the instrumentation used.
RADIOMETRIC CORRECTIONS
Correction of effects caused by sensor sensitivity and varying lighting conditions.
ATMOSPHERIC CORRECTION
Distortions in radiance values occur due to the passage of signals through different atmospheric layers. Atmospheric correction removes these disturbances. It is especially important for the comparison and analysis of multitemporal datasets.
PATCHWORK AND BALANCING
Our software enables the rapid generation of homogeneous mosaics from multiple images. By adjusting color balance, excellent results can be achieved even when starting from radiometrically different images.
AGRICULTURAL INDEX MAPS
Quantitative analysis of vegetation spectral behavior allows discrimination between vegetation and other land uses, using algorithms based on typical absorption and reflection spectral bands.
THEMATIC AND DERIVED MAPS
Value-added information can be extracted from thematic or derived maps through remote sensing data processing, classification, and photointerpretation. Examples: land use maps, vegetation maps, slope maps, temperature maps.
CHANGE DETECTION
Change Detection is a satellite image processing technique aimed at identifying transformations in a given area over time.
ORTHOPHOTOCHARTS
An orthophotochart consists of a satellite ortho-image framed within a cartouche. A kilometer grid, geographic grid, and cartouche with additional information are essential to facilitate its use and reference within a chosen coordinate system.
CARTOGRAPHY CREATION AND UPDATING
Vector patterns of geographic databases can be updated through 2D and 3D cartographic restitution. Examples: CTRN, topographic databases, etc.
3D ORIENTATION OF STEREOSCOPIC IMAGES
Stereoscopic vision allows the perception of three-dimensionality. Oriented images enable 3D visualization and preparation for 3D data extraction, including elevation models and objects derived from photogrammetry.
DEM (Digital Elevation Model)
A DEM represents the territory or another surface in digital format. Typically produced in raster format, each pixel is associated with its absolute elevation. Example: NTT DATA ALOS DEM / DTM 5m.
DTM (Digital Terrain Model)
When modeling the terrestrial surface, a DTM (Digital Terrain Model) is used. It is a specific type of DEM representing the ground surface. Example: NTT DATA ALOS DEM / DTM 5m.
The use of high-resolution multispectral satellite data (Planet, GeoEye, IKONOS, WorldView, SPOT, etc.) combined with GIS and Remote Sensing expertise, support from scientific collaborators, and, where necessary, ground or other data sources, allows Iptsat to provide high value-added solutions and services, and to develop new projects tailored to customer needs
High and Very High Resolution Data
In recent years, access to high and very high-resolution satellite imagery has expanded the range of applications at very small scales, typical of local governments and public authorities.
The databases produced provide valuable support for land management, aiding activities such as topography, cartography, digital photogrammetry, 3D modeling, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and, above all, Decision Support Systems (DSS).
MAJOR VERY HIGH-RESOLUTION SATELLITES:
GeoEye-1
is a high resolution commercial remote sensing satellite for ground observation launched in orbit in September 2008. GeoEye-1 is equipped with a panchromatic resolution of 41 centimeters (16 inches) and a multispectral of 1.65 meters. It travels in an heliosynchronous orbit at 684km of height (425 miles) and 98 degrees inclination, with the equator crossing time of 10:30. The GeoEye-1 can store images up to 60 degrees outside the nadir.
IKONOS
is an artificial high spatial resolution commercial satellite: it was the first satellite capable of recording images with a resolution between 1 and 4 meters. It can offer both panchromatic than multispectral images.
IKONOS is able to get a ground resolution of 0.82 meters in panoramic mode (black and white) and 3.2 meters in the color or multispectral mode. These images can be fused together to create very high resolution color images.
WorldView-1
it is one of the most modern commercial satellites currently in orbit, equipped with high tech instruments for accurate geolocation and supplied by a panchromatic sensor providing images at a resolution of 50 cm. Launched in 2007, the sensor also acquires in stereo mode
with a high degree of accuracy; the stereo pairs thus generated guarantees
the extraction of Ground Digital Models (DEM).
WorldView-2
launched in October 2009, it is the first commercial ultra-high resolution satellite with 8 multispectral bands. Operating at an altitude of 770 kilometers, WorldView-2 offers a geometrical resolution of 46 cm in the panchromatic band and 1.85 meters in the multispectral one. WorldView-2 has an average revisiting time of 1.1 days and is able to collect up to 785,000 square kilometers images per day.
QuickBird
is an ultra-high resolution satellite, in orbit since 2001, it was designed to capture efficiently and with high accuracy large areas and is capable to acquire up to 75 million sq km of surface per year, provided with avery high resolution world catalogue data, updated with unprecedented frequency. QuickBird satellite data are suitable for all large areas mapping needs and can be used in many application fields such as territorial monitoring, prevention and natural risks management and change detection analysis.
Pleiades
are the first French dual observation satellites capable of meeting the needs of both European commercial and military users, with a wide range of applications, including mapping, urban development, hydrology, geophysics, volcanology, etc. This constellation is able to provide orthorectified color images up to 50 cm resolution, with a daily review time of any point on Earth. Furthermore the Pléiadi are able to capture high-resolution stereo images in one step. The image accuracy is about 3 meters, with a possible improvement – up to the exceptional value of 1 meter – with the use of GCP. Since the satellite was designed primarily for the emergencies management, the images request can take place up to six hours before acquisition. The satellite Pleiades 1A was launched in December 2011; Pleiades 1B in December 2012.
SPOT
The acronym SPOT refers to the French satellite series designed for the terrestrial resources study, the first of which was put into orbit on February 22, 1986. The SPOT images are able to satisfy geographical information needs in many fields: cartography, defense, agriculture, cadastral package identification, urban planning, telecommunications, environment. The images acquired by the sensors mounted on SPOT satellites are very useful as a source of information in order to study, monitor, predict natural phenomena and to direct programming activities, by supporting the decision making. The high resolution (up to 2.5 meters) makes the shapes and the measurement identifications of objects on the ground possible, allowing a medium-scale cartography creation (1: 50,000 /1: 100,000). With SPOT 2, 4, 5, and the new 6 and 7, (resolution 1.5 mt,) the SPOT mission has collected an archive of more than 30 million scenes since 1986.
Jilin Constellation
Jilin 1A is a Chinese satellite capable of acquiring images at 0.70m in the panchromatic resolution and at 2.88 meters in the multispectral one, with a swath lenght of about 11.6 km. The great advantage of this satellite is represented by the possibility of acquiring images in STEREO – TRIPLET mode, producing a DEM starting from 1.5 meters of absolute resolution. Another great advantage of this satellite is the extremely competitive cost
GF-2 satellite
The GF-2 is a Chinese satellite capable of acquiring images at 0.80 cm in the panchromatic resolution and at 8 meters in the multispectra,l with a swath lenght of about 70 km. The GF-2 can offer very high resolution images at the lowest cost on the market.
TripleSat
The triplesat constellation features 3 ultra high resolution satellites, with a spatial resolution of 0.8 cm and a swath per image of 23.4 km. It is a5 bands satellite, one pancormatic and 4 multispectral RGB + NIR.
Neo
The new Pleiades Neo satellites can acquire large territory portions at 30 cm of spatial resolution.
Planet
Planet constellation of over 200 different resolutions multispectral satellites, from 50 cm to 5 meters
Landsat – 30 m
Sentinel-2 – 10 m
Jilin – 50 cm
Skysat – 50 cm
Google – 20cm
PleiadesNeo – 15 cm
A stadium seen at different resolutions.
Copernicus Constellation
The European Copernicus satellite program, formed by a constellation of 6 satellites, called “Sentinels”, represents the cornerstone of the European Union’s efforts to monitor the Earth and its ecosystems through advanced satellite remote sensing systems.
The Copernicus program provides a huge amount of totally free information about our planet available to citizens, public authorities, scientists and business.
In 2014, with the launch of the first satellite, Sentinel-1A, the Union ushered the putting into orbit of a over a dozen satellites constellation in the upcoming ten years.
Copernicus allows to better understand how Earth is such an integrated system. European citizens, politicians and administrators, researchers, commercial and private users can benefit from the information provided by Copernicus services, in many ways, as well as the global scientific community.
Here are some examples of Copernicus added value in our daily life:
AGRICULTURE Periodical evaluation of cultivated areas; monitoring of crops development on a regional and global scale; food safety assessment; crop estimation; support for sustainable agricultural practices (e.g. estimating water needs)
CIVIL PROTECTION AND HUMANITARIAN AID Through the European Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC12): forecast and response organization to disasters and humanitarian crisis, accurate geographic information for the population rescue, logistics, fresh water supplying infrastructure, demographics, health and environmental facilities to areas affected by natural or man-made disasters
CLIMATE CHANGE Strong scientific evidence for the geophysical variables characterizing climate change; climate indicators (e.g. temperature increasing, sea level rising, ice melting, oceans warming ; climate index (based, for example, on temperature measurement, rainfall level, drought events);
COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Applications to supervise agriculture and food assurance, deforestation, desertification and biodiversity in developing countries, in collaboration with partner countries and international organizations (such as the African Union, and the United Nations institutions);
ENERGY Valuable support to select and manage renewable energy production sites through information supply with specific characteristics, including water reserves presence, precipitation and snow accumulation levels during the winter; critical infrastructure control, such as nuclear power plants, or essential infrastructure protection such as power plants or gas / oil pipelines; energy efficiency evaluation in industrial plants and buildings
ENVIRONMENT Atmospheric composition, snow, ice and biodiversity monitoring; evaluation of water cycle parameters, such as soil moisture or water bodies analysis; forests and coastal areas monitoring; soil periodic supervision and waterproof surfaces evaluation; forestal heritage damage assessment and desertification monitoring; European oceans and seas, marine environment and coastal supervision, marine waters quality; observations such as the ocean color and the sea level;
INSURANCE Applications to support geological risk modeling, danger and damage assessment, claims management;
HEALTH Air quality check in Europe and global atmospheric composition; possible outbreaks of epidemics or disease mapping; public health emergency planning
BLUE ECONOMY Marine environment supervision in order to improve its knowledge and to encourage the maritime economy sustainable development in various areas including offshore hydrocarbon activities or coastal and marine tourism;
TOURISM Coastal areas supervision; supply of critical issues indicators and evaluation and planning index of seasonal tourism activities, such as the snow surface, the bathing water quality at European level; the natural and cultural heritage protection contribution;
AIR, LAND, MARITIME TRANSPORT Shipping routes or possible oil spills monitoring, maritime traffic control for safety reasons;aviation safety and air traffic support in exceptional circumstances; geological risk analysis and environmental risk assessment for land transport in critical areas
SECURITY European Union external actions support, including peacekeeping operations, European territory and sea borders supervision and surveillance, maritime general surveillance to support different communities;
URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING Land use and land use changements check on a regional or urban level ; detailed high resolution mapping of the major European cities, in support of urban planning ensuring balanced and sustainable development.
The various Sentinel missions will pursue the following targets:
- Sentinel-1 will provide radar data to support land area monitoring services. The first Sentinel-1a satellite was launched on 3 April 2014 with a Soyuz rocket from French Guyana.
- Sentinel-2 will provide high resolution optical images for terrestrial services (eg vegetation, soil, inland waters and coastal areas monitoring). Sentinel-2 was launched on 25 June 2015
- Sentinel-3 will provide services for global land and ocean areas monitoring. It has been launched on 16-2-2016.
- Sentinel-4 will provide atmospheric composition data.
- Sentinel-5 will support Sentinel-4 in providing atmospheric composition data.
- Sentinel-6 will contribute to precision elevation detection missions.
Reference link: www.copernicus.eu
