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  • Data (2)
  • News (13)
  • Missions (3)
  • News - Thematic area articles

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    How to use space data to probe humankind’s ancient past

    Data disseminated by ESA’s Third Party Missions (TPM) programme are enabling archaeological investigations that could help to unravel the mysteries of past societies and cultures.

  • News - Success Stories

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    TPM data help advance plastic litter detection from space

    Several innovative ESA Discovery element projects exploring remote sensing of plastic marine litter lean on commercial satellite data disseminated via the Agency’s Third Party Mission programme.

  • News - Thematic area articles

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    Remote sensing data map impacts of natural hazards

    As climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters, remote sensing data can warn about extreme events and help tackle emergency situations.

  • News - Thematic area articles

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    Satellites investigate Earth’s terrestrial hydrosphere

    ESA’s Earth observation satellites are playing a leading role in furthering our understanding of how Earth’s water cycle is being influenced by humankind.

  • News - Thematic area articles

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    How satellite data help to shape society

    Data from ESA’s Earth observation archives are improving understanding of the interactions between human activities and the environment, helping to power green economic development and boosting prosperity in Europe and beyond.

  • News - Data Release news

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    Two new ESA archive collections have been opened for PlanetScope and SkySat

    PlanetScope ESA archive and SkySat ESA archive collections are available through ESA’s Third Party Missions programme via Fast Approval Registration.

  • News - Data Release news

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    PlanetScope and Skysat data available through ESA’s Third Party Missions Programme

    Through ESA’s Third Party Missions Programme, researchers, scientists and companies from around the world can apply to access Planet’s high-frequency, high-resolution satellite data for non-commercial use.

  • News - Success Stories

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    Predicting crop yield using Planet data

    The world’s population continues to grow, while the climate crisis is raising Earth’s temperatures and increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events – all of which affect food security.

  • News - Infographics

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    PlanetScope and SkySat - The high-resolution nanosatellite constellation

    Find out more about the PlanetScope and SkySat missions in our new infographic.

  • News - Success Stories

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    New open-source Python library improves rapid mapping services

    In emergency services, rapid response is paramount. ICube-SERTIT’s Rapid Mapping Service provides near real-time delivery of geo-information to help emergency services respond quickly to disasters such as flooding, fires and landslides. A new Python open-source library, called EOReader, speeds up this mapping response by enabling the easy opening of imagery from multiple satellite sensors, both optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

  • News - Infographics

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    An overview of ESA's Third Party Missions programme

    ESA’s Third Party Missions programme consists of almost 50 satellite missions, which are owned by organisations around the world. ESA has agreements with these organisations to acquire, process, and distribute data from their missions

  • Data - Fast Registration with approval (Restrained)

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    Image 2006 European coverage

    The Image 2006 collection is a SPOT-4, SPOT-5 and ResourceSat-1 (also known as IRS-P6) cloud free coverage over 38 European countries in 2006 (from February 2005 to November 2007). The Level 1 data provided in this collection originate from the SPOT-4 HRVIR instrument (with 20 m spatial resolution), from SPOT-5 HRG (with 10 m spatial resolution resampled to 20 m) and IRS-P6 LISS III (with 23 m spatial resolution), each with four spectral bands. The swath is of about 60 km for the SPOT satellites and 140 km for the IRS-P6 satellite. In addition to the Level 1, the collection provides the same data geometrically corrected towards a European Map Projection with 25 m resolution. Spatial coverage: Check the spatial coverage of the collection on a map available on the Third Party Missions Dissemination Service.

  • Data - Data Description

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    PlanetScope Full Archive

    The PlanetScope Level 1B Basic Scene and Level 3B Ortho Scene full archive products are available as part of Planet imagery offer. The Unrectified Asset: PlanetScope Basic Analytic Radiance (TOAR) product is a Scaled Top of Atmosphere Radiance (at sensor) and sensor corrected product, without correction for any geometric distortions inherent in the imaging processes and is not mapped to a cartographic projection. The imagery data is accompanied by Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) to enable orthorectification by the user. This kind of product is designed for users with advanced image processing and geometric correction capabilities. Basic Scene Product Components and Format Product Components Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (XML format) Rational Polynomial Coefficients (XML format) Thumbnail File (GeoTIFF format) Unusable Data Mask UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Usable Data Mask UDM2 File (GeoTIFF format) Bands 4-band multispectral image (blue, green, red, near-infrared) or 8-band (coastal-blue, blue, green I, green, yellow, red, Rededge, near-infrared) Ground Sampling Distance Approximate, satellite altitude dependent Dove-C: 3.0 m-4.1 m Dove-R: 3.0 m-4.1 m SuperDove: 3.7 m-4.2 m Accuracy <10 m RMSE The Rectified assets: The PlanetScope Ortho Scene product is radiometrically-, sensor- and geometrically- corrected and is projected to a UTM/WGS84 cartographic map projection. The geometric correction uses fine Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) with a post spacing of between 30 and 90 metres. Ortho Scene Product Components and Format Product Components Image File (GeoTIFF format) Metadata File (XML format) Thumbnail File (GeoTIFF format) Unusable Data Mask UDM File (GeoTIFF format) Usable Data Mask UDM2 File (GeoTIFF format) Bands 3-band natural colour (red, green, blue) or 4-band multispectral image (blue, green, red, near-infrared) or 8-band (coastal-blue, blue, green I, green, yellow, red, RedEdge, near-infrared) Ground Sampling Distance Approximate, satellite altitude dependent Dove-C: 3.0 m-4.1 m Dove-R: 3.0 m-4.1 m SuperDove: 3.7 m-4.2 m Projection UTM WGS84 Accuracy <10 m RMSE PlanetScope Ortho Scene product is available in the following: PlanetScope Visual Ortho Scene product is orthorectified and colour-corrected (using a colour curve) 3-band RGB Imagery. This correction attempts to optimise colours as seen by the human eye providing images as they would look if viewed from the perspective of the satellite. PlanetScope Surface Reflectance product is orthorectified, 4-band BGRN or 8-band Coastal Blue, Blue, Green I, Green, Yellow, Red, RedEdge, NIR Imagery with geometric, radiometric and corrected for surface reflection. This data is optimal for value-added image processing such as land cover classifications. PlanetScope Analytic Ortho Scene Surface Reflectance product is orthorectified, 4-band BGRN or 8-band Coastal Blue, Blue, Green I, Green, Yellow, Red, RedEdge, NIR Imagery with geometric, radiometric and calibrated to top of atmosphere radiance. As per ESA policy, very high-resolution imagery of conflict areas cannot be provided.

  • News - General News

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    Three new Third Party Missions under evaluation

    ICEYE, PlanetScope and Spire under evaluation. Interested users can investigate suitability of the data for scientific and R&D activities.

  • News - Data Release news

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    PlanetScope and SkySat data now available

    PlanetScope and SkySat missions under evaluation. Interested users can investigate suitability of the data for scientific and R&D activities.

  • Mission - Heritage Missions

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    SPOT

    The SPOT (from French "Satellite pour l'Observation de la Terre") series of missions has been supplying high-resolution, wide-area optical imagery since 1986.

  • Mission - Third Party Missions

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    PlanetScope

    The PlanetScope satellite constellation consists of multiple launches of groups of individual cubesats (Doves and SuperDoves).

  • Mission - Heritage Missions

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    SPOT 4

    SPOT 4, like all the SPOT missions, was aimed at supplying high-resolution, wide-area optical imagery.