# Terrabit - Complete Site Content > Terrabit is an Australian geospatial intelligence company that provides satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and AI-powered analytics through its Albatross platform. Serving mining, energy, government, infrastructure, and environmental sectors. Generated: 2026-10-01T00:59:59.968Z Source: https://terrabit.com.au For navigation, see: https://terrabit.com.au/llms.txt --- ## Products & Services ### Satellite Imagery High-resolution satellite imagery for earth observation. Optical and radar imagery, tasking and archive access. Multi-spectral analysis, change detection, and monitoring solutions. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/products/satellite-imagery --- ### Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) High-accuracy digital elevation models from satellite imagery. Terrain analysis, volumetric calculations, slope mapping, and 3D visualization for mining, construction, and infrastructure projects. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/products/dems --- ### Albatross Platform Albatross is Terrabit's geospatial analytics platform for satellite imagery management, analysis, and visualization. Cloud-based platform with AI-powered insights and automated data pipelines. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/platforms/albatross --- ## Landing Pages ### High Resolution Satellite Imagery Order high resolution satellite imagery from Terrabit. Multi-constellation analysis-ready hi res satellite images delivered in 3-5 working days, with cloud-fallback retasking and full vendor redundancy across BlackSky, Vantor, SI Imaging Services, Wyvern, NASA and ESA. Tags: high resolution satellite imagery, hi res satellite images, multi-constellation satellite imagery, analysis-ready satellite imagery, sub-meter satellite imagery, 30cm satellite imagery, order high resolution satellite imagery, commercial satellite imagery URL: https://terrabit.com.au/landing/high-resolution-satellite-imagery --- ## Industry Solutions ### Offerings Terrabit offerings and case studies: satellite-based deliverables such as stockpile volumetric reporting, elevation models and monitoring programs, showing how satellite imagery is applied to real operations. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/offerings --- ### Mining Solutions Satellite-based monitoring for mining operations. Stockpile volumetrics, mine site progress tracking, tailings dam monitoring, environmental compliance, and haul road assessment. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/mining --- ### Energy Solutions Geospatial intelligence for energy and utilities sector. Pipeline monitoring, vegetation encroachment, right-of-way assessment, solar farm analysis, and infrastructure inspection. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/energy --- ### Government Solutions Satellite intelligence for government and public sector. Defense and security applications, disaster response, border monitoring, urban planning, and environmental management. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/government --- ### Environmental Monitoring Environmental monitoring and compliance using satellite data. Vegetation health, deforestation tracking, water quality, land use change, and carbon monitoring. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/environmental --- ### Infrastructure Solutions Infrastructure monitoring and construction progress tracking. Building footprint analysis, transportation network monitoring, and asset management from space. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/infrastructure --- ### Finance & Insurance Solutions Satellite data for insurance, reinsurance, lenders, commodity desks and sustainable-finance teams. Catastrophe modelling, parametric triggers, claims triage, commodity alt-data and AASB S2 / TCFD / IFRS S2 physical-risk disclosure, delivered in OED / CEDE / STAC / COG formats. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/industries/finance-insurance --- ## Offerings ### Mine Site Monitoring - Updated: 2026-09-22 **Active mines are constantly changing.** Pits expand, stockpiles turn over, waste dumps advance, haul roads move and infrastructure goes up between one survey and the next. Without a consistent visual record, it's difficult to know what changed, where and when. Terrabit delivers **high-resolution satellite imagery** as a single, seamless mosaic, giving the operation a consistent view of the entire site every quarter. A fresh January 2026 capture set the baseline. Each quarterly capture since shows exactly what has changed. > _To preserve confidentiality, the imagery shown is sample data over a site in the Goldfields region, produced using the same methodology._ Swiping between two epochs in Albatross across pits, benches, the processing area and site buildings. At 30cm, individual vehicles, drill rigs and structures are clearly visible. Sample imagery courtesy of Vantor processed by Terrabit. ## The Challenge The operation spans a large area. Individual surveys described parts of the site, but there was no single, consistent view of the whole operation to compare over time. Without a common baseline, nobody could reliably answer the question: **what has changed since last quarter, and where?** The mine needed to: - Establish a reliable baseline across the full operational footprint - Monitor change consistently across a large area - Compare each quarter directly against the last - Hold contractors to construction scope and commitments - Keep all imagery under its own control - Repeat the process on a fixed quarterly cycle ## The Solution Quarterly 30cm mosaics over the full site, built on a purpose-tasked baseline. ### 1. Set the Baseline with a Fresh Capture In January 2026, Terrabit captured the full **2,602.2 km²** monitoring area at 30cm resolution. That capture became the baseline, a complete and current record of site conditions against which every later epoch is measured. Starting from a fresh capture means the baseline matches the extent, resolution and processing of every epoch that follows. Comparisons are like-for-like from day one. ### 2. Capture and Deliver a Single Mosaic Every Quarter Throughout 2026, Terrabit is capturing the same monitoring area every quarter. Each epoch is processed into **one continuous mosaic** rather than a patchwork of individual scenes, so every quarter is directly comparable with the one before. Pre-existing ground control points were used to improve absolute accuracy to ±1-2 pixels. Across epochs to date, full-site capture has averaged **10.2 days** and processing **3.3 days**. Imagery is in the operation's hands roughly two weeks after tasking begins. ### 3. Detect and Document Change At 30cm resolution, individual features are clearly visible across the whole site. Comparing epochs identifies change to: - Pit operations and bench progression - Run-of-Mine (ROM) and topsoil stockpiles - Waste rock dumps - Haul roads and access tracks - Processing areas and plant infrastructure - Clearing and ground disturbance, contributing to Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) vector generation and reporting A mine accommodation village in 2023 (left) and 2025 (right). Two blocks of transportable units have been removed, leaving only their pads, and a new building has been added near the central hub. Sample imagery courtesy of Vantor processed by Terrabit. Each quarterly mosaic provides a clear snapshot across the entire operation. It supports progress reporting and disturbance mapping, and gives the operation independent evidence that contracted works were delivered as agreed. Drill pads beside the pit in 2023 (left) and 2025 (right). Mining disturbance has advanced over the pad area, with fresh clearing, topsoil windrows and new access tracks cut into the surrounding vegetation. Sample imagery courtesy of Vantor processed by Terrabit. Swiping between epochs in Albatross makes the edge of new clearing easy to trace, supporting disturbance mapping and MRF reporting. Sample imagery courtesy of Vantor processed by Terrabit. ### The Monitoring Workflow 1. **Task** a 30cm baseline capture over the full area 2. **Process** the capture into a single, seamless mosaic 3. **Compare** the mosaic to previous epochs to identify site change 4. **Document** change to pits, dumps, stockpiles, roads and infrastructure 5. **Continue** the cycle, extending the record with every quarter The result is a growing spatial record of the operation rather than a collection of disconnected data. ### How Satellite Monitoring Compares to Drone and Ground Survey | | Satellite | Drone | Ground survey | | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Area covered per capture | Whole site, thousands of km² | Localised | Localised | | Site access required | None | Yes | Yes | | People exposed to site hazards | None | Crew on site | Crew on site | | Consistent full-site coverage each epoch | Yes | Difficult at scale | Not practical | | Best suited to | Site-wide change detection, disturbance mapping, progress reporting | Detailed capture of specific features | Precise measurement and control | Satellite imagery doesn't replace a targeted drone flight or a surveyor on a specific feature. Covering 2,600 km² by drone every quarter within a targeted date range would be a major logistical exercise. By satellite, it's routine. ## Results The project has shown that commercial satellite imagery can deliver consistent, site-wide monitoring across a large mining operation on a reliable quarterly cycle. **Key outcomes:** - 2,602.2 km² of 30cm imagery captured and delivered as a single mosaic per epoch - An average of 10.2 days to capture and 3.3 days to process each epoch - A fresh January 2026 baseline matching the specification of every later epoch - A repeatable methodology supporting ongoing quarterly monitoring through 2026 The same approach extends to exploration projects, multi-site portfolios, rehabilitation programs and any operation that needs a consistent record of change over a large area. ### Keeping Control of Your Imagery All imagery is managed through **Albatross**, Terrabit's geospatial data platform. Every epoch is accessible in one place and can be viewed in-browser without GIS software. Teams can track orders from request to delivery, search their imagery archive and collaboratively plan upcoming captures, instead of chasing files across vendor portals and shared drives. Comparing epochs in the browser with Albatross, zooming from site scale down to an individual haul road. No GIS software required. Sample imagery processed by Terrabit. A haul road corridor beside a ripped rehabilitation area in 2023 (left) and 2025 (right). At 30cm, road alignments, bunds and clearing edges can be checked against contracted scope. Sample imagery processed by Terrabit. The platform also enables the client to share imagery with key stakeholders via WMTS, with appropriate access controls. ### Frequently Asked Questions **How often can a mine site be monitored by satellite?** Sites can be captured weekly, monthly, quarterly or to a schedule that suits the project. Capture times depend on satellite availability and cloud cover. Western Australia generally offers optimal capture conditions, but seasonal weather such as cyclone season should be factored into any capture plan. The Terrabit solutions team can recommend the right capture frequency for your operation based on your requirements and site location. **How long does it take to capture and deliver a large site?** For this 2,602.2 km² site, capture has averaged 10.2 days per epoch and processing 3.3 days, delivering a complete mosaic in around two weeks. **What is a single mosaic and why does it matter?** A mosaic combines multiple satellite scenes into one continuous, colour-balanced image of the whole site. Delivering one mosaic per epoch means each quarter can be compared directly with the last, without having to review multiple swaths or scenes. **Why start with a fresh baseline capture?** A purpose-tasked baseline matches the extent, resolution and processing of every later epoch, so change detection is like-for-like from the first comparison. **Does satellite imagery support WA disturbance and rehabilitation reporting?** Yes. Repeat imagery documents areas disturbed and rehabilitated across a reporting period, which supports Mining Rehabilitation Fund disturbance reporting and the site plans required in Annual Environmental Reports. **Do you need site access or approvals?** No. Nothing is flown, nothing is deployed and no one enters the site. ### One Site. One Mosaic per Quarter. One Consistent Record of Change. See what changed, understand where, and report with confidence. Whether you need a one-off baseline or an ongoing monitoring program, our team can scope the right capture schedule for your operation. Talk to our team about monitoring your site → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/offerings/mine-site-monitoring-satellite-imagery --- ### Stockpile Volumetric Reporting - Updated: 2026-07-16 **Stockpile volume measurement is fundamental to mining operations**, driving production reporting, inventory reconciliation, financial forecasting and mine planning. But traditional stockpile surveys demand crews, specialised equipment and site access which may not always be possible. Terrabit demonstrated an alternative: **satellite-derived stockpile volumetrics**. Using high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, stockpile volumes across two operating sites were calculated remotely, with no field mobilisation and no interruption to site operations. ## The Challenge Mining operations often manage dozens of stockpiles spread across large, remote sites. Because stockpiles change continuously through mining, processing and haulage, keeping an accurate, current inventory is a constant challenge. Conventional approaches such as ground surveys and drone (UAV) stockpile surveys are accurate but logistically demanding: - Personnel must travel to site and mobilise equipment - Crews need safe access to active operational areas - Surveys are performed periodically, not whenever data is needed **The objective:** demonstrate that commercial satellite imagery can rapidly generate reliable stockpile volume estimates across an entire operating mine from a single image capture. ## The Solution Satellite volumetrics built on Digital Elevation Models. Terrabit acquired recent **50cm high-resolution satellite imagery** from Vantor over two operations, a **copper mine** and a **coal-fired power station**, and processed each capture into a **1m Digital Elevation Model (DEM)**. From the elevation models, individual stockpiles were: 1. **Identified** across the full site extent 2. **Delineated** with accurate boundary digitisation 3. **Measured** against a defined reference surface to calculate volume The result: a consistent, repeatable assessment of site-wide inventory from a single stereoscopic satellite acquisition for inventory management, production reconciliation and operational planning. The elevation model with overburden present (left) and removed (right). Warmer colours indicate higher elevations. The difference between the two surfaces is the volume of the pile. ### From Volume to Tonnage The analysis measures the volume a stockpile occupies, but inventory is reported by weight. To bridge the two, each measured volume is converted to tonnage using the bulk density of the stockpiled material. As density varies by commodity, moisture content and compaction, Terrabit applies either client-supplied or industry-standard density values, ensuring reported tonnages align with how the operation already accounts for its inventory. ### The Workflow The satellite volumetrics workflow is straightforward and robust: 1. **Acquire** recent or previously captured high-resolution satellite imagery over the mine 2. **Generate** a high-quality Digital Elevation Model from the stereo imagery 3. **Calculate** stockpile volumes 4. **Convert** volumes to tonnage using material bulk densities 5. **Deliver** imagery, elevation products and volumetric reports Every deliverable is available in our Albatross platform, where users can also track captures in progress and see when the next acquisition is scheduled. Because the process is built on repeatable satellite acquisitions, the same methodology can run on a **monthly, quarterly or project-specific cadence** to track inventory changes over time. The figures below are indicative estimates derived from the satellite elevation models, rounded accordingly, with tonnages calculated from typical bulk densities for each material. ### Coal Fired Power Station A large coal stockpile sits on a managed pad and is drawn down continuously to supply the adjacent facility. Because the pad is an near-level surface, it provides a clean reference against which its volume can be measured. The coal stockpile in true colour (left) and the elevation model (right), with the coal stockpile elevated above the surface of the pad. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. | Stockpile | Material | Volume | Tonnage | | -------------- | -------- | ----------- | ------- | | Coal stockpile | Coal | ~950,000 m³ | ~900 kt | For context, this single pad holds approximately three months of feed for a facility consuming around 4 million tonnes of coal per year. ### Copper Operation At the processing plant, crushed ore is stacked into a Run-of-Mine stockpile by an overhead conveyor. The crushed ore stockpile beside the processing plant in true colour (left) and the colourised elevation model (right), with the stockpile peaking at around 37 m in height. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. Bulk material is distributed across a large open-pit operation, with multiple overburden piles surrounding the active pit. Two of the piles were captured, delineated and measured in the same acquisition alongside the rest of the site including the crushed ore stockpile at the processing plant, demonstrating that the same methodology applies to both valuable and waste materials. The two overburden piles in true colour (left) and as a colourised elevation model (centre), and with the piles removed to expose the reference surface (right). Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. | Stockpile | Material | Volume | Tonnage | | --------------------- | ----------- | ----------- | --------- | | Run-of-Mine stockpile | Crushed ore | ~230,000 m³ | ~540 kt | | Overburden pile A | Overburden | ~470,000 m³ | ~940 kt | | Overburden pile B | Overburden | ~670,000 m³ | ~1,300 kt | ### Why Satellite Stockpile Volumetrics? | Advantage | What It Means for Your Operation | | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Remote access** | Measure stockpiles anywhere in the world without mobilising or requiring site access | | **Site-wide coverage** | Capture the entire mine in a single acquisition rather than surveying stockpiles individually | | **Repeat monitoring** | Schedule regular captures to track inventory changes over weeks, months or years | | **Operational efficiency** | Zero site disruption, with current spatial data for planning and reconciliation | | **Historical analysis** | Satellite archives enable retrospective analysis of stockpile growth or depletion | ## Results The project confirmed that commercial satellite imagery can estimate stockpile measurements across large mining operations. **Key outcomes:** - High-resolution imagery captured across each mining operation - Accurate Digital Elevation Models generated for both sites - Per-pile volume calculations covering coal, crushed ore and waste rock - A repeatable methodology ready for ongoing stockpile monitoring The same approach extends to iron ore, product stockpiles and bulk commodities. ### Looking Ahead As commercial satellite constellations improve in resolution and revisit frequency, satellite-derived volumetric analysis is becoming an increasingly practical tool for inventory management and reporting. Satellite-derived volumetrics doesn't replace traditional surveying; it adds a scalable layer of operational intelligence: rapid, repeatable, site-wide measurements with minimal operational impact. ### Need Stockpile Volumes? Terrabit delivers high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, Digital Elevation Models and remote volumetric analysis for mining operations across Australia and internationally. Whether you need a one-off stockpile assessment or an ongoing monitoring program, our team can turn satellite imagery into actionable spatial intelligence. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/solutions/offerings/stockpile-volumetric-reporting --- ## Satellite Constellations ### Aqua - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 250 m to 1 km (MODIS) - Bands: 36 - Revisit: Near-daily global coverage (MODIS) - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Aqua (originally EOS PM-1) is NASA's Earth Observing System satellite for the water cycle. Launched in May 2002, it crosses the equator in the early afternoon, complementing Terra's morning pass so that MODIS sees most of the Earth twice a day. Like Terra, it has operated for many years beyond its six-year design life. ## Instruments - **MODIS** - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer with 36 bands at 250 m to 1 km - **AIRS** - Atmospheric Infrared Sounder with 2378 channels for temperature and humidity profiles - **AMSU-A** - Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit supporting AIRS in cloudy conditions - **CERES** - Two Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System instruments - **AMSR-E** - Japan's microwave radiometer, which operated until 2015 ## Extended Mission Aqua is in the final years of its extended mission. It has stopped the manoeuvres that held its original schedule, so its orbit has been lowered and its equator crossing time is drifting later in the afternoon. VIIRS on the JPSS satellites continues the afternoon MODIS-class record. ## Data Access All Aqua data is free and open through NASA's Earthdata archives. ## Applications - **Wildfire detection** - Afternoon MODIS active fire observations - **Ocean colour and temperature** - Chlorophyll and sea surface temperature - **Weather forecasting** - AIRS temperature and humidity profiles - **Snow and sea ice** - Daily snow cover and sea ice extent - **Drought monitoring** - Vegetation and land surface temperature _Image: NASA/JPL AIRS Project, CC BY 2.0._ URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/aqua --- ### Biomass - Vendor: esa - Category: sar - Resolution: 50 m forest disturbance, 200 m biomass and forest height - Bands: 1 - Revisit: Global forest maps built up over repeated multi-month cycles - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Biomass is the seventh mission in ESA's Earth Explorer programme. It carries the first P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) ever flown in space. With a wavelength of about 70 cm, P-band penetrates the forest canopy and interacts with trunks and large branches, where most of a forest's carbon is stored. This allows Biomass to measure how much carbon the world's forests hold and how that changes over time. ## P-band SAR - **Canopy penetration** - Long wavelength sees through leaves to the woody structure beneath - **Full polarimetry** - HH, HV, VH and VV channels to separate scattering from ground, trunks and branches - **12 m reflector** - Large deployable antenna needed to form a P-band beam from orbit - **Tomography** - Repeated passes from slightly different positions build a 3D view of the forest ## Data Products - **Above-ground biomass** - Global maps at 200 m resolution - **Forest height** - Global canopy height at 200 m resolution - **Severe forest disturbance** - Clearing and degradation at 50 m resolution - **Sub-canopy terrain** - Ground topography beneath dense tropical forest ## Coverage Restrictions To avoid interfering with space-object tracking radars, Biomass does not operate over Europe and North America. Its science focus is on tropical, subtropical and boreal forests elsewhere, including Australia and Southeast Asia. ## Data Access Biomass data is free and open through ESA. ## Applications - **Carbon accounting** - Forest carbon stocks for national greenhouse gas reporting - **Deforestation monitoring** - Detecting clearing and degradation beneath cloud cover - **Climate science** - Reducing uncertainty in the land carbon sink - **Terrain mapping** - Ground elevation under forest canopy _Image: ESA/ATG Medialab, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO._ URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/biomass --- ### BlackSky Gen-2 - Vendor: blacksky - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 80cm multispectral - Bands: 3 - Revisit: 4-8 overpasses per day - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview The BlackSky Gen-2 constellation represents a fleet of 12 high-revisit Earth observation satellites designed for rapid, frequent imaging of locations worldwide. Deployed between 2019 and 2024, this constellation enables multiple daily observations of any point on Earth. ## High-Revisit Architecture With 12 satellites in sun-synchronous orbit, the Gen-2 constellation delivers: - **4-8 daily passes** - Multiple imaging opportunities per day over any location - **Rapid response** - Quick tasking for time-sensitive requirements - **Persistent monitoring** - Track changes as they happen throughout the day ## Optimized for Monitoring The constellation is designed for applications requiring frequent updates: - **Activity monitoring** - Track movement and changes at sites of interest - **Event response** - Rapid imagery during unfolding events - **Supply chain visibility** - Monitor ports, airports, and logistics hubs - **Infrastructure tracking** - Construction progress and facility monitoring ## Multispectral Capability The 3-band multispectral sensor provides natural color imagery for: - **Visual interpretation** - Clear, intuitive imagery for analysts - **Change detection** - Compare successive passes to identify changes - **Mapping** - Base imagery for geospatial products ## Applications BlackSky Gen-2's high-revisit capability supports: - **Defense and intelligence** - Persistent surveillance and situational awareness - **Supply chain** - Global logistics monitoring and risk assessment - **Insurance** - Rapid damage assessment and claims verification - **News and media** - Breaking news imagery and event coverage - **Government** - Border monitoring and critical infrastructure protection URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/blacksky-gen2 --- ### BlackSky Gen-3 - Vendor: blacksky - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 35cm panchromatic and multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: 6-10 overpasses per day with full constellation - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview The BlackSky Gen-3 constellation represents a significant leap in commercial Earth observation capability. Beginning deployment in 2025, these next-generation satellites deliver 35cm resolution-more than double the detail of the Gen-2 fleet-with the addition of short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging capability. ## Enhanced Resolution With 35cm resolution at nadir, Gen-3 satellites provide unprecedented detail for: - **Vehicle identification** - Distinguish individual vehicle types - **Infrastructure detail** - Assess equipment and structural features - **Activity analysis** - Identify specific activities and objects - **Damage assessment** - Detailed impact evaluation ## SWIR Capability The addition of short-wave infrared imaging enables new applications: - **Camouflage detection** - See through certain concealment techniques - **Material identification** - Distinguish between surface types - **Thermal signatures** - Detect heat-emitting activities - **All-condition imaging** - Penetrate haze and thin clouds ## Expanded Constellation The Gen-3 program targets 30 satellites for maximum revisit: - **Current status** - 5 satellites on orbit (as of September 2026) - **Near-term** - Additional satellites planned by end of 2026 - **Full constellation** - Up to 30 satellites for 6-10 daily passes ## Improved Performance Gen-3 satellites feature enhanced capabilities: - **Faster retargeting** - Under 1 minute between targets (vs. 2 minutes for Gen-2) - **Wider swath** - 7km footprint (vs. 4km for Gen-2) - **Higher capacity** - >1.2 million sq km daily per satellite - **Better accuracy** - 35-70cm CE90 with ground control ## Applications BlackSky Gen-3's capabilities support advanced applications: - **Defense** - High-resolution intelligence with SWIR for enhanced detection - **Maritime** - Vessel identification and port monitoring - **Energy** - Pipeline and facility monitoring with thermal detection - **Emergency response** - Rapid, detailed damage assessment URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/blacksky-gen3 --- ### Dragonette-1 - Vendor: wyvern - Category: hyperspectral - Resolution: 5.3 m hyperspectral - Bands: 23 - Revisit: Every 2 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview Dragonette-1 is the first satellite in Wyvern's hyperspectral constellation, launched in April 2023. As a pathfinder mission, it demonstrated Wyvern's innovative approach to affordable hyperspectral imaging from space, delivering 23-band VNIR data at 5.3-meter resolution. ## Hyperspectral Capability With 23 contiguous spectral bands spanning the visible to near-infrared range (500-800nm), Dragonette-1 provides detailed spectral signatures for: - **Crop health analysis** - Detect plant stress before visible symptoms appear - **Species identification** - Distinguish between vegetation types and crop varieties - **Water quality** - Monitor chlorophyll, sediment, and pollutant levels - **Mineral mapping** - Identify surface mineralogy and soil composition ## Spectral Resolution The 23 VNIR bands provide continuous spectral coverage with narrow bandwidths (~20-32nm FWHM), enabling: - **Spectral unmixing** - Decompose mixed pixels into component materials - **Red edge analysis** - Precise vegetation health metrics from the 690-750nm region - **Chlorophyll estimation** - Multiple bands targeting absorption features ## Applications Dragonette-1's hyperspectral capabilities support: - **Precision agriculture** - Variable rate application and yield optimization - **Forestry** - Forest health monitoring and species mapping - **Environmental monitoring** - Ecosystem assessment and change detection - **Mining** - Exploration support and environmental compliance URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/dragonette-1 --- ### Dragonette 2-5 - Vendor: wyvern - Category: hyperspectral - Resolution: 5.3 m hyperspectral - Bands: 31 - Revisit: Daily - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview The Dragonette constellation (Dragonette-2, 3, 4 and 5) represents Wyvern's operational hyperspectral imaging capability. Building on lessons learned from Dragonette-1, these satellites feature an enhanced 31-band sensor with extended spectral coverage into the blue wavelengths (445-770nm). ## Enhanced Hyperspectral Capability With 31 contiguous spectral bands spanning the visible to near-infrared range, the Dragonette constellation provides comprehensive spectral signatures for: - **Precision agriculture** - Detailed crop health, nutrient status, and stress detection - **Water quality monitoring** - Chlorophyll, suspended sediments, and dissolved organics - **Vegetation analysis** - Species identification and ecosystem health assessment - **Mineral exploration** - Surface mineralogy and geological mapping ## Extended Blue Coverage The addition of blue wavelength bands (445-495nm) enables: - **Coastal and bathymetric analysis** - Shallow water depth estimation - **Atmospheric correction** - Improved data quality through aerosol characterization - **Water constituent analysis** - Enhanced detection of phytoplankton and water quality parameters ## Spectral Resolution The 31 VNIR bands provide continuous spectral coverage with narrow bandwidths (~18-31nm FWHM), enabling: - **Spectral unmixing** - Decompose mixed pixels into component materials - **Red edge analysis** - Multiple bands capturing the vegetation red edge (680-750nm) - **Derivative spectroscopy** - Fine spectral features for material identification ## Applications The Dragonette constellation's hyperspectral capabilities support: - **Agriculture** - Variable rate application, yield prediction, and crop monitoring - **Forestry** - Forest inventory, health assessment, and fire risk mapping - **Environment** - Wetland mapping, invasive species detection, and habitat assessment - **Mining** - Exploration targeting and environmental monitoring - **Water resources** - Lake and reservoir monitoring, algal bloom detection URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/dragonette-2-5 --- ### EarthCARE - Vendor: esa - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 500 m multispectral imager; lidar and radar profiles along track - Bands: 7 - Revisit: 25-day repeat cycle - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview EarthCARE (Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) is the largest of ESA's Earth Explorer missions and was built in partnership with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It flies four instruments together to observe clouds, aerosols and radiation at the same time and place, helping to resolve one of the largest uncertainties in climate prediction. ## Instruments - **ATLID** - Atmospheric lidar at 355 nm that profiles thin cloud and aerosol layers - **CPR** - JAXA's 94 GHz Doppler Cloud Profiling Radar that measures cloud structure and vertical motion - **MSI** - Seven-band Multi-Spectral Imager at 500 m resolution that places the profiles in context across a 150 km swath - **BBR** - Broadband Radiometer measuring reflected sunlight and emitted heat at the top of the atmosphere ## Low Orbit At about 393 km, EarthCARE flies lower than most Earth observation satellites. This improves the signal strength of its lidar and radar but means it needs regular orbit-raising manoeuvres to counter atmospheric drag. ## Data Access EarthCARE data is free and open through ESA and JAXA. ## Applications - **Climate modelling** - Improving how clouds and aerosols are represented in climate models - **Weather forecasting** - Assimilating cloud and aerosol profiles into forecast models - **Air quality** - Tracking smoke, dust and pollution layers in 3D - **Radiation budget** - Measuring the balance of energy entering and leaving the Earth URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/earthcare --- ### FLEX - Vendor: esa - Category: hyperspectral - Resolution: 300 m hyperspectral - Bands: 2 - Revisit: Global land coverage in tandem with Sentinel-3 - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview FLEX (FLuorescence EXplorer) is the eighth mission in ESA's Earth Explorer programme. It launched on 15 September 2026 on the first dual-payload Vega C flight, sharing the rocket with Sentinel-3C. FLEX measures solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, a faint red and far-red glow emitted by plants as they absorb sunlight for photosynthesis. Fluorescence responds to stress before leaves visibly change colour, making it an early signal of drought, heat and disease. ## FLORIS Instrument - **Imaging spectrometer** - Two spectrometers covering 500 to 780 nm - **Very fine spectral sampling** - Sub-nanometre sampling in the oxygen absorption bands where the fluorescence signal can be separated from reflected sunlight - **300 m resolution** - Field-scale observation across a 150 km swath - **Tandem with Sentinel-3** - Flies in formation so that Sentinel-3's OLCI and SLSTR instruments supply surface temperature, cloud and atmospheric data for each FLEX observation ## Measurements - **Chlorophyll fluorescence** - Full fluorescence spectrum at canopy level - **Photosynthetic activity** - Estimates of how actively vegetation is converting light to carbon - **Vegetation stress** - Early detection of water, heat and nutrient stress ## Data Access FLEX data will be free and open through ESA once the satellite completes commissioning. ## Applications - **Agriculture** - Early warning of crop stress and yield risk - **Food security** - Regional monitoring of crop health - **Forestry and ecosystems** - Tracking drought response and vegetation productivity - **Carbon cycle science** - Better estimates of how much carbon vegetation absorbs _Image: ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO._ URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/flex --- ### GeoEye-1 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 41 cm panchromatic, 1.65 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview GeoEye-1 is a high-resolution commercial imaging satellite known for its exceptional pointing accuracy and agility. It is part of the Vantor constellation and continues to provide reliable high-resolution imagery. ## Precision Geolocation GeoEye-1 was designed with an emphasis on geometric accuracy, featuring: - Advanced star trackers for precise attitude determination - High-accuracy GPS for orbit determination - Rapid retargeting capability for efficient collection ## Multispectral Capability The four-band multispectral sensor provides essential spectral information for: - **Natural color** - True color visualization for interpretation - **Color infrared** - Vegetation health and land cover analysis - **Pan-sharpening** - High-resolution multispectral products ## Applications GeoEye-1's combination of resolution and accuracy supports: - **Intelligence** - Precise geolocation for situational awareness - **Mapping** - Accurate base map production - **Engineering** - Site planning and infrastructure assessment - **Insurance** - Property assessment and damage documentation URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/geoeye-1 --- ### IKONOS-2 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 82 cm panchromatic, 3.2 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: Decommissioned - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview IKONOS-2 was the first sub-meter commercial Earth imaging satellite, opening high-resolution satellite imagery to commercial and government customers. Launched in September 1999 and operated successively by Space Imaging, GeoEye and DigitalGlobe (now part of Vantor), it far exceeded its 7-year design life, operating for more than 15 years before being decommissioned on March 31, 2015. Its imagery archive remains available for historical analysis. ## Historical Significance IKONOS-2 marked the start of the modern commercial high-resolution imagery industry. As the first commercial system to deliver sub-meter panchromatic detail, it established the market and many of the product standards later carried forward by QuickBird, GeoEye-1 and the WorldView series. Over its lifetime it collected hundreds of thousands of scenes, building one of the longest commercial high-resolution archives available. ## Archive Availability IKONOS-2 is decommissioned and no longer collects new imagery, so tasking is not available. Its global archive, spanning 1999 to early 2015, remains accessible and is valuable as an early sub-meter baseline for long-term change studies. ## Applications for Archive Data IKONOS-2 archive imagery supports: - **Long-term change detection** - Compare conditions from the early 2000s to today using an early sub-meter record - **Baseline studies** - Establish pre-development or pre-impact conditions for sites of interest - **Historical documentation** - Capture how landscapes, urban areas and infrastructure appeared during the satellite's operational years - **Academic research** - Support longitudinal and time-series analysis with a foundational high-resolution dataset URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/ikonos-2 --- ### JPSS - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 375 m imagery bands, 750 m moderate bands (VIIRS) - Bands: 22 - Revisit: Global coverage at least twice a day per satellite - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is the United States' polar-orbiting weather satellite programme, run by NOAA with NASA building and launching the satellites. Three satellites are currently in orbit: Suomi NPP, launched in 2011 as the pathfinder, NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) in 2017 and NOAA-21 (JPSS-2) in 2022. They share the same afternoon orbit, spaced so that together they revisit each location several times a day. ## VIIRS Imager The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) is the successor to MODIS and the main imaging instrument on each satellite. - **22 bands** - Visible, near-infrared, shortwave, mid-wave and thermal infrared - **375 m imagery bands** - Twice the resolution of MODIS for fire and cloud detection - **Day/Night Band** - Sensitive enough to image city lights, gas flares, fishing fleets and moonlit clouds - **3040 km swath** - Wide enough to leave no gaps between orbits at the equator ## Other Instruments - **CrIS** - Cross-track Infrared Sounder for atmospheric temperature and humidity - **ATMS** - Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder for all-weather profiles - **OMPS** - Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite - **CERES** - Radiation budget, on Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 ## Data Access JPSS data is free and open through NOAA and NASA, including near real-time fire and imagery products. ## Applications - **Wildfire detection** - 375 m VIIRS active fire detections used by fire agencies worldwide, including in Australia - **Weather forecasting** - Temperature and moisture profiles for numerical weather prediction - **Night-time lights** - Economic activity, power outages and gas flaring - **Ocean and coasts** - Sea surface temperature and ocean colour - **Snow, ice and floods** - Daily snow cover, sea ice and flood extent URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/jpss --- ### KOMPSAT-2 - Vendor: siis - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 1.0 m panchromatic, 4.0 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview KOMPSAT-2 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 2) is a South Korean Earth observation satellite operated by SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Launched in 2006 with an expected 5-year mission life, it has far exceeded expectations and continues to provide valuable imagery nearly two decades later. ## Extended Mission Success Originally designed for a 5-year mission, KOMPSAT-2 has demonstrated exceptional reliability and remains operational as of 2025. This longevity has provided an extensive archive of consistent imagery for long-term change detection and monitoring applications. ## Multispectral Capability The four-band multispectral sensor provides essential spectral information for: - **Natural color** - True color visualization for interpretation - **Color infrared** - Vegetation health and land cover analysis - **Pan-sharpening** - Enhanced resolution multispectral products ## Applications KOMPSAT-2's combination of resolution and reliability supports: - **Mapping** - Base map production and cartographic applications - **Environmental monitoring** - Land use change and ecosystem assessment - **Agriculture** - Crop monitoring and agricultural planning - **Urban planning** - Development tracking and infrastructure mapping URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-2 --- ### KOMPSAT-3 - Vendor: siis - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 50 cm panchromatic, 2.0 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview KOMPSAT-3 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 3) is a high-resolution Earth observation satellite operated by SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Launched in 2012, it marked a significant advancement in Korean space capabilities with sub-meter resolution imaging. ## High-Resolution Imaging With 50cm panchromatic resolution, KOMPSAT-3 provides detailed imagery suitable for: - **Urban mapping** - Building footprints and infrastructure detail - **Precision agriculture** - Field-level crop analysis - **Security applications** - Detailed site monitoring - **Change detection** - Fine-scale temporal analysis ## Multispectral Capability The four-band multispectral sensor enables: - **Vegetation analysis** - NDVI and crop health assessment - **Land cover classification** - Detailed habitat mapping - **Water quality** - Coastal and inland water monitoring - **Disaster response** - Damage assessment and planning ## Applications KOMPSAT-3's combination of resolution and spectral capability supports: - **Government** - National mapping and defense applications - **Agriculture** - Precision farming and yield estimation - **Environment** - Ecosystem monitoring and conservation - **Infrastructure** - Asset management and planning URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-3 --- ### KOMPSAT-3A - Vendor: siis - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 40 cm panchromatic, 1.6 m multispectral, 5.5 m infrared - Bands: 5 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview KOMPSAT-3A (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 3A) is an advanced Earth observation satellite operated by SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Launched in 2015, it represents the highest resolution optical imaging capability in the KOMPSAT constellation with 40cm panchromatic resolution. ## Enhanced Resolution With 40cm panchromatic resolution, KOMPSAT-3A delivers exceptional detail for: - **Defense and intelligence** - Detailed reconnaissance and situational awareness - **Urban mapping** - Individual building and vehicle identification - **Infrastructure** - Precise asset inventory and condition assessment - **Precision agriculture** - Plant-level analysis and crop monitoring ## Infrared Capability KOMPSAT-3A includes infrared imaging capability enabling: - **Night imaging** - Thermal detection during nighttime passes - **Fire detection** - Active fire identification and monitoring - **Industrial monitoring** - Heat signature analysis ## Applications KOMPSAT-3A's combination of high resolution and infrared capability supports: - **Government** - National security and emergency response - **Defense** - Strategic and tactical intelligence - **Environment** - Wildfire monitoring and thermal mapping - **Energy** - Pipeline and power infrastructure monitoring URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-3a --- ### KOMPSAT-5 - Vendor: siis - Category: sar - Resolution: 0.85 m Spotlight, 2.5 m Strip, 20 m Wide swath - Bands: 1 - Revisit: Every 1-2 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview KOMPSAT-5 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 5) is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operated by SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Launched in 2013, it provides all-weather, day-and-night imaging capability using X-band radar technology. ## SAR Capabilities As a radar imaging satellite, KOMPSAT-5 offers unique advantages: - **All-weather imaging** - Penetrates clouds and operates in any atmospheric conditions - **Day and night operation** - Active radar illumination enables 24/7 collection - **Surface characterization** - Radar backscatter reveals surface properties invisible to optical sensors ## Multiple Imaging Modes KOMPSAT-5 offers flexible imaging modes to match application requirements: - **Spotlight** - 0.85 and 1 m resolution for detailed site monitoring (5 km wide scenes) - **Strip** - 2.5 and 3 m resolution for regional coverage (30 km x 840 km scenes) - **Wide swath** - 20 m resolution for wide-area surveillance (100 km x 840 km scenes) ## Applications KOMPSAT-5's SAR capabilities support critical applications: - **Maritime surveillance** - Ship detection and tracking in all conditions - **Disaster response** - Flood mapping and damage assessment through clouds - **Defense** - All-weather reconnaissance and monitoring - **Infrastructure** - Subsidence monitoring and structural analysis URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-5 --- ### KOMPSAT-6 - Vendor: siis - Category: sar - Resolution: 0.5 m High Resolution, 1 m, 3 m Standard, 20 m Wide Swath - Bands: 1 - Revisit: To be confirmed after launch - Archive: No | Tasking: No ## Overview KOMPSAT-6 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-6), also known as Arirang-6, is a planned X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). It succeeds KOMPSAT-5 as the radar member of the KOMPSAT series, doubling the best available radar resolution to 0.5 m and adding quad-polarisation capability. ## SAR Capabilities As a radar imaging satellite, KOMPSAT-6 will offer the core advantages of SAR: - **All-weather imaging** - X-band radar sees through cloud, smoke and haze - **Day and night operation** - Active illumination means collection does not depend on sunlight - **Sub-metre detail** - 0.5 m High Resolution mode for object-level identification - **Polarimetry** - Single, dual or quad polarisation (HH, HV, VH, VV) for surface and material characterisation - **Flexible geometry** - Incidence angles from 20 to 60 degrees ## Imaging Modes KOMPSAT-6 is designed with four imaging modes that trade detail against coverage: - **High Resolution A** - 0.5 m resolution over a 5 km swath - **High Resolution B** - 1.0 m resolution over a 10 km swath - **Standard** - 3.0 m resolution over a 30 km swath - **Wide Swath** - 20 m resolution over a 100 km swath ## Launch Status KOMPSAT-6 was originally scheduled to launch in 2020 and later on a Russian Angara rocket. That launch was cancelled in 2022, and the satellite was re-manifested on a Vega C from French Guiana, where it will fly with the PLATiNO-1 satellite. The launch is currently targeted for late 2026 to 2027. - **Satellite bus** - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) - **Radar payload** - LIG Nex1 with Airbus Defence and Space - **Orbit** - Sun-synchronous orbit at about 505 km - **Design life** - 5 years ## Tasking and Delivery via SIIS SI Imaging Services (SIIS) distributes the KOMPSAT series worldwide. Once KOMPSAT-6 completes commissioning, Terrabit expects to offer it alongside KOMPSAT-5 for radar tasking and archive orders through SIIS. ## Applications KOMPSAT-6's high-resolution radar will support: - **Defence and security** - Persistent monitoring regardless of cloud or daylight - **Maritime surveillance** - Vessel detection and port activity monitoring - **Infrastructure** - Change detection over facilities, mines and transport corridors - **Disaster response** - Flood and damage mapping when optical sensors are blocked by cloud URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-6 --- ### KOMPSAT-7 - Vendor: siis - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 0.3 m panchromatic, 1.2 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: Daily revisit potential through off-nadir tasking - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview KOMPSAT-7 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-7), also known as Arirang-7, is a very high resolution optical Earth observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Launched on December 1, 2025 aboard a Vega C rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, it is the highest resolution satellite in the KOMPSAT optical series, carrying the AEISS-HR (Advanced Earth Imaging Sensor System - High Resolution) imager. KOMPSAT-7 imagery is distributed commercially worldwide by SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ## Very High Resolution Optical Imaging The AEISS-HR instrument captures imagery at roughly 30 cm panchromatic resolution, with multispectral and infrared channels alongside it. - **Panchromatic detail** - Approximately 0.3 m ground sample distance for fine-scale feature identification - **Multispectral colour** - Approximately 1.2 m resolution across the visible and near-infrared bands - **Infrared channel** - Approximately 4 m resolution supporting thermal and condition assessment - **14-bit data** - High radiometric depth for strong contrast across varied surface brightness ## KOMPSAT Constellation Context KOMPSAT-7 builds directly on the proven heritage of the earlier Korean optical satellites. - **Series progression** - Successor to KOMPSAT-3 and KOMPSAT-3A, raising the optical class from 40-70 cm to 30 cm - **KARI development** - Designed and built by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon, South Korea - **Companion satellite** - KOMPSAT-7A is planned to follow, extending capacity and revisit performance - **Sun-synchronous orbit** - Consistent morning illumination supports reliable change detection over time ## Tasking and Delivery via SIIS SI Imaging Services (SIIS) is the exclusive worldwide distributor for the KOMPSAT series, including KOMPSAT-7. - **New tasking** - Customers can task fresh acquisitions over specific areas of interest - **Archive access** - Previously collected scenes are available for immediate ordering - **Global partner network** - SIIS distributes through a large international reseller network - **Defined product tiers** - Imagery is supplied as standard processed products for analysis and mapping ## Applications KOMPSAT-7's very high resolution and multispectral capability support a broad range of uses. - **Defence and intelligence** - Detailed reconnaissance and situational awareness - **Urban and infrastructure mapping** - Building, road and asset-level identification - **Precision agriculture** - Plant-scale crop monitoring using visible and near-infrared bands - **Environmental monitoring** - Land cover, vegetation and change detection - **Disaster response** - Rapid high-detail imaging for emergency assessment URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/kompsat-7 --- ### Landsat 5 - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 30 m multispectral, 120 m thermal - Bands: 7 - Revisit: Decommissioned - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Landsat 5 was a NASA and USGS Earth observation satellite launched on March 1, 1984. Built as a near-identical backup to Landsat 4, it carried two instruments: the Thematic Mapper (TM), a seven-band multispectral sensor delivering 30 m resolution across the visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared bands plus a 120 m thermal band, and the Multispectral Scanner (MSS), an earlier four-band instrument at 80 m resolution that preserved continuity with the original Landsat series. Designed for a three-year mission, Landsat 5 instead operated for nearly 29 years. It holds the Guinness World Record as the longest-operating Earth observation satellite, orbiting the planet more than 150,000 times and returning over 2.5 million images before it was decommissioned on June 5, 2013. Its unusual longevity was helped by extra onboard fuel, originally provisioned for a planned Space Shuttle retrieval that never took place. ## Instruments Landsat 5 flew two sensors, giving the mission both a high-quality multispectral instrument and backward compatibility with the earliest Landsat data. - **Thematic Mapper (TM)** - A seven-band scanner with 30 m resolution in the six reflective bands and 120 m resolution in the thermal-infrared band, quantized at 8 bits - **Multispectral Scanner (MSS)** - A four-band instrument at 80 m resolution, carried to maintain continuity with Landsat 1 through 4 - **185 km swath** - Both instruments imaged a 185 km wide ground swath, supporting consistent wide-area land surface mapping ## The Landsat Archive and Continuity Landsat 5 was a central pillar of the multi-decade Landsat record, the longest continuous space-based record of Earth's land surface. - **Decades of overlap** - Its long lifetime bridged Landsat 4, 7 and 8, helping cross-calibrate sensors and maintain a consistent record across missions - **Historic events captured** - Landsat 5 documented tropical deforestation, urban growth and major natural disasters across almost three decades - **Standardized data** - TM imagery shares band definitions and 30 m resolution with later Landsat missions, allowing direct comparison across decades ## Archive Availability All Landsat 5 imagery is part of the freely available USGS Landsat archive. Because the satellite is decommissioned, no new collection or tasking is possible, but the full historical record remains accessible. - **Free and open access** - Landsat 5 scenes can be searched and downloaded at no cost through USGS distribution platforms such as EarthExplorer - **Long temporal baseline** - The archive spans 1984 to early 2013, supporting change-detection studies over almost three decades - **No new tasking** - As a retired mission, Landsat 5 offers archive data only ## Applications for Archive Data The Landsat 5 archive supports a wide range of land and water monitoring tasks using its long, consistent multispectral record. - **Land cover change** - Multi-decade imagery enables mapping of urban growth, deforestation and agricultural expansion - **Vegetation monitoring** - The green, red, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared bands support vegetation vigour, biomass and moisture analysis - **Geology and soils** - The two shortwave-infrared bands aid mineral and hydrothermal alteration mapping - **Water and coastal mapping** - The blue band assists with coastal and shallow water studies, and the thermal band supports surface temperature analysis - **Historical baselines** - The early-1980s start date provides reference imagery for long-term environmental and climate-related studies URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/landsat-5 --- ### Landsat 7 - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 15 m panchromatic, 30 m multispectral, 60 m thermal - Bands: 7 - Revisit: Every 16 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Landsat 7, launched in 1999, is a joint NASA/USGS mission that continues the Landsat program's legacy of providing consistent, calibrated Earth observation data. Despite a Scan Line Corrector (SLC) failure in 2003, it remained operational until 2025 when it was decommissioned. ## Extended Mission Success Originally designed for a 5-year mission, Landsat 7 has operated for over 25 years, demonstrating exceptional reliability and providing an unbroken record of Earth observation data. ## Scan Line Corrector Issue Since May 2003, the Scan Line Corrector has been non-functional, resulting in data gaps at the edges of each scene. However: - **Center of scene** - Full data quality maintained - **Gap-filling techniques** - Algorithms available to interpolate missing data - **Continued value** - Data remains useful for many applications ## Landsat Archive Landsat 7 contributes to the world's longest continuous satellite record of Earth's land surface: - **25+ years** of consistent observations - **Free and open** data policy since 2008 - **Calibrated** to match other Landsat sensors ## Applications Landsat 7 data supports: - **Land cover change** - Track deforestation, urbanization, and land use - **Water resources** - Monitor lakes, reservoirs, and irrigation - **Agriculture** - Crop monitoring and drought assessment - **Climate research** - Long-term environmental change studies - **Disaster response** - Fire mapping and flood extent ## Open Data Policy All Landsat 7 data is freely available through USGS Earth Explorer and the Landsat archive, supporting global research and operational applications. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/landsat-7 --- ### Landsat 8 - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 15 m panchromatic, 30 m multispectral, 100 m thermal - Bands: 11 - Revisit: Every 16 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Landsat 8 is a joint NASA/USGS mission launched in 2013, continuing the Landsat program's 50+ year legacy of Earth observation. It carries two instruments-the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)-providing comprehensive spectral coverage. ## Enhanced Capabilities Landsat 8 introduced significant improvements over previous Landsat missions: - **12-bit radiometric resolution** - Improved dynamic range (vs. 8-bit on Landsat 7) - **Coastal aerosol band** - Enhanced atmospheric correction and coastal studies - **Cirrus band** - Cloud detection and atmospheric monitoring - **Dual thermal bands** - Improved surface temperature accuracy ## Thermal Imaging The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) provides two thermal bands for: - **Surface temperature** - Land and water temperature mapping - **Evapotranspiration** - Water use and drought monitoring - **Urban heat islands** - City temperature analysis - **Volcanic monitoring** - Thermal anomaly detection ## Landsat Continuity Landsat 8 ensures continuity with the historic Landsat archive: - **Cross-calibrated** with Landsat 7 and 9 - **Consistent data products** for time series analysis - **8-day combined revisit** when paired with Landsat 9 ## Applications Landsat 8 data supports diverse applications: - **Agriculture** - Crop health, irrigation monitoring, yield estimation - **Forestry** - Forest inventory, fire mapping, deforestation - **Water resources** - Lake extent, water quality, snow cover - **Urban** - Urban growth, heat islands, impervious surfaces - **Climate** - Land surface temperature, vegetation phenology ## Open Data Policy All Landsat 8 data is freely available through USGS Earth Explorer, supporting global research, commercial applications, and operational services. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/landsat-8 --- ### Landsat 9 - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 15 m panchromatic, 30 m multispectral, 100 m thermal - Bands: 11 - Revisit: Every 16 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Landsat 9 is the latest mission in the joint NASA/USGS Landsat program, launched in September 2021. It continues the 50+ year legacy of Landsat Earth observation, providing consistent, calibrated data for global land monitoring. ## Improved Performance Landsat 9 features enhanced capabilities: - **14-bit radiometric resolution** - Improved sensitivity and dynamic range - **Improved TIRS-2** - Better thermal calibration than Landsat 8 - **Lower noise** - Enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for subtle feature detection - **Consistent calibration** - Matched to Landsat 8 for seamless time series ## Combined Revisit Operating in tandem with Landsat 8, the two satellites provide: - **8-day combined revisit** - Doubled observation frequency - **Phased orbits** - Landsat 9 follows Landsat 8 by 8 days - **Consistent products** - Identical spectral bands and processing ## Landsat Legacy Landsat 9 ensures continuity of the world's longest civilian Earth observation record: - **50+ years** of continuous observations since 1972 - **Billions of acres** monitored annually - **Free and open** data for all users worldwide ## Applications Landsat 9 data supports critical applications: - **Agriculture** - Crop monitoring, water use efficiency, yield forecasting - **Forestry** - Forest health, carbon stocks, wildfire recovery - **Water** - Surface water extent, water quality, glacier monitoring - **Urban** - Urban expansion, infrastructure planning, heat mitigation - **Climate** - Ecosystem change, carbon cycle, phenology trends ## Open Data Policy All Landsat 9 data is freely available through USGS Earth Explorer and cloud platforms (AWS, Google Earth Engine), supporting global research and applications. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/landsat-9 --- ### NISAR - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: sar - Resolution: 3 to 10 m depending on mode (L-band and S-band SAR) - Bands: 2 - Revisit: 12-day repeat (6 days using ascending and descending passes) - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the first satellite to carry two radar frequencies. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory supplied the L-band radar and the 12 m reflector, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) supplied the S-band radar, the spacecraft and the launch. It launched on 30 July 2025 from Sriharikota, India. ## Dual-Frequency SAR - **L-band (24 cm)** - Penetrates vegetation and is highly stable for measuring ground movement - **S-band (10 cm)** - More sensitive to crops, light vegetation and surface texture - **SweepSAR** - Wide 242 km swath without giving up resolution - **Interferometry** - Repeat-pass InSAR detects surface movement at centimetre scale ## Systematic Global Coverage Unlike commercial SAR satellites that are tasked to order, NISAR images nearly all of the Earth's land and ice on a fixed schedule every 12 days. Combining ascending and descending passes gives an average revisit of about 6 days, building a consistent time series over every site. ## Data Access NISAR data is free and open, distributed by NASA's Alaska Satellite Facility and ISRO. ## Applications - **Ground deformation** - Subsidence over mines, tailings dams, oil and gas fields and cities - **Infrastructure stability** - Movement of levees, embankments, bridges and pipelines - **Natural hazards** - Earthquake, volcano and landslide monitoring - **Forests and agriculture** - Biomass change and crop growth under cloud - **Ice and glaciers** - Ice sheet flow and sea ice movement URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/nisar --- ### PACE - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: hyperspectral - Resolution: 1 km at nadir (OCI) - Bands: 289 - Revisit: Global coverage every 1 to 2 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) is a NASA mission launched in February 2024. Its main instrument, the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), is the first hyperspectral imager to observe the entire globe every one to two days. Measuring the full colour spectrum of the ocean lets scientists tell different types of phytoplankton apart and study water quality in detail not possible with earlier multispectral sensors. ## Ocean Color Instrument - **Hyperspectral coverage** - Continuous 315 to 895 nm at 2.5 nm steps, with finer 1.25 nm steps around the fluorescence and oxygen bands - **Shortwave infrared** - Seven SWIR bands for atmospheric correction, clouds and aerosols - **1 km resolution** - Global coverage every one to two days - **Tilting telescope** - Tilts to avoid sun glint off the ocean surface ## Polarimeters - **HARP2** - Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter viewing each scene from up to 60 angles - **SPEXone** - Spectropolarimeter from the Netherlands measuring aerosol size and composition ## Data Access PACE data is free and open through NASA's Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center. ## Applications - **Harmful algal blooms** - Identifying bloom types in coastal and inland waters - **Fisheries** - Phytoplankton health at the base of the marine food web - **Water quality** - Sediment, organic matter and turbidity in coastal waters - **Air quality** - Aerosol type and concentration - **Land vegetation** - Hyperspectral indices for vegetation health URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/pace --- ### Pulse - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 40 cm-class (37 to 50 cm native) - Bands: 8 - Revisit: As frequently as every 15 minutes - Archive: No | Tasking: No ## Overview Pulse is a planned proliferated fleet of high-revisit satellites announced by Vantor in April 2026. Designed to deliver 40 cm-class imagery of any location on Earth as frequently as every 15 minutes, Pulse is built for persistent, global monitoring. Vantor expects the first Pulse satellites to launch as early as 2027. Pulse works in concert with Vantor's high-resolution satellites, automatically cueing targeted collection so that broad-area monitoring turns into precise, actionable intelligence. The platform is expandable to additional sensor bands and feeds directly into the Vantor constellation and spatial intelligence platform. Because the program was only recently announced, several parameters are published as ranges or planned targets. ## Key Capabilities - **Persistent global monitoring** - Revisit any location as frequently as every 15 minutes for continuous visibility with no gaps - **40 cm-class imagery** - 37 to 50 cm native resolution suited to wide-area monitoring and change detection - **8 multispectral bands** - Multi-band collection that is expandable to other sensor bands - **Automated cueing** - Cues Vantor's high-resolution satellites for follow-on collection to confirm and act with detail - **Built for AI workflows** - Frequent observations improve change detection, pattern analysis and alerting - **5x capacity** - Increases global capacity and revisit rates roughly five-fold across the constellation ## Performance - **Collection points** - More than 500 points per day - **Area capacity** - More than 300,000 sq km per day - **Geolocation accuracy** - Less than 15 m CE90, post-processed to less than 5 m CE90 - **Radiometric accuracy** - Less than 5 percent - **Useful lifetime** - More than 5 years - **Orbit** - 450 to 600 km mid-inclination orbit (MIO) ## Applications - **Change detection** - Frequent revisits reveal what has changed between observations of the same site - **Activity and pattern monitoring** - High revisit frequency supports tracking how sites and areas evolve over time - **Disaster and event response** - More frequent passes help capture rapidly developing situations - **Infrastructure and asset monitoring** - Regular observation of facilities, sites and corridors - **Maritime and logistics awareness** - Frequent wide-area collection supports monitoring of ports, shipping and movement URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/pulse --- ### QuickBird-2 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 61 cm panchromatic, 2.44 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: Decommissioned - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview QuickBird was a pioneering commercial Earth observation satellite that helped establish the market for high-resolution satellite imagery. Launched in 2001 by Vantor, it operated successfully for over 13 years before being decommissioned in 2014. ## Historical Significance QuickBird was one of the first commercial satellites to offer sub-meter resolution imagery, making high-resolution satellite data accessible to commercial and government customers worldwide. ## Archive Value With over 13 years of global collections, QuickBird's archive provides valuable historical baseline data for: - **Long-term change analysis** - Document changes over a decade-plus timeframe - **Historical documentation** - Capture conditions from the early 2000s - **Baseline studies** - Establish pre-development or pre-impact conditions - **Legal and regulatory** - Support historical compliance documentation ## Applications for Archive Data QuickBird archive imagery supports: - **Urban growth studies** - Track expansion from 2001-2014 - **Environmental monitoring** - Document historical ecosystem conditions - **Infrastructure development** - Record construction timelines - **Academic research** - Support longitudinal studies and historical analysis URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/quickbird-2 --- ### Sentinel-1 - Vendor: esa - Category: sar - Resolution: 5.0 m Stripmap, 5x20 m IW, 20x40 m EW - Bands: 1 - Revisit: 6 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-1 is the European Space Agency's C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission, developed as part of the Copernicus programme. It provides all-weather, day-and-night radar imaging capability for land and ocean monitoring applications. ## SAR Capabilities As a radar imaging mission, Sentinel-1 offers unique advantages: - **All-weather imaging** - Penetrates clouds and operates in any atmospheric conditions - **Day and night operation** - Active radar illumination enables 24/7 collection - **Surface deformation** - Interferometric capability for subsidence and uplift monitoring - **Polarimetric analysis** - Multiple polarisation modes for surface characterisation ## Imaging Modes Sentinel-1 provides four distinct imaging modes: - **Stripmap (SM)** - 5m resolution, 80km swath for detailed regional mapping - **Interferometric Wide Swath (IW)** - Primary mode over land, 5x20m resolution, 250km swath - **Extra Wide Swath (EW)** - 20x40m resolution, 400km swath for maritime and ice monitoring - **Wave Mode** - Ocean wave spectra measurement ## Applications Sentinel-1 data supports critical applications: - **Maritime surveillance** - Ship detection, oil spill monitoring, sea ice mapping - **Land monitoring** - Deforestation, agriculture, urban change detection - **Emergency response** - Flood mapping, earthquake damage assessment - **Infrastructure** - Ground subsidence monitoring, pipeline surveillance - **Glaciology** - Ice sheet dynamics and glacier flow ## Open Data Policy Sentinel-1 data is freely available through the Copernicus Open Access Hub, supporting scientific research and operational services worldwide. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-1 --- ### Sentinel-2 - Vendor: esa - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 10 m visible/NIR, 20 m red edge/SWIR, 60 m atmospheric - Bands: 13 - Revisit: 5 days at equator (with both satellites) - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-2 is the European Space Agency's high-resolution multispectral imaging mission, developed as part of the Copernicus programme. The three-satellite constellation provides systematic global coverage with 13 spectral bands at 10-60m resolution. ## Multispectral Excellence With 13 spectral bands spanning visible to short-wave infrared wavelengths, Sentinel-2 enables: - **Vegetation monitoring** - NDVI, LAI, and chlorophyll content analysis - **Land cover classification** - Detailed habitat and land use mapping - **Water quality** - Coastal and inland water body monitoring - **Agriculture** - Crop type identification and health assessment ## Red Edge Bands The three red edge bands (705, 740, 783nm) provide unique capabilities: - **Vegetation stress detection** - Early warning of plant health issues - **Chlorophyll estimation** - Precise biomass and productivity assessment - **Crop phenology** - Track growth stages through the season ## High Revisit Frequency With three satellites the Sentinel-2 constellation achieves: - **5-day revisit** at the equator - **2-3 day revisit** at mid-latitudes - **Daily coverage** at high latitudes ## Applications Sentinel-2 data supports diverse applications: - **Agriculture** - Precision farming, crop monitoring, yield prediction - **Forestry** - Forest inventory, fire mapping, deforestation monitoring - **Urban** - Urban expansion tracking, green space mapping - **Disaster** - Flood mapping, fire extent, damage assessment - **Coastal** - Shoreline change, habitat mapping, water quality ## Open Data Policy Sentinel-2 data is freely available through the Copernicus Open Access Hub, enabling global access to high-quality Earth observation data. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-2 --- ### Sentinel-3 - Vendor: esa - Category: multispectral - Resolution: OLCI 300 m, SLSTR 500 m to 1 km - Bands: 21 - Revisit: Less than 2 days at the equator (with both satellites) - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-3 is a European Space Agency ocean and land monitoring mission developed under the Copernicus programme and operated jointly with EUMETSAT. Sentinel-3A launched in 2016 and Sentinel-3B in 2018, and Sentinel-3C joined them on 15 September 2026, launched on Vega-C alongside ESA's FLEX mission. Each satellite carries a suite of optical, radiometric and altimetry instruments designed to measure sea surface topography, sea and land surface temperature, and ocean and land colour. Sentinel-3B flies in the same orbit as Sentinel-3A but is phased to optimise joint coverage and shorten revisit times. Sentinel-3C is being commissioned to take over from Sentinel-3A and secure continuity of the series. ## OLCI Imaging The Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) is the mission's primary multispectral imager, observing in 21 bands from the visible to the near infrared (400 nm to 1020 nm). - **300 m spatial resolution** - Full-resolution imagery across all 21 bands for detailed ocean and land colour mapping - **1270 km swath** - A wide field of view that enables near-daily global revisit with the constellation - **MERIS heritage** - OLCI extends and improves on the Envisat MERIS instrument with additional bands and an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio - **Tilted camera design** - The instrument field of view is tilted away from the Sun to reduce sun-glint contamination over water ## SLSTR, SRAL and MWR Sentinel-3 complements OLCI with a thermal radiometer, a radar altimeter and a microwave radiometer. - **SLSTR** - The Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer measures in the visible, shortwave infrared, mid infrared and thermal infrared at 500 m (VNIR/SWIR) and 1 km (MWIR/TIR) resolution - **SRAL** - The SAR Radar Altimeter operates in Ku-band and C-band to measure sea surface height, significant wave height and surface topography - **MWR** - The Microwave Radiometer works in K-band and Ka-band to correct altimeter measurements for atmospheric water vapour - **Combined products** - Co-registered measurements from the instruments support integrated ocean, land and cryosphere monitoring ## Revisit and Coverage The dual-satellite constellation delivers frequent, systematic global observation. - **Ocean colour** - Revisit of less than 1.9 days at the equator with both satellites - **Surface temperature** - Revisit of less than 0.9 days at the equator with both satellites - **Sun-synchronous orbit** - A frozen sun-synchronous orbit near 814 km altitude with a 10:00 AM descending-node crossing time - **Wide-swath synergy** - The broad OLCI and SLSTR swaths combine to provide near-daily global land and ocean coverage ## Applications Sentinel-3 data supports a wide range of operational and scientific uses. - **Ocean monitoring** - Sea surface temperature, ocean colour, chlorophyll and water quality observation - **Marine forecasting** - Inputs to ocean and weather prediction services and maritime safety - **Land monitoring** - Vegetation status, land surface temperature and fire detection - **Climate** - Long-term records of sea surface height, sea and land surface temperature and ocean colour - **Cryosphere** - Sea-ice and ice-sheet surface elevation and topography from the radar altimeter ## Open Data Policy Sentinel-3 products are distributed freely under the Copernicus open data policy through ESA and EUMETSAT data services, supporting marine, atmospheric, land and climate applications worldwide. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-3 --- ### Sentinel-5 - Vendor: esa - Category: multispectral - Resolution: About 7 km at nadir (50 km for UV-1) - Bands: 7 - Revisit: Daily global coverage - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-5 is the Copernicus mission for global atmospheric composition. It is an instrument rather than a standalone satellite: the Sentinel-5 spectrometer flies on EUMETSAT's Metop Second Generation A1 (MetOp-SG A1) weather satellite, launched on an Ariane 6 on 13 August 2025. It continues the daily global air-quality record started by Sentinel-5P, and further Sentinel-5 instruments are planned for later MetOp-SG A satellites. ## UVNS Instrument The UVNS is a pushbroom imaging spectrometer spanning ultraviolet to shortwave infrared across seven bands. - **UV-1 and UV-2** - Ozone profiles, sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde - **VIS** - Nitrogen dioxide and aerosols - **NIR-1 and NIR-2** - Cloud, aerosol height and surface pressure from oxygen absorption - **SWIR-1 and SWIR-3** - Methane and carbon monoxide - **2670 km swath** - Wide enough to image the entire planet every day ## Atmospheric Species Measured - **Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)** - Traffic and combustion emissions - **Ozone (O3)** - Stratospheric ozone layer and ground-level pollution - **Sulphur dioxide (SO2)** - Volcanoes, smelters and power generation - **Methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO)** - Greenhouse gas and combustion tracers - **Formaldehyde (HCHO)** - Volatile organic compound emissions - **Aerosols** - Smoke, dust and volcanic ash ## Data Access Sentinel-5 is operated by EUMETSAT, and its data is free and open under the Copernicus programme. ## Applications - **Methane monitoring** - Detecting large emission sources from oil, gas, coal and waste facilities - **Air-quality reporting** - Consistent daily global pollution maps - **Climate services** - Long-term greenhouse gas and ozone records - **Hazard response** - Tracking volcanic ash and wildfire smoke for aviation and health warnings _Image: ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO._ URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-5 --- ### Sentinel-5P - Vendor: esa - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 5.5 x 3.5 km nadir ground pixel (TROPOMI) - Bands: 7 - Revisit: Daily global coverage - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-5 Precursor (Sentinel-5P) is the European Space Agency's atmospheric monitoring mission within the Copernicus programme, launched to fill the gap in global air-quality observations between earlier missions and the future Sentinel-5 instruments. Unlike optical imaging satellites, Sentinel-5P is dedicated to measuring the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The single satellite carries one payload, the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), and delivers daily global maps of pollutants and trace gases at a spatial detail not previously achieved from space. ## TROPOMI Instrument TROPOMI is a passive grating pushbroom imaging spectrometer operating in a nadir-viewing configuration. It combines measurements across four spectrometers that together span the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared, allowing it to detect a wide range of atmospheric constituents in a single overpass. - **Four spectrometers** - Ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared and shortwave-infrared modules covering the principal absorption features of key trace gases - **High spatial resolution** - Ground pixels refined to 5.5 x 3.5 km from August 2019, improved from the original 3.5 x 7 km - **Wide swath** - A 2600 km swath enabling complete daily global coverage - **Heritage** - Built on the experience of the OMI and SCIAMACHY instruments, developed by Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands with KNMI, SRON and TNO ## Spectral Coverage TROPOMI splits its observations across distinct spectral channels, each tuned to specific atmospheric measurements: - **UV (270 to 320 nm)** - Ozone profiles, sulphur dioxide and aerosols - **UVIS (310 to 500 nm)** - Nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde and ozone total column - **NIR (675 to 775 nm)** - Cloud and aerosol properties and surface pressure - **SWIR (2305 to 2385 nm)** - Carbon monoxide and methane ## Atmospheric Species Measured TROPOMI retrieves concentrations and distributions of the gases and particles that drive air quality and climate: - **Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)** - A key marker of traffic and combustion emissions - **Ozone (O3)** - Both stratospheric ozone and harmful ground-level ozone - **Sulphur dioxide (SO2)** - Emissions from volcanoes, power plants and shipping - **Carbon monoxide (CO)** - A tracer of combustion and biomass burning - **Methane (CH4)** - A potent greenhouse gas with natural and industrial sources - **Formaldehyde (HCHO)** - An indicator of volatile organic compound emissions - **Aerosols** - Absorbing aerosol index for smoke, dust and ash plumes ## Air Quality and Climate Applications Daily, high-resolution trace-gas data lets scientists and authorities connect emissions to their sources and track change over time: - **Pollution mapping** - Identifying hotspots over cities, industrial zones and transport corridors - **Emission monitoring** - Quantifying methane and other greenhouse-gas releases, including individual leaks - **Volcanic and wildfire response** - Tracking SO2 and aerosol plumes for aviation and public-health warnings - **Climate science** - Improving understanding of atmospheric chemistry and greenhouse-gas budgets ## Applications Sentinel-5P data supports a broad range of operational and research uses: - **Air quality forecasting** - Feeding the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service and national models - **Policy and compliance** - Informing environmental regulation and emission-reduction agreements - **Public health** - Assessing population exposure to harmful pollutants - **Disaster management** - Monitoring volcanic eruptions, wildfires and industrial incidents - **Open data** - Freely available through the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem for global use URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-5p --- ### Sentinel-6 - Vendor: esa - Category: sar - Resolution: About 300 m along-track (SAR-mode altimetry) - Bands: 2 - Revisit: 10-day repeat cycle - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Sentinel-6 is the Copernicus reference mission for measuring sea level. It is a partnership between ESA, EUMETSAT, NASA, NOAA and CNES, with support from the European Commission. Two identical satellites make up the mission: Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (Sentinel-6A), launched in November 2020 and named after the former head of NASA's Earth Science Division, and Sentinel-6B, launched in November 2025 to continue the record into the 2030s. ## Radar Altimetry Unlike an imaging radar, Sentinel-6 measures the height of the sea surface directly beneath the satellite. - **Poseidon-4 altimeter** - Operates in Ku-band and C-band, with the second frequency correcting for ionospheric delay - **SAR mode** - Sharpens along-track resolution to about 300 m, improving performance near coasts - **AMR-C radiometer** - Corrects the radar signal for water vapour in the atmosphere - **Precise orbit** - GNSS, DORIS and laser retroreflector tracking pin down the satellite's position to the centimetre ## Orbit and Coverage - **1336 km altitude** - High orbit that reduces atmospheric drag and gravity-model errors - **66 degree inclination** - Non-sun-synchronous, so tides are sampled at all times of day - **10-day repeat** - Revisits the same ground tracks as Jason-3 to keep the record seamless ## Data Access Sentinel-6 data is free and open, distributed by EUMETSAT and NOAA under Copernicus. ## Applications - **Sea-level rise** - The reference global mean sea-level record used in climate assessments - **Ocean forecasting** - Currents, eddies and ocean heat content for weather and marine services - **Coastal planning** - Inputs to storm-surge and coastal-flooding risk assessments - **Atmospheric profiling** - GNSS radio occultation supports weather forecasting URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/sentinel-6 --- ### SMOS - Vendor: esa - Category: sar - Resolution: 35 km at centre of field of view (about 43 km on average) - Bands: 1 - Revisit: Global coverage every 3 days - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) is the second of ESA's Earth Explorer missions. Launched in 2009 on a three-year design life, it remains in operation well over a decade later. SMOS was the first satellite to map both soil moisture over land and salinity at the ocean surface from space. ## MIRAS Instrument SMOS is a passive sensor: it does not transmit a signal but measures the natural microwave radiation emitted by the Earth at L-band. It sits alongside the SAR missions because, like SAR, it synthesises a large antenna from many small ones. - **Aperture synthesis** - 69 small receivers on three 4 m arms combine to act as a single large antenna - **L-band (1.4 GHz)** - A protected frequency that is highly sensitive to water content in soil and salt in seawater - **Multi-angle views** - Each point is seen at several incidence angles as the satellite passes overhead - **About 35 to 50 km resolution** - Coarse, but consistent global coverage every three days ## Measurements - **Soil moisture** - Water held in the top few centimetres of soil - **Sea surface salinity** - Salt concentration at the ocean surface - **Thin sea ice** - Thickness of new ice up to about half a metre - **Frozen ground** - Detection of soil freeze and thaw ## Data Access SMOS data is free and open through ESA. ## Applications - **Drought and agriculture** - Soil moisture for crop monitoring and yield forecasting - **Flood forecasting** - Soil saturation as an input to flood risk models - **Ocean circulation** - Salinity for ocean and climate models - **Weather forecasting** - Soil moisture assimilated into numerical weather prediction _Image: DLR German Aerospace Center, CC BY 2.0._ URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/smos --- ### SWOT - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: sar - Resolution: 100 m water surface elevation raster; 2 km ocean products - Bands: 1 - Revisit: 21-day repeat cycle - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) is a joint mission between NASA and the French space agency CNES, with contributions from the Canadian and UK space agencies. Launched in December 2022, it is the first satellite to survey the height of nearly all of the Earth's surface water, from the open ocean to rivers and lakes. ## KaRIn Instrument Most radar altimeters measure a single point directly below the satellite. SWOT's Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) instead uses two antennas on a 10 m boom to measure water height across two 50 km wide swaths at once. - **Wide-swath altimetry** - 2D maps of water surface elevation rather than single profiles - **Ka-band (35.75 GHz)** - Short wavelength for fine height precision - **Rivers and lakes** - Measures rivers wider than about 100 m and lakes larger than about 6 hectares - **Ocean detail** - Resolves eddies and currents about ten times smaller than conventional altimetry ## Data Products - **Water surface elevation** - Raster products at 100 m and 250 m - **River and lake heights** - Height, width and slope along river reaches and for individual lakes - **Ocean topography** - Sea surface height at 2 km resolution ## Data Access SWOT data is free and open through NASA's PO.DAAC and the CNES AVISO and Hydroweb services. ## Applications - **Water resources** - Storage in lakes and reservoirs, including for mining and irrigation supply - **Flood monitoring** - River height and slope during flood events - **Coastal oceanography** - Currents, eddies and coastal sea level - **Hydrological modelling** - River discharge estimates in ungauged catchments URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/swot --- ### Terra - Vendor: nasa-usgs - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 15 m ASTER visible/NIR, 250 m to 1 km MODIS - Bands: 36 - Revisit: Near-daily global coverage (MODIS) - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview Terra (originally EOS AM-1) is NASA's flagship Earth Observing System satellite, launched in December 1999. It carries five instruments that together observe the land, oceans, atmosphere and energy balance. Terra has far outlived its six-year design life and its data underpins more than two decades of global change records. ## Instruments - **MODIS** - Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer with 36 bands at 250 m to 1 km across a 2330 km swath - **ASTER** - Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer from Japan, with 15 m visible/NIR imagery, stereo for elevation models and 90 m thermal bands (its SWIR bands stopped working in 2008) - **MISR** - Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer viewing each scene from nine angles - **CERES** - Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System - **MOPITT** - Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere, from Canada ## Extended Mission Terra is in the final years of its extended mission. It no longer makes orbit adjustments to hold its original schedule, so its orbit has been lowered and its equator crossing time is drifting earlier. Its long record is being continued by the VIIRS instruments on the JPSS satellites. ## Data Access All Terra data is free and open through NASA's Earthdata archives. The ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) is also free. ## Applications - **Wildfire detection** - MODIS active fire and burned area products - **Land cover change** - Vegetation indices, snow cover and land surface temperature - **Geology and mining** - ASTER mineral mapping and thermal analysis - **Elevation models** - ASTER stereo imagery and the global GDEM - **Air quality** - Aerosols and carbon monoxide URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/terra --- ### Vantage - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 20 cm-class (22 to 28 cm native) - Bands: 8 - Revisit: Enhanced refresh across the Vantor constellation - Archive: No | Tasking: No ## Overview Vantage is a planned class of high-resolution electro-optical satellites announced by Vantor in April 2026, billed as the first 20 cm-class satellites on orbit. It is designed to advance the industry's most accurate spatial foundation, pairing 20 cm-class resolution with industry-leading geolocation accuracy so that every insight, model and decision is grounded in truth. Vantor expects the first Vantage satellites to launch as early as 2029. Vantage extends the Vantor constellation, enhancing global coverage and refresh rates while maintaining the accuracy and resolution required to serve as trusted ground truth. It is the high-detail counterpart to the high-frequency Pulse fleet, and together they are designed to remove the long-standing trade-off between imaging the world in fine detail and monitoring it continuously. Because the program was only recently announced, several parameters are published as ranges or planned targets. ## Key Capabilities - **20 cm-class imagery** - 22 to 28 cm native resolution for confident object and pattern identification - **Unmatched geolocation accuracy** - Less than 5 m CE90 for a trusted spatial foundation - **High agility** - CMG attitude control with roughly twice the agility of WorldView-3 - **8 multispectral bands** - Multi-band electro-optical collection - **Multi-sensor fusion** - Improved spatial fidelity strengthens fusion, analysis and AI-driven insight - **Trusted ground truth** - Maintains the accuracy and resolution required to anchor other sensors ## Performance - **Collection points** - 1,800 points per day - **Area capacity** - More than 1.5 million sq km per day - **Geolocation accuracy** - Less than 5 m CE90 - **Radiometric accuracy** - Less than 2 percent - **Useful lifetime** - More than 10 years - **Orbit** - 450 to 600 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) ## Applications - **Defence and intelligence** - Higher confidence in targeting, faster understanding of activity and more accurate operational terrain - **Mapping and 3D products** - Higher resolution and geolocation accuracy improve 2D and 3D outputs for planning and autonomy - **Feature extraction** - Clearer object identification supports precise mapping and analysis at scale - **Change detection** - High-detail before-and-after comparison across the constellation URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/vantage --- ### WorldView-1 - Vendor: vantor - Category: panchromatic - Resolution: 50 cm panchromatic - Bands: 1 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview WorldView-1 was the first of Vantor's WorldView series, establishing the standard for commercial high-resolution satellite imagery when it launched in 2007. As a panchromatic-only satellite, it is optimized for applications requiring maximum spatial resolution and geometric accuracy. ## Mapping Excellence WorldView-1's design prioritizes geometric accuracy and collection efficiency, making it the preferred choice for: - **Stereo collection** - Rapid acquisition of stereo pairs for 3D modeling - **Large-area mapping** - Consistent, high-accuracy base mapping - **Digital elevation models** - Source imagery for terrain extraction ## Extended Mission Success Operating well beyond its original 10-year design life, WorldView-1 demonstrates exceptional reliability and continues to provide valuable imagery for the global mapping community. ## Applications WorldView-1's panchromatic focus makes it ideal for: - **Cartography** - Base map production and updates - **Infrastructure** - Road networks, building footprints, and facility mapping - **Defense** - High-resolution reconnaissance and situational awareness - **3D modeling** - Urban reconstruction and terrain analysis URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/worldview-1 --- ### WorldView-2 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 46 cm panchromatic, 1.85 m multispectral - Bands: 8 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview WorldView-2 was the first commercial satellite to offer 8-band multispectral imaging, revolutionizing Earth observation capabilities when it launched in 2009. Part of the Vantor constellation, its innovative sensor design introduced four new spectral bands-coastal, yellow, red edge, and NIR-2-that have since become standard for advanced remote sensing applications. ## 8-Band Multispectral Pioneer The additional bands enable capabilities not possible with traditional 4-band sensors: - **Coastal band** - Bathymetric mapping and coastal zone analysis - **Yellow band** - Improved vegetation discrimination and senescence detection - **Red Edge band** - Plant health and chlorophyll content analysis - **NIR-2 band** - Atmospheric correction and improved vegetation indices ## Extensive Archive With over 15 years of consistent operations, WorldView-2 has built one of the most comprehensive commercial satellite imagery archives. This extensive historical record is invaluable for long-term change detection and trend analysis. ## Applications WorldView-2's balanced combination of resolution and spectral capability makes it ideal for: - **Agriculture** - Crop type classification and health monitoring - **Forestry** - Species mapping and biomass estimation - **Coastal management** - Shallow water bathymetry and habitat mapping - **Urban planning** - Land use classification and infrastructure mapping URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/worldview-2 --- ### WorldView-3 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 31 cm panchromatic, 1.24 m multispectral, 3.7 m SWIR - Bands: 16 - Revisit: 4-5 overpasses per week - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview WorldView-3 is a groundbreaking commercial satellite that introduced short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging capabilities to the commercial market. Launched in 2014, it remains one of the most capable Earth observation satellites in orbit, combining super-spectral imaging with industry-leading resolution. ## SWIR Capabilities The eight SWIR bands enable unique applications not possible with traditional visible and near-infrared sensors: - **Mineral identification** - Distinguish between different rock types and mineral compositions - **Vegetation health** - Detect plant stress before visible symptoms appear - **Moisture mapping** - Identify water content in soil and vegetation - **Material classification** - Differentiate between natural and man-made surfaces ## Multispectral Excellence Beyond SWIR, WorldView-3's eight multispectral bands provide comprehensive spectral coverage for: - Coastal and bathymetric analysis - Vegetation indices and crop monitoring - Land cover classification - Change detection ## Applications WorldView-3's unique spectral capabilities make it essential for: - **Mining and exploration** - Mineral mapping and resource assessment - **Agriculture** - Advanced crop analysis and yield prediction - **Environmental monitoring** - Ecosystem health and change detection - **Defense and intelligence** - Material identification and site characterization URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/worldview-3 --- ### WorldView-4 - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 31 cm panchromatic, 1.23 m multispectral - Bands: 4 - Revisit: Decommissioned - Archive: Yes | Tasking: No ## Overview WorldView-4 was a high-resolution commercial imaging satellite that operated from November 2016 until January 2019. Originally built as GeoEye-2, it was launched by Vantor and provided 31cm resolution imagery until a control moment gyroscope failure led to its decommissioning. ## Archive Availability While WorldView-4 is no longer operational, its archive imagery remains available for historical analysis and baseline studies. The satellite collected imagery for over two years, providing valuable historical data for change detection and retrospective analysis. ## Applications for Archive Data WorldView-4 archive imagery is useful for: - **Historical baselines** - Establish conditions before development or environmental changes - **Change detection** - Compare with current imagery to quantify changes - **Legal and compliance** - Document historical conditions for regulatory purposes - **Research** - Support academic and scientific studies requiring historical data URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/worldview-4 --- ### WorldView Legion - Vendor: vantor - Category: multispectral - Resolution: 34 cm panchromatic, 1.36 m multispectral - Bands: 8 - Revisit: 3-4 overpasses per day - Archive: Yes | Tasking: Yes ## Overview WorldView Legion represents the next generation of Vantor's commercial Earth observation capabilities. This six-satellite constellation combines the proven imaging heritage of the WorldView platform with dramatically improved revisit rates, enabling multiple collections per day over any location on Earth. ## Key Capabilities The constellation features both sun-synchronous and mid-latitude orbit configurations. Four satellites operate in a 45-degree inclination mid-latitude orbit (MIO), providing distributed coverage throughout daytime hours. This innovative orbital design ensures rapid revisit for time-critical applications. ## Applications WorldView Legion's high-frequency revisit capability makes it ideal for: - **Change detection** - Monitor construction progress, disaster response, and environmental changes - **Time-sensitive intelligence** - Capture events as they unfold with multiple daily passes - **Precision agriculture** - Track crop development throughout growing seasons - **Maritime monitoring** - Identify and track vessels across shipping lanes - **Infrastructure monitoring** - Regular assessment of critical assets and facilities ## Archive and Tasking Both archive imagery and new tasking are available through Terrabit. The constellation's high collection capacity ensures extensive archive coverage, while rapid retargeting enables responsive tasking for urgent requirements. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/worldview-legion --- ## Authors ### Michael Izatt - Role: Technical Manager - Profile: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/author/michael-izatt --- ### Simon Greig - Role: Sales and Partnership Manager - Profile: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/author/simon-greig --- ### Zachary Walls - Role: Principal Software Engineer - Profile: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/author/zachary-walls --- ## Blog Posts ### Archive Satellite Imagery over Australia - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2026-02-19 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides **Over 32,000 swath footprints captured across Australia in just 12 months. Vantor's growing archive means high-resolution satellite imagery is already waiting for your area of interest.** Satellite data is never just a single snapshot. It is a time-series of captures that reveals how landscapes, infrastructure, and environments evolve over weeks, months, and years. That accumulating record is what makes archive satellite imagery so powerful, and so essential for projects across mining, environmental management, agriculture, and infrastructure development in Australia. Whether you are tracking rehabilitation progress at a remote mine site in the Pilbara, assessing vegetation recovery after bushfire in the Blue Mountains, or establishing a pre-development baseline along the east coast, archived high-resolution satellite imagery gives you the historical evidence you need, without waiting for a new satellite pass. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know about sourcing, evaluating, and ordering archive satellite imagery across Australia, including how Albatross makes the entire process fast, transparent, and reliable. Vantor's satellite archive coverage across Australia, with over 32,000 swath footprints captured in the last 12 months. ## What Is Archive Satellite Imagery? Archive satellite imagery refers to historical satellite data that has already been captured, processed, stored, and indexed by satellite operators. Instead of commissioning a new acquisition (known as "tasking"), you search the existing catalogue by location, date range, cloud cover, and resolution, then order exactly the swathes you need. Because archive data already exists, it offers several immediate advantages over tasking new collections. Delivery is faster, often within days rather than weeks. Costs are typically lower since you are licensing data that has already been collected. And you can review metadata and preview footprints before committing to a purchase, removing much of the uncertainty that comes with ordering fresh captures over cloud-prone regions of Australia. For professionals who need to buy satellite imagery in Australia, the archive should always be the first place to look. ## Why Archive Satellite Data Matters in Australia Australia's sheer scale, nearly 7.7 million square kilometres of diverse terrain, makes it one of the most compelling markets for satellite-based earth observation. Ground surveys and crewed aerial flights are expensive, logistically complex, and time-consuming, particularly in remote and semi-arid regions where many mining and environmental projects are located. High-resolution archive satellite imagery solves this by providing a cost-effective, repeatable, and spatially consistent record of change across vast distances. Rather than mobilising a field team every quarter, project managers can pull successive archive captures to measure progress, validate compliance, and build visual evidence for stakeholders. Australia also benefits from comparatively low cloud cover across much of its interior, which means satellite archives tend to contain a higher proportion of usable, cloud-free imagery than many other parts of the world. The result is dense temporal coverage that supports detailed time-series analysis for sites from the tropical north to the temperate south. ## Key Applications for Archive Satellite Imagery in Australia ### Mining and Resource Projects The Australian mining sector is one of the largest consumers of commercial satellite imagery, and archive data plays a central role across the entire project lifecycle. **Baseline and change detection.** Before any ground disturbance begins, archive imagery provides an objective record of pre-existing conditions. This baseline is critical for environmental impact assessments, for measuring subsequent change, and for demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements such as Western Australia's Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) and Queensland's Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan (PRCP). **Disturbance and rehabilitation monitoring.** Archive satellite imagery enables mining companies to track the footprint of operational disturbance over time and to measure rehabilitation progress without repeated field visits. Month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter comparisons at 30 cm or 50 cm resolution reveal the trajectory of revegetation, earthworks, and landform reshaping with high spatial detail. 30 cm satellite imagery reveals detailed disturbance boundaries, infrastructure, and rehabilitation progress at mine sites. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. **Lifecycle reporting.** From exploration through to closure, a well-curated archive provides the visual and analytical foundation for regulatory submissions, investor updates, and community engagement. Historical satellite imagery makes it straightforward to demonstrate that commitments have been met and that environmental outcomes are tracking against targets. ### Environmental Monitoring and Land Management Environmental scientists, consultants, and government agencies rely on archive satellite imagery to observe long-term trends that free, open-access datasets (such as Sentinel-2 at 10-metre resolution) cannot resolve at the required detail. High-resolution archive data supports vegetation health assessment, coastal erosion tracking, wetland mapping, bushfire recovery analysis, and land-use change detection across seasons and years. For projects requiring sub-metre detail, such as identifying individual tree canopies, measuring erosion scarps, or delineating small water bodies, commercial archive imagery at 30 cm or 50 cm resolution is the most practical and cost-effective source. ### Infrastructure and Urban Development Infrastructure planners, engineers, and local governments use archive satellite data to monitor construction progress, verify as-built conditions, assess corridor options, and track urban expansion. Because archive imagery is already captured and indexed, it can be ordered and delivered within days. This is a significant advantage when project timelines are tight and decisions cannot wait for a new satellite pass. ### Agriculture and Land Valuation For agricultural monitoring, carbon accounting, and property due diligence, archive satellite imagery provides the temporal depth needed to assess productivity trends, quantify vegetation cover, and evaluate land condition over multiple growing seasons. This is particularly valuable in Australia, where seasonal variability and drought cycles can dramatically alter landscape appearance from one year to the next. ## Archive Imagery vs Tasking: Choosing the Right Approach One of the most common questions when ordering satellite imagery in Australia is whether to use archive data or commission a new tasking acquisition. For a detailed comparison, see our guide on archive vs tasking. The answer depends on a few practical considerations. ### When to Start with Archive Archive satellite imagery should be your default starting point. In most cases, recent high-resolution coverage already exists over your area of interest, particularly across Australia where satellite operators have been actively building dense archives. Archive is the right choice when you need historical comparisons or time-series datasets spanning months or years, when recent captures at the required resolution are already available with acceptable cloud cover, when fast turnaround matters (archive orders are typically delivered in three to five business days through a premium workflow), and when cost efficiency is a priority, since archive licensing is generally more affordable than commissioning new collections. With providers like Vantor contributing over 32,000 swath footprints across Australia in just 12 months, the probability of finding cloud-free, high-resolution archive coverage for your site is higher than ever. ### When to Use Tasking Tasking, which involves ordering a new satellite capture over a specific location and time window, is the right approach in a more limited set of circumstances. You may need tasking when no suitable archive coverage exists for your area of interest, when you require imagery from a very specific date or narrow time window, when persistent cloud cover in the archive prevents you from obtaining a usable capture, or when your project demands a particular sensor configuration, look angle, or spectral band combination that is not available in the existing catalogue. ### A Practical Rule The workflow we recommend is simple and effective. Start by searching the archive. If cloud-free, high-resolution swathes are available for the dates and location you need, order them. Most of Australia has been covered multiple times in the past twelve months, so the archive will satisfy the majority of requests. Add tasking only where archive coverage has gaps, for example persistently cloudy periods in tropical Queensland or specific timing requirements tied to project milestones. This archive-first approach saves time and money while ensuring you get the data you need as quickly as possible. ## Understanding Resolution: 30 cm and 50 cm Satellite Imagery Resolution, technically known as Ground Sample Distance (GSD), determines how much detail is visible in a satellite image. For most professional applications in Australia, the choice comes down to two tiers of very high-resolution imagery. **30 cm resolution** is the finest commercially available optical satellite imagery. At this level of detail, you can identify individual vehicles, fences, small structures, stockpiles and narrow tracks. It is essential for mining operations where disturbance boundaries, rehabilitation progress, and infrastructure condition need to be measured with precision. At 30 cm resolution, individual structures, vehicles, and fine landscape features are clearly distinguishable. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. **50 cm resolution** offers a strong balance between detail and cost. You can still identify buildings, roads, large vehicles, field boundaries, and broad vegetation structure. For environmental trend analysis, infrastructure corridor planning, and regional change detection, 50 cm imagery often provides more than sufficient detail at a lower price point. Both resolution tiers are available in the archive. The right choice depends on what you are trying to measure and the scale of the features you need to resolve. A good satellite imagery partner will help you match resolution to your project requirements so that you are not over-purchasing detail you do not need or under-purchasing for critical applications. ## Inside Albatross: Search and Order Archive Satellite Imagery with Ease Albatross is designed to make searching, evaluating, and ordering archive satellite imagery across Australia as straightforward as possible. Rather than navigating multiple provider catalogues with different interfaces and metadata standards, Albatross gives you a single platform to discover and compare available coverage. ### Vantor Archive Highlights Vantor's rapidly growing satellite imagery archive is a standout resource for Australian projects. Key highlights include 30 cm and 50 cm high-resolution imagery captured within the last twelve months, more than 32,000 individual swath footprints indexed across Australia in that period, and a premium delivery workflow that gets archive orders into your hands within three to five business days. High-resolution archive satellite imagery provides detailed, repeatable coverage across Australia. This density of recent coverage means that for the vast majority of locations in Australia, from coastal urban centres to remote outback sites, high-resolution archive imagery is already available and ready to order. ### Multi-Provider Access Beyond Vantor, Albatross also connects you to archive imagery from other leading satellite operators, giving you the widest possible selection of dates, resolutions, and sensor types. This multi-provider approach means you are more likely to find cloud-free coverage for any given date, and you can compare options side by side before placing an order. Browse and compare archive satellite imagery from multiple providers within the Albatross platform. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ### How the Ordering Process Works Using Albatross to order archive satellite imagery follows a simple sequence. First, define your area of interest on the map or by uploading a boundary file. Then set your filters (date range, maximum cloud cover, minimum resolution) and browse the available swathes. Preview footprints and metadata to confirm coverage and quality. Finally, place your order and receive delivery within days. Define your area of interest, filter by date and cloud cover, and preview swathes before ordering. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. Albatross also supports configurable ordering permissions across your team. Administrators can define who is authorised to place orders and assign designated approvers who review and approve requests before they are processed. This means end users across your organisation can search the archive and submit orders independently, while maintaining the oversight and budget controls that project leads and procurement teams require. There is no need for every order to funnel through a single point of contact, which removes bottlenecks and speeds up data access across the business. ### Your Team's Satellite Imagery Data Catalogue Once imagery has been delivered, Albatross doubles as a centralised data catalogue for your organisation. All delivered datasets are indexed and accessible through the platform, allowing team members to browse, preview, and inspect imagery directly in the browser. There is no need to download large files, install specialised desktop software, or have GIS skills to view and interpret the data. Whether it is an environmental officer checking a recent capture, a project manager reviewing site progress, or a compliance lead pulling together evidence for a regulatory submission, everyone on the team can access the imagery they need without technical barriers. The platform is built for professionals who need reliable, high-resolution satellite data without the complexity of dealing directly with satellite operators or navigating opaque procurement processes. ## Common Use Cases for Archive Satellite Data in Australia | Use Case | Why Archive Imagery Matters | | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Baseline change detection | Establishes what the landscape looked like before activity began, providing an objective reference for all subsequent comparisons | | Progress and disturbance monitoring | Enables month-by-month or quarter-by-quarter visual comparison without the cost and logistics of repeated field visits or aerial surveys | | Regulatory and compliance reporting | Delivers historic visual evidence that supports submissions under frameworks like the MRF, PRCP, and environmental impact assessments | | Environmental trend analysis | Tracks vegetation health, surface water extent, erosion, and land-use change across seasons and years at resolutions far beyond free open data | | Bushfire and natural disaster assessment | Provides before-and-after imagery to quantify damage extent, guide recovery planning, and support insurance claims | | Infrastructure verification | Confirms as-built conditions, monitors construction progress, and validates corridor alignment against design specifications | | Property and land due diligence | Supports investment decisions with visual evidence of historical land condition, use, and surrounding context | ## How Archive Satellite Imagery Fits Into Your Project Workflow Integrating archive satellite imagery into your existing workflows does not require specialist remote sensing expertise. A practical approach follows four steps. **Step 1: Define your requirements.** Determine the date range you need (last three months, six months, twelve months, or longer), the resolution tier that matches your application, and any spectral or format preferences. **Step 2: Search the archive first.** Use Albatross to discover all available high-resolution swathes from Vantor and other satellite imagery providers over your area of interest. In most cases, you will find multiple cloud-free options covering your required timeframe. **Step 3: Add tasking only where needed.** If the archive does not cover a specific date or period, for example due to persistent cloud during a wet season, place a tasking order to fill the gap. This hybrid approach gives you the best balance of speed, cost, and temporal completeness. **Step 4: Receive and integrate your data.** Archive orders are delivered in industry-standard formats compatible with GIS platforms, CAD software, and analytical workflows. The Terrabit team ensures fast turnaround and can advise on processing, orthorectification, and format options to suit your environment. ## Why the Archive-First Approach Is Gaining Ground in Australia The traditional model of satellite imagery procurement in Australia, where you commission a new capture and wait, is increasingly being replaced by an archive-first philosophy. Several factors are driving this shift. **Archive density has reached a tipping point.** With operators like Vantor contributing hundreds of thousands of recent, high-resolution swathes across the continent, the likelihood of finding suitable archive data for any given project is now very high. This was not the case even a few years ago, when archive catalogues were thinner and less frequently updated. **Delivery speed matters more than ever.** Project timelines are tightening across mining, infrastructure, and environmental sectors. Archive orders that arrive in three to five days, rather than the weeks or months a new tasking can take, allow teams to make faster decisions and keep projects on schedule. **Cost pressures are real.** Archive imagery is inherently more cost-effective than tasking because the data already exists. For organisations managing multiple sites or requiring frequent updates, the savings from an archive-first strategy compound quickly. **And quality has caught up.** Modern very high-resolution satellites produce 30 cm and 50 cm imagery with excellent radiometric quality, positional accuracy, and spectral fidelity. Archive data from these sensors is not a compromise. It is professional-grade imagery that meets the demands of rigorous analytical and reporting workflows. ## Get Started with Archive Satellite Imagery in Australia If you are looking to buy high-resolution satellite imagery in Australia, whether for mining compliance, environmental monitoring, infrastructure planning, or any other application that benefits from a historical perspective, the archive is the smartest place to start. With Vantor's extensive recent coverage available through Albatross, alongside imagery from other leading providers, finding and ordering the right data for your area of interest has never been faster or more straightforward. Get a demo → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/archive-satellite-imagery-australia --- ### Archive vs Tasking - Which should you Order? - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-10-29 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides ## Introduction: The Right Image, Right on Time In the fast-paced world of spatial analysis, **timing is everything**. Whether you are monitoring land disturbance, supporting emergency response, or tracking infrastructure development, success often hinges on receiving the **right imagery at the right moment**. At Terrabit, one of the most common questions we field is simple: _should I use archive imagery, or should I task a fresh satellite acquisition?_ The answer depends on your objectives, timelines and budget and understanding the difference can save you both time and resources. > **Archive imagery** delivers speed and value. **Tasking** delivers currency and control. Knowing which lever to pull keeps your project on timeline. ## What Is Archive Imagery? **Archive imagery** refers to satellite captures that already exist within a provider’s catalogue. Most major satellites - such as those operated by Vantor, SIIS, Wyvern and Blacksky - maintain extensive image archives covering years of global data. - **Speed and responsiveness:** Rush deliverables arrive within hours; premium processing typically lands in a few days. - **Cost efficiency:** Pricing is lower than new taskings, making archives ideal for baselines, change detection and retrospective analysis. - **Immediate availability:** Quickly validate assumptions during proposal stages or stakeholder briefings without waiting on new captures. ### When archive imagery excels **Pre-visit reality check** Turn to archive imagery when slightly older captures still answer the brief, when you need to stretch budgets further, or when you want rapid situational awareness before heading on site. **Historical and compliance reviews** Lean on historical scenes for baseline environmental studies, tender submissions, ESG reporting and long-term asset change reviews where broader context matters more than sub-24-hour recency. ## What Is Tasking or Fresh Capture? **Tasking** (also called fresh capture), on the other hand, means commissioning a satellite constellation to capture a new image over your specific area of interest. You set the parameters - spatial resolution, cloud cover thresholds, off-nadir limits, acquisition priority and even time-of-day preferences - so the resulting scene is tailored to your brief. While tasking does come at a higher cost and requires some lead time (days to weeks before processing), it ensures the imagery is tailored exactly to your needs. - **Currency and control:** Perfect for construction progress, disaster assessment, mine rehabilitation reporting and any workflow needing the latest conditions. - **Quality assurance:** Define acceptable cloud thresholds and revisit windows, ensuring you receive usable imagery aligned to regulatory or operational standards. - **Specialised outputs:** Order stereo pairs, hyperspectral captures or targeted spectral bands to support advanced analytics across vegetation health, material identification or volumetrics. Fresh tasking allows for the acquisition of data when and where you need it. Imagery courtesy of SIIS. ## Balancing Urgency, Budget and Coverage Most imagery decisions boil down to three levers; **Urgency**, **Budget** and **Coverage**. Use the quick comparison below to frame your next request. | Factor | Archive Imagery | Tasking | | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Urgency | Delivery in hours or days for rapid assessments. | Lead times of days to weeks depending on weather, orbit and priority. | | Budget | Lower cost makes retrospective and wide-area studies viable. | Premium pricing reflects guaranteed capture and quality control. | | Coverage | Dependent on prior satellite passes; some AOIs may lack cloud-free scenes. | Configure for precise AOIs, revisit cadence and spectral products. | **Use cases at a glance** - _Archive imagery:_ Baseline mapping, feasibility studies, historical compliance evidence. - _Tasking:_ Incident response, MRF reporting, construction tracking, near real-time decision support. ### Hybrid Workflows Deliver the Best of Both - **Start with archive** to validate KPIs, identify gaps and inform budgets. - **Layer in taskings** for critical assets or time-sensitive milestones. - **Monitor via tags** using Terrabit’s platform to trigger follow-up collections when thresholds or SLAs are breached. ## How Terrabit Helps You Decide At Terrabit, we guide clients through this decision every day. Our team evaluates your area of interest and use case, reviews available archive options across multiple providers and compares them against tasking feasibility and forecasted cloud conditions. This ensures you get the most efficient solution - one that aligns with your project’s objectives and timelines. With direct access to leading global satellite operators, we make it simple to move from data discovery to delivery - whether it’s a rush archive or a premium quality tasking campaign. Need to brief stakeholders? Pair this guide with the Complete Guide to Buying Satellite Imagery or explore live constellations on the Satellites hub. ## Conclusion: The Smart Choice for Time-Sensitive Projects When project timelines are tight, every hour matters. Knowing when to use archive imagery versus when to invest in a new tasking acquisition can dramatically affect both outcomes and budgets. By partnering with Terrabit, you gain access to the expertise and tools to make that choice with confidence - ensuring you always have the **right image, right on time**. Ready to unlock near real-time satellite monitoring or fine-tune your imagery procurement workflow? Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/archive-vs-tasking --- ### Band Combinations and Indices Explained - Author: Michael Izatt, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-03-26 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Data Analytics Satellite imagery is far more than just RGB. Earth-observation sensors capture multiple spectral bands - including near-infrared, red-edge, short-wave infrared and thermal infrared - allowing analysts to monitor vegetation stress, classify flora, detect water, map minerals, track rehabilitation and measure urban heat. At Terrabit, we routinely process multispectral and hyperspectral imagery to produce analysis-ready products for mining, environmental, infrastructure and government projects across Australia and globally. This starter guide is a practical reference for some of the more popular band combinations and indices to show what they reveal, when to use them and the calculations behind them. ## Band Combinations ### True Colour (RGB) **Bands:** Red, Green, Blue **Use case:** Visual inspection, mapping, reporting, baseline comparison True colour (RGB) composite. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. True colour imagery is what most people expect when they think of satellite data. It is ideal for basemaps, change detection, site inspections and general interpretation, but it does not reveal spectral information invisible to the human eye. **Typical applications:** Infrastructure and mine monitoring, environmental baseline reporting, urban mapping, baseline comparison High-resolution imagery from our vendor constellations can reach up to 30cm resolution, allowing identification of vehicles, stockpiles, disturbance boundaries and small structures. | Satellite | Red Band | Green Band | Blue Band | | --------------------------- | -------- | ---------- | --------- | | Vantor - WorldView (8-band) | 5 | 3 | 2 | | SIIS - KOMPSAT | 3 | 2 | 1 | | Sentinel-2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | | Landsat-8/9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ### Colour-Infrared (CIR) **Bands:** Near Infrared, Red, Green **Use case:** Vegetation health, land cover classification, rehabilitation monitoring RGB CIR Newman, Western Australia - RGB vs Colour-Infrared. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). **Healthy vegetation reflects a high level of near-infrared (NIR) while absorbing visible light.** This band combination makes dense and vigorous vegetation appear as vibrant red and as plant vigour or chlorophyll levels decrease it will appear as less intense shades of red. Dead or very unhealthy plants will appear as green or tan. This ability to visualise vegetation health makes it one of the most widely used band combinations for environmental monitoring and agriculture. **Typical applications:** Rehabilitation progress at mine sites, crop condition and growth monitoring Multispectral sensors with NIR capability enable vegetation mapping and environmental classification that cannot be seen in standard RGB imagery. | Satellite | Red Band | Green Band | Blue Band | | ---------------------------------- | -------- | ---------- | --------- | | Vantor - WorldView-2/3 (8-band) | 7 | 5 | 3 | | Vantor - WorldView Legion (8-band) | 8 | 5 | 3 | | SIIS - KOMPSAT | 4 | 3 | 2 | | Sentinel-2 | 8 | 4 | 3 | | Landsat-8/9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | ### Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) **Bands:** SWIR, Near Infrared, Red **Use case:** Lithological mapping, reviewing fire damage and extents RGB SWIR Texas Downs, Western Australia - RGB vs SWIR. Sentinel-2 imagery. The Shortwave Infrared band combination is particularly powerful for geological applications because minerals and rock-forming materials exhibit distinct reflectance signatures across the SWIR2, NIR, and Red wavelengths. Lithological boundaries that are invisible in true colour become delineated. This makes SWIR composites a valuable tool in geological remote sensing for mapping rock unit boundaries, identifying alteration zones and characterising surface mineralogy across large areas. The combination is also effective for distinguishing fire damage, as burned land reflects highly in the SWIR wavelengths, making burn scar boundaries clearly distinguishable from surrounding unaffected terrain. | Satellite | Red Band | Green Band | Blue Band | | ------------------------------ | -------- | ---------- | --------- | | Vantor - WorldView-3 (16-band) | 14 | 7 | 5 | | Sentinel-2 | 12 | 8 | 4 | | Landsat-8/9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | ## Indices ### Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) **Formula:** `(NIR − Red) / (NIR + Red)` **Use case:** Vegetation health, crop monitoring, environmental compliance, land management RGB NDVI Tweed, New South Wales - RGB vs NDVI. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). NDVI is one of the most common spectral indices. Healthy vegetation reflects near-infrared and absorbs red light, producing high NDVI values while areas without vegetation will have very low or negative values. **Interpretation guide:** - **0.6 – 1.0** → Dense and healthy vegetation - **0.4 – 0.6** → Moderate vegetation - **0.1 – 0.4** → Sparse or stressed vegetation - **< 0.1** → No vegetation (bare earth / water / urban) CIR NDVI Mt Kinahan, Western Australia - CIR vs NDVI. Sentinel-2 imagery. > **Note:** NDVI can return erroneous values particularly in areas with low vegetation cover. A soil adjustment factor (L) can be applied to the NDVI index to reduce this - this index is known as **Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI)**. \ > \ > The **Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI2)** is designed to extend the application limits of NDVI to images with a high proportion of bare earth. It aims to correct for soil brightness while removing the need to adjust the soil adjustment factor for each dataset. MSAVI2 is recommended for the early stages of plant development such as rehabilitation or just after crop seeding. **Typical applications:** Mine rehabilitation tracking, agricultural monitoring, environmental impact studies and drought/stress detection | Satellite | Formula (Band Number) | | ---------------------------------- | --------------------- | | Vantor - WorldView-2/3 (8-band) | (7 − 5) / (7 + 5) | | Vantor - WorldView Legion (8-band) | (8 − 5) / (8 + 5) | | SIIS - KOMPSAT | (4 − 3) / (4 + 3) | | Sentinel-2 | (8 − 4) / (8 + 4) | | Landsat-8/9 | (5 − 4) / (5 + 4) | ### Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) **Formula:** `(Green − NIR) / (Green + NIR)` **Use case:** Water detection, wetland mapping, flood extent RGB NDWI Mt Kinahan, Western Australia - RGB vs NDWI. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView-2). Water absorbs near-infrared and reflects green, making it possible to separate from land using NDWI. Values above 0.3 will generally represent moderate water content such as wetlands while anything greater than 0.5 often indicates open water. > **Note:** There is a **Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI)** that uses Green and SWIR bands: `MNDWI = (Green − SWIR) / (Green + SWIR)`. \ > \ > If you have SWIR bands available this index can improve accuracy by differentiating built-up areas that are often detected as open water in NDWI. RGB NDWI Tweed, New South Wales - RGB vs NDWI. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). **Typical applications:** Flood response, coastal monitoring, environmental compliance, tailings and water storage monitoring | Satellite | Formula (Band Number) | | ---------------------------------- | --------------------- | | Vantor - WorldView-2/3 (8-band) | (3 − 7) / (3 + 7) | | Vantor - WorldView Legion (8-band) | (3 − 8) / (3 + 8) | | SIIS - KOMPSAT | (2 − 4) / (2 + 4) | | Sentinel-2 | (3 − 8) / (3 + 8) | | Landsat-8/9 | (3 − 5) / (3 + 5) | ### Normalised Burn Ratio (NBR) **Formula:** `(NIR − SWIR) / (NIR + SWIR)` **Use case:** Fire damage, burn severity, vegetation loss, recovery monitoring RGB NBR Mt Kinahan, Western Australia - RGB vs NBR. Sentinel-2 imagery. Healthy green vegetation will have a high Normalised Burn Ratio value while burnt areas will have a low value. Areas of dry, brown vegetation or bare soil will also return lower NBR values than green vegetation. > **Note:** Burn severity can be estimated using the difference between a pre-fire and post-fire NBR by calculating the **delta NBR (dNBR)**: `dNBR = preNBR − postNBR`. \ > \ > Burnt areas will have a positive dNBR value while unburnt areas will have a negative or close to zero value. **Typical applications:** Forest and bush fire damage assessment and mapping, emergency response SWIR bands are available on Landsat and Sentinel data and advanced very high resolution sensors such as WorldView-3, enabling mineral and natural disaster analysis beyond standard multispectral imagery. | Satellite | Formula (Band Number) | | ------------------------------ | --------------------- | | Vantor - WorldView-3 (16-band) | (7 − 14) / (7 + 14) | | Sentinel-2 | (8 − 12) / (8 + 12) | | Landsat-8/9 | (3 − 5) / (3 + 5) | ## Why Band Combinations Matter Different band combinations allow the same satellite capture to answer completely different questions. | Goal | Best Combination | | ---------------------- | ------------------------ | | Visual inspection | RGB | | Vegetation health | NDVI and Colour-Infrared | | Water detection | NDWI | | Fire damage | NBR and SWIR | | Mineral / soil mapping | SWIR and RGB | The ability to choose the right band combination or index is what turns satellite imagery from just a picture into a tool for analysis. At Terrabit, all imagery is delivered analysis-ready - orthorectified and atmosphere corrected to surface reflectance. We can also include custom band combinations, indices and custom formats depending on the project requirements. > Ready to put multispectral analysis to work on your next project? Browse active constellations on the Satellites page, explore our Satellite Imagery products or request a tailored quote today. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/band-combinations-and-indices-explained --- ### Best Satellite Imagery Sources: Free vs Commercial - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-11-26 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery Satellite imagery is at the core of modern decision-making in mining, energy, infrastructure and environmental projects. But with multiple providers and a range of resolutions, revisit rates and price points, knowing which source will deliver the most value can be a challenge. At Terrabit, we work with a select group of leading satellite operators to give our clients the best mix of cost, coverage and clarity. Here's a practical guide to the **best satellite imagery sources** we recommend - and when to use them. Very high-resolution imagery enables detailed monitoring of infrastructure, events and urban environments. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## Free & Open Satellite Imagery Sources Before diving into commercial data, there are free and open imagery sources worth considering. These platforms provide global coverage at no cost and are an excellent starting point for early-stage projects, historical analysis, or when you need a quick visual reference before committing to higher-resolution commercial options. Sentinel (Copernicus) – The European Space Agency's flagship Earth observation program offers 10m optical imagery (Sentinel-2) and radar data (Sentinel-1), with imagery captured every 5 days globally. The deep archive and consistent acquisition make it ideal for regional-scale monitoring and long-term trend analysis. Landsat (USGS/NASA) – The longest-running satellite imagery program, with an archive stretching back to the 1980s. At 15m (panchromatic) to 30m (multispectral) resolution, Landsat is invaluable for historical change detection and understanding how landscapes have evolved over decades. Google Earth – Global satellite and aerial imagery, easily accessible for visual site assessments, preliminary planning and historical comparisons. While not suitable for professional analysis, it's a quick way to orient yourself before requesting commercial data. Sentinel-2 imagery comparison (2020 vs 2025) - free open data enables long-term change analysis at regional scale. Imagery courtesy of ESA/Copernicus. **Use these for:** - Large-area mapping and baseline assessments - Historical change analysis - High-level site reconnaissance and rapid location checks - Visual storytelling or presentations **Limitations:** - Typically lower resolution than commercial imagery, so not suitable for detailed site monitoring or engineering-level accuracy - Update frequency varies (especially for Google Earth) - Cannot task specific captures - Licensing restrictions limit commercial or operational use - notably with Google Maps > **Tip:** Start with these free sources for early-stage use cases or visual reference, then move to higher-resolution commercial imagery as project needs require. ## Vantor - The Benchmark for Very High Resolution Vantor's **WorldView-3** and **Legion** satellites offer the most comprehensive 30cm constellation capturing imagery at **30cm resolution**, delivering some of the sharpest commercial data available at an intra-daily cadence. They also offer **50cm products** and one of the largest very-high-resolution archives - ideal for tracking change over time. With decades of archive imagery and the ability to capture at sub-meter resolution multiple times per day, Vantor is the go-to choice for projects demanding maximum clarity and positional accuracy. Whether you're designing a new mine pit, classifying vegetation communities, or documenting compliance for regulators, Vantor's imagery provides the level of detail that stands up to scrutiny. Beyond resolution, Vantor's constellation offers impressive spectral capabilities. **WorldView-3** captures **16 bands including 8 SWIR (shortwave infrared) bands at 3.7m resolution**, making it uniquely suited for mineral identification and geological mapping. **WorldView-2** and the **Legion constellation** provide **8 multispectral bands**, which are particularly effective for vegetation mapping, land cover classification and environmental monitoring. 30cm resolution enables identification of individual vehicles, stockpiles and infrastructure changes. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. - Best for: Detailed mine design, vegetation classification, port or infrastructure monitoring and compliance monitoring. - Strengths: Exceptional image clarity, largest 30cm constellation, high positional accuracy and a vast archive for time-series analysis. - Considerations: Premium pricing - best used when maximum detail and precision are required. Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park captured in stunning detail - demonstrating Vantor's capability for environmental and forestry applications. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## SIIS / KOMPSAT – Cost Effective All-Weather Monitoring SI Imaging Services (SIIS) provides access to the **KOMPSAT constellation**, offering both high-resolution optical imagery and versatile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. This makes it a powerful solution for continuous monitoring of active sites, infrastructure and environmental projects - even in cloudy conditions or at night. For organisations that need reliable, repeatable coverage without premium pricing, KOMPSAT strikes an excellent balance. The combination of optical and SAR sensors means you can maintain monitoring schedules even during wet seasons or in tropical regions where cloud cover often disrupts optical-only programs. - KOMPSAT-3: 50cm panchromatic / 2m multispectral - ideal for detailed site-level monitoring - KOMPSAT-3A: 40cm panchromatic / 1.6m multispectral - very high-resolution optical coverage - KOMPSAT-5: SAR with multiple modes, from **1m Spotlight** for fine detail to **20m Wide Swath** for regional coverage Comparison: Sentinel-2 (left) vs KOMPSAT-3 (right) over Gladstone - demonstrating the step-up in detail from free to commercial imagery. KOMPSAT imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). - Best for: Regular monitoring of mines, vegetation health, linear infrastructure (rail, road, pipelines) and projects requiring reliable, repeatable imagery. - Strengths: Flexible combination of optical and radar data, consistent image quality and dependable tasking for routine monitoring campaigns. - Considerations: Lower optical resolution compared with Vantor and lacking a notable archive, but adaptable for all-weather operations. KOMPSAT-3 time-series comparison (2024 vs 2025) - reliable repeat coverage for change detection. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ## BlackSky – High Revisit, Rapid Delivery BlackSky operates a constellation focused on **monitoring** at ~**1m resolution** from **Gen-2 (12) satellites** and **35cm** from the **Gen-3 (2) satellites**, delivering imagery often within hours of capture. This makes it ideal for time-sensitive operations and operational intelligence. When speed matters more than maximum resolution, BlackSky delivers. With up to 15 revisits per day at mid-latitudes and imagery delivered within hours of capture, it's the ideal choice for tracking fast-moving situations - whether that's construction progress, incident response, or operational activity at ports and logistics hubs. The new Gen-3 satellites now bring 35cm resolution to the constellation, closing the gap with traditional very-high-resolution providers. Consecutive day captures over Port Hedland demonstrate BlackSky's high-frequency revisit capability. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. - Best for: Rapid change detection, incident response, construction monitoring and operational activity tracking. - Strengths: Very high revisit frequency, fast delivery and strong temporal coverage for continuous monitoring. - Considerations: Slightly coarser resolution than Vantor or KOMPSAT, but perfect for identifying where change occurs rapidly before following up with higher-resolution imagery. BlackSky's rapid delivery enables timely situational awareness for coastal and maritime monitoring. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ## Wyvern - Unlocking Hyperspectral Insights Wyvern provides **hyperspectral imagery**, enabling detection of subtle spectral signatures beyond standard optical sensors. This capability supports advanced analysis of minerals, vegetation and environmental changes. Unlike traditional optical satellites that capture a handful of spectral bands, Wyvern's Dragonette constellation captures data across 23 or 31 narrow spectral bands. This rich spectral information allows analysts to detect things invisible to the human eye - from subtle mineral signatures that guide exploration, to early vegetation stress that indicates irrigation problems or disease, to water quality indicators that track algal blooms and sediment loads. - Best for: Exploration geology, mineral mapping, vegetation stress and classifications. - Strengths: Rich spectral detail, unlocking insights beyond RGB or basic multispectral imagery. - Considerations: Still emerging technology - coverage and solutions continue to evolve as new satellites are deployed. Hyperspectral imagery over Geelong RGB (top left), false-colour infrared (top right), PCA analysis (bottom left) and Red Edge decorrelation (bottom right). Imagery courtesy of Wyvern; processed by the Terrabit team. ## Choosing the Right Satellite Imagery: Key Trade-Offs No single provider or sensor does it all - choosing the right satellite imagery is about balancing trade-offs that align with your project requirements and budget. The key is understanding what you're trying to achieve. A mining engineer tracking pit development might prioritise resolution and positional accuracy, while an emergency manager responding to a bushfire needs the fastest possible delivery regardless of whether it's 35cm or 1m. An environmental scientist building a 10-year change detection study might value archive depth over cutting-edge resolution. - Resolution vs. revisit rate: Very high-resolution imagery (Vantor) may not be available as frequently as high-revisit constellations like BlackSky. - Capture date: Is archive data sufficient or do you need fresh capture? - Coverage area: Large areas vs. small, high-value sites. - Cost: Match image quality and frequency to project use case and budget. ## Why a Multi-Source Approach Wins The most effective projects don't rely on a single satellite provider - they blend multiple sources to optimise for cost, coverage and capability. For example, a mining operation might use Sentinel-2 for broad regional context, KOMPSAT for routine monthly monitoring across the full lease, Vantor for quarterly high-resolution compliance captures, and BlackSky for rapid response when an incident or significant change is detected. This layered approach ensures you're never over-paying for resolution you don't need, while still having access to premium data when it matters. - Vantor for detailed measurements, monitoring large scale and compliance documentation - SIIS for cost effective, all-weather coverage - BlackSky for rapid captures and operational awareness - Wyvern for advanced spectral insights This mix keeps costs manageable while ensuring you have the right level of detail at the right time. | Provider | Resolution | Revisit | Strengths | Best For | | -------------- | ------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | Vantor | 30cm / 50cm | Intra-daily | Exceptional clarity, large archive | Detailed monitoring, compliance | | SIIS / KOMPSAT | 40–50cm | 4-5 per week | All-weather, optical & SAR | Routine monitoring, linear infrastructure | | BlackSky | 1m / 35cm | Hours | Rapid delivery, high revisit | Incident response, construction tracking | | Wyvern | Hyperspectral | 4-5 per week | Rich spectral info | Mineral mapping, vegetation stress | ## The Terrabit Advantage Terrabit partners with **Vantor, SIIS, BlackSky and Wyvern** to give clients access to the world's most capable satellite imagery sources. Our vendor-neutral approach ensures you get the right data for your project - not just what one provider happens to sell. Based in Brisbane, our team understands the unique challenges of Australian projects - from the remote Pilbara to tropical Queensland and everything in between. We handle the complexity of satellite tasking, data processing and delivery so you can focus on what matters: turning imagery into actionable insights. We help you **select, task and integrate imagery** into your workflows, so you can focus on insights, not pixels. Beyond imagery: Terrabit can source 3D models generated using satellite imagery from our partners. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. **Ready to optimise your imagery sourcing?** Connect with the Terrabit team - we'll help you build a smarter, more efficient imagery strategy. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/best-sources-of-satellite-imagery --- ### Terrabit Expands Rapid Monitoring with BlackSky - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-11-18 - Category: announcements - Tags: Partnerships, News BlackSky Gen-3 imagery over Australia delivers sub-40cm detail for confident decision-making. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terrabit is pleased to announce a new partnership with real-time, space-based intelligence company BlackSky. This collaboration strengthens our ability to deliver frequent, near-real-time imagery for monitoring assets, operations and environments worldwide. See our BlackSky page for resolution, revisit and ordering details. ## What This Means for You ### Constellation power - Gen-2 satellites (80cm at nadir) provide quality, reliable coverage for broad-area monitoring. - Gen-3 satellites (35cm at nadir) unlock very high-resolution detail over your most critical locations. ### High-frequency access Up to 15 revisits per day at mid-latitudes means near-real-time change detection and rapid confirmation of on-the-ground activity. ### Timely delivery Receive imagery within hours of capture. Need additional processing? Premium products arrive within days, ready for deeper analysis. Frequent, high-resolution captures power reliable global operations monitoring. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ### Ideal Use Cases for Rapid Monitoring - Mining & Resources: Near-daily monitoring of haul roads, pits and stockpiles to detect change and plan operations with confidence. - Infrastructure: Track construction progress, logistics flows and access routes with the speed needed to respond. - Government & Environmental: Detect encroachments, monitor disasters or assess vegetation and water quality. - Emergency Management: Rapid imagery turnarounds to monitor active fire fronts and respond in hours-not days. Aviation and critical infrastructure benefit from rapid revisit intelligence. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ### Turning Data into Decisions Data drives better decisions - but only when it is accessible and actionable. BlackSky delivers analysis-ready satellite imagery, and Terrabit’s Albatross platform makes it seamless to task, receive and integrate high-resolution datasets into your enterprise workflows. - Simple tasking: Define your Area of Interest (AOI) and capture schedule through our web platform. Track capture progress in real time and receive instant notifications when your imagery is ready. - Flexible delivery: Access newly captured data in your Data Catalog immediately upon receipt, based on your preferred processing level. View Cloud Optimised GeoTIFFs (COGs) directly in the platform for visual analysis, then download or stream via WMTS for seamless integration into your GIS and enterprise systems. Environmental monitoring benefits from responsive, analysis-ready imagery. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ### Get Started Start by specifying your area of interest and use case. Our team can work with you on a custom product and solution, or our platform-guided workflow can help determine the ideal update frequency and resolution before building a customised BlackSky monitoring plan aligned to your operational timelines and mission goals. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/blacksky-and-terrabit-partnership --- ### COG vs GeoTIFF vs ECW vs WMTS Compared - Author: Michael Izatt, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-01-28 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides In geospatial workflows, the format you choose is more than a technical detail - it directly impacts how fast your maps load, how efficiently your analytics run and how much storage space you need as your data archive grows. Whether you're working with high-resolution imagery, elevation models or multi-temporal datasets, the balance between performance, storage and accessibility depends heavily on file format. From cloud-optimised analytics to high-speed visualisation, understanding the differences between COG, GeoTIFF, ECW and WMTS ensures your data performs where it matters most. Visual comparison of different geospatial file formats and compression ratio. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI (Korean Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ## What is GeoTIFF? **GeoTIFF** has long been the universal open standard for georeferenced raster data. It's widely supported across GIS, remote sensing and analytics platforms - from ArcGIS and QGIS to Python and cloud environments. **Advantages:** - Embedded georeferencing and rich metadata support - Compatible with almost all GIS or remote sensing tools - Supports multiple bit depths (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit integer and floating point) **Limitations:** - Large file sizes - No built-in pyramids - Must be completely downloaded before viewing or analysis **Best for:** Offline analysis and scientific workflows ## What is a COG? (Cloud-Optimised GeoTIFF) The **Cloud-Optimised GeoTIFF (COG)** format is a modern evolution of GeoTIFF - designed for fast, cloud-native access. It allows for partial reads so users can access only the tiles or resolutions they need, without downloading entire datasets. Platforms like Albatross use COGs to deliver imagery to users quickly and efficiently. **Advantages:** - Optimised for the cloud, stream imagery directly from cloud storage (AWS, GCP, Azure etc.) - Tiled structure and internal pyramid layers enable efficient access even for local use - Maintains compatibility with legacy GeoTIFF readers, the files created are still valid GeoTIFF files - Quickly becoming the standard for cloud-based geospatial data, with strong community support and adoption by major platforms **Limitations:** - Larger file size than wavelet compressed formats such as ECW (typically 8:1 compression vs ECW's 15:1) - Requires COG-optimised tools and software for optimal speed and support **Best for:** Web maps and dashboards streaming imagery to a small number of users and cloud-based analytics ## What is ECW? (Enhanced Compressed Wavelet) **ECW** is a high-performance, proprietary format created in Australia for fast display and compact storage. It's particularly effective when working with massive mosaics or operating in environments where bandwidth is limited. **Advantages:** - Highly efficient compression (often 15:1) while maintaining decent visual quality resulting in smaller files - Quick panning and zooming due to multi-resolution overviews that are built into the file format - Well suited for desktop GIS and offline field use, particularly for mining and infrastructure teams **Limitations:** - ECW is a proprietary format and file generation requires a paid license and read functionality requires usage of the ECW SDK - Not able to be streamed without using proprietary software (Hexagon Apollo) - Limited software support, some open-source tools have incomplete or no ECW support due to licensing issues **Best for:** Desktop mapping, remote site monitoring and high-speed access in storage limited environments GeoTIFF COG (8:1) ECW (15:1) ECW's wavelet compression achieves smaller file sizes than COG while maintaining visual quality for most use cases. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI / SIIS; processed by Terrabit. ## What is WMTS? (Web Map Tile Service) **WMTS** isn't a file format but a web service standard for streaming tiled map imagery. Imagery is pre-rendered into small PNG or JPEG tiles - making it ideal for dashboards, portals and online maps. **Advantages:** - Fast display and scalable for web users - Compatible with most online mapping platforms (ArcGIS Online, Mapbox, Leaflet and OpenLayers) - Efficient bandwidth usage as the service will only send imagery over the requested area - Frequently viewed tiles are cached by the server to improve response time **Limitations:** - Higher cost as it requires tile serving infrastructure and software (can be self-hosted with open source software or a SaaS product such as ArcGIS Online) - Analysis ready data (higher bit depth) is streamed as uncompressed TIFF tiles and is not supported by all software **Best for:** Web maps, dashboards and interactive applications used by a large number of users RGB (Natural Colour) CIR (Colour Infrared) Dodger Stadium in RGB and Colour Infrared (CIR). Different band combinations serve different analysis needs - all can be delivered in your preferred format. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI (Korean Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ## Format Comparison Images For a closer look at the differences, here are images showing the same satellite imagery in all three raster formats. Look for the subtle variations due to the compression which can introduce small artefacts and add a small amount of noise. For more on how satellite imagery is captured and delivered, see our introductory guide. GeoTIFF - Uncompressed COG (8:1 Compression) ECW (15:1 Compression) Large-scale comparison showing the same scene in GeoTIFF, COG and ECW formats. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI (Korean Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ### More Comparisons GeoTIFF COG (8:1) ECW (15:1) The visual impact of compression varies with image content. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI / SIIS; processed by Terrabit. GeoTIFF COG (8:1) ECW (15:1) Note the trade-offs between the compression ratio achieved and image quality. SpaceEye-T imagery courtesy of KARI / SIIS; processed by Terrabit. ## Terrabit Format Quick Guide | Use Case | Recommended Format | Why | Access Type | | ----------------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | | Web Mapping & Dashboards | WMTS | Fast visualisation and scalability | Online (web service) | | Streaming and Cloud Analytics | COG | Streamable and analysis-ready | Online (cloud storage) or Offline | | Desktop GIS / Field Apps | ECW | Compact and fast display | Offline | | Legacy Software | GeoTIFF | Highly compatible | Offline | > **Terrabit Tip:** Most clients benefit from a hybrid approach - COGs for analysis and viewing, WMTS for dashboards and ECW for distribution to teams in the field. Learn more about how we pre-process imagery to meet your specific requirements. ## File Size Comparison Storage and bandwidth costs add up quickly when working with large imagery archives. The chart below shows typical file sizes for 30cm GSD imagery covering 100 square kilometres. For guidance on selecting the right imagery for your needs, see our complete guide to buying satellite imagery. File size comparison for 30cm GSD imagery covering 100 square kilometres. ECW's wavelet compression delivers significantly smaller files. ## How Terrabit Optimises Data for Performance Terrabit delivers imagery in the format that best suits your workflow - whether you need full-resolution analysis, rapid cloud access or lightweight web streaming. We work with leading satellite imagery providers to source the best data for your project. Our geospatial delivery pipeline includes: - **COG conversion** for cloud-optimised imagery access and display - **High-performance ECW compression** for fast download and sharing - **GeoTIFFs** for cross-platform compatibility with ArcGIS, QGIS, MapInfo etc. We ensure your data is available when it matters most - analysis, decision-making and reporting. ## Conclusion: The Right Format for the Job In today's data-driven world, no single imagery format fits every use case. **COGs** lead the way in analytics and flexibility, **WMTS** powers dashboards and web applications, **ECW** excels in compact delivery and **GeoTIFF** remains the standard format for high compatibility. Choosing the right format means balancing speed, accessibility and understanding your use case - and that's where Terrabit helps. Whether you're sourcing archive imagery or tasking a new capture, we ensure your data arrives in the format that works best for your team. We deliver your data in the most efficient form for your operations, ensuring it's always ready for actionable insights. Request your preferred format → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/cog-geotiff-ecw-wmts-comparison --- ### Commercial vs. Free Satellite Data: How to Choose - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-10-03 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides ## Introduction: Satellite Data – Your Eyes in the Sky Satellite imagery has changed how businesses and communities monitor assets, track change and make informed decisions remotely from hundreds of kilometres in the sky. From assessing infrastructure corridors to planning a new mine, the insights from above are now fundamental to many workflows. With so many sensors and price points available, the question becomes: when is free, open-source satellite data enough and when should you invest in commercial imagery? This guide clarifies the strengths of both so you can choose the best-fit solution for your operations. ## Free Satellite Data: Empowering Earth Observation Free and open-source satellite programmes-such as ESA's Copernicus Sentinel constellation, NASA/USGS Landsat missions, or data from Google Earth-have made Earth observation imagery accessible to anyone with an internet connection. These resources underpin academic research, startup innovation and public policy initiatives alike. ### Key contributions & ideal applications - **Accessibility & cost-effectiveness:** Completely free to access and use, removing financial barriers for startups, researchers and teams with constrained budgets. That means more resources can be directed to analysis and product development instead of data acquisition. - **Broad area monitoring:** Medium-resolution imagery-10 m for Sentinel, 30 m for Landsat-is ideal for large-area assessments. Think broadscale deforestation studies, urban growth mapping or regional climate impact analysis. - **Extensive historical archives:** Continuous datasets spanning decades enable long-term trend analysis and retrospective investigations. Landsat 7, launched in 1999, still contributes to a decades-deep archive, while Sentinel-1A (2014) and Sentinel-2A (2015) add modern, high-frequency coverage. - **Diverse spectral information:** Multiple spectral bands beyond visible light support foundational analytics such as vegetation health indices (NDVI), land-cover classification and water quality assessments without additional licensing. Wyvern’s multispectral demos below show how different band combinations surface vegetation vigour-insights providing enhanced resolution compared to free alternatives. Wyvern multispectral composites reveal vegetation health and urban change through varied band combinations. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern. ### Considerations before relying on free data for commercial decisions - **Resolution limitations:** Coarser pixels aren’t suited to identifying small objects or precise rehabilitation areas, limiting asset-by-asset analysis. - **Fixed acquisition schedules:** Predetermined overpasses-5–6 days for Sentinel, ~8 days for the combined Landsat mission-mean you can’t capture unexpected events on demand. - **Cloud interference:** Optical imagery can’t penetrate cloud cover, so in humid or tropical climates it may take weeks (or longer) for a cloud-free acquisition. - **No on-demand tasking:** Only commercial providers let you direct a satellite to image a specific AOI at a chosen time, so urgent compliance checks or incident response may require paid options. Many teams also turn to Google Earth for quick context. It’s a great viewer-but it differs in important ways from licensed, taskable satellite imagery. ### Google Earth vs. Commercial Satellite Imagery Google Earth is a powerful, free visualisation platform-but it isn’t a source of taskable, analysis-ready satellite data. It aggregates imagery from many providers (including satellite and aerial photography) into mosaics optimised for viewing. That makes it great for familiarisation and storytelling, but there are important differences compared to licensed commercial imagery: ### What Google Earth is and isn’t - **Aggregated, view-optimised mosaics:** Imagery is blended to look seamless; capture dates and sensors vary tile-to-tile. It’s not a single, consistent dataset suitable for precise measurement. - **Mixed sources:** High-resolution areas often rely on aerial photography rather than satellites, while remote regions may use medium-resolution satellite coverage. Quality and recency vary. - **Highly compressed imagery and outdated coverage:** Imagery in Google Earth is typically highly compressed to optimise streaming and viewing, which reduces image quality and detail. It also does not typically provide up-to-date imagery, making it unsuitable for precision monitoring of assets or time-sensitive analysis. - **Usage rights:** Google’s Terms of Service limit downloading, redistribution and many commercial uses of the imagery. It’s generally not licensed for audit, compliance evidence or derivative geospatial products without additional permissions. - **No tasking or SLAs:** You can’t request new captures, set cloud thresholds, or guarantee revisit times. Updates are periodic and opaque. ### Practical implications for projects - **Precision and measurements:** Mosaicking and varying georeferencing can introduce positional differences. For asset monitoring, volumetrics or change detection that require consistent orthorectification, commercial imagery is the safer choice. - **Timeliness and provenance:** Google Earth doesn’t provide acquisition SLAs or formal provenance trails suitable for regulatory submissions. Commercial providers deliver dated imagery with certificates and consistent processing. - **Licensing and deliverables:** If you need analysis-ready files (orthos, pansharpened products, stereo pairs) that you can store, process and share internally, commercial licenses explicitly permit this and define usage. ### When to use each - **Use Google Earth** for quick context, site familiarisation, stakeholder presentations and early scoping-especially when you don’t need precise measurements or guaranteed update cadence. - **Choose commercial imagery** for decision-critical tasks: asset-by-asset monitoring, compliance reporting, construction progress, emergency response or analytics that demand high resolution, documented provenance and custom acquisition. ## Commercial Satellite Data: Precision, Timeliness and High Quality When projects require detailed, accurate and timely insight, commercial satellite imagery delivers clarity that free datasets can’t match. Terrabit works with leading operators to tailor acquisitions, process deliveries and embed analytics directly into your decision cycles. ### The distinct advantages of commercial data - **Unmatched detail (spatial resolution):** High and very high-resolution sensors (down to 30 cm and even 15 cm HD) enable precise asset monitoring-tracking haul roads, spotting equipment, validating construction progress and running reliable volumetrics. - **Extensive high-resolution historical archives:** Sub-metre catalogues-often dating back to around 2005-help establish baselines, prove compliance and understand past site conditions with dated evidence. - **Timeliness & on-demand acquisition (temporal resolution):** Task satellites for new captures within defined time windows, specify cloud thresholds and request priority. Rapid revisit rates mean updates often arrive within days for disturbance tracking, disaster response or milestone documentation. - **Advanced spectral insights & analytics:** Beyond common bands, many commercial constellations offer unique spectral capabilities and analysis-ready products, supporting vegetation species differentiation, material identification and complex change analysis. - **Guaranteed quality & expert processing:** Large AOIs, multi-strip mosaics and custom coordinate control benefit from Terrabit’s specialist processing-orthorectification, atmospheric correction and delivery in the formats your team needs. - **Reduced in-house expertise needed:** User-friendly platforms, like that from Terrabit, APIs and Terrabit’s support reduce the requirement for deep GIS or remote sensing skills inside your organisation. ### Visualising the difference Top: medium-resolution Sentinel-2 provides regional context. Bottom: 40 cm KOMPSAT imagery unlocks infrastructure detail for asset monitoring. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ### Tailoring acquisitions to your timeline Commercial tasking lets you define revisit cadence, acceptable cloud thresholds, off-nadir limits and acquisition priority. Combining clear briefs with multi-satellite constellations ensures you capture the right resolution precisely when you need it-whether for dynamic disturbance monitoring, emergency response or large-scale project tracking. ## Making the Right Choice for Your Project Both free and commercial satellite data deliver value-each excels in different situations: - Use **free data** for broad overviews, initial research, academic studies or general environmental monitoring where medium resolution and historical depth answer the question. - Choose **commercial imagery** for detailed asset management, time-sensitive milestones, compliance reporting or bespoke analytics that demand higher resolution, reliable cadence and customised delivery. Terrabit specialises in navigating these complexities. Whether you need guidance on the ideal sensor and resolution, assistance sourcing historical archives or support applying advanced processing, we’ll help you build the right imagery mix. With expert advice and the optimal data in hand, you can make better-informed decisions and deliver stronger outcomes. Ready to explore how high-quality satellite imagery can transform your operations? Visit the Satellite Imagery page, browse active constellations on the Satellites hub or request a tailored quote today. Get a Quote → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/commercial-vs-free-satellite-data --- ### Common Satellite Imagery Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Author: Michael Izatt, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-08-20 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery **Satellite imagery is now a standard tool across mining, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, government and energy projects.** Modern commercial constellations provide sub-metre resolution, daily revisit capability and multispectral data across the entire globe, making it possible to monitor almost any location remotely. Despite this accessibility, many organisations still make avoidable mistakes when sourcing or using satellite imagery. These mistakes rarely come from the technology itself. They usually come from misunderstanding resolution, ordering the wrong product type, missing archive availability or choosing processing and formats that do not work on internal software. In real projects, these issues can lead to unnecessary cost, delays in delivery, unusable data or imagery that does not answer the question it was purchased for. This guide covers the most common satellite imagery mistakes we see across professional workflows, why they happen and how to avoid them. McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Buildings, fuel tanks, vehicle tracks and the ice runway are all resolvable at a site no crew could be mobilised to on short notice, which is what modern constellations make routine. Getting a useful answer out of that capability still depends on ordering the right product. Imagery courtesy of BlackSky. ## Choosing the Wrong Resolution Resolution is the most misunderstood aspect of satellite imagery. Users often assume the highest resolution available is always the best option, but in practice the correct resolution depends entirely on the size of the features you need to identify. Resolution, also called Ground Sample Distance (GSD), describes the size of one pixel on the ground. A 30cm image means each pixel represents an area 30cm x 30cm, whereas 50cm would be 50cm x 50cm. Higher resolution increases detail, but it also increases cost, file size and processing time. Sometimes 50cm is just as useful as 30cm. 10m multispectral 50cm high resolution The same coastal site near Gladstone, Queensland at 10m and 50cm. At 10m the settlement is a cluster of bright pixels, useful for extent and land cover. At 50cm individual buildings, vehicle tracks and the jetty become countable. Imagery courtesy of ESA (Sentinel-2) and KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Typical resolution tiers used in commercial satellite imagery are shown below. | Resolution | Typical Detail Visible | Common Applications | | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | ~30cm | Vehicles, small structures, stockpiles, equipment | Mining, construction, compliance | | ~50cm | Buildings, roads, large vehicles, disturbance areas | Infrastructure, environmental monitoring | | ~80cm to 1m | Broad land use, flood extent, large assets | Regional monitoring, disaster response | | 3 to 10m | Vegetation patterns, water bodies, terrain change | Agriculture, environmental analysis | Selecting the correct resolution should start with the question: what do I want to identify or see in the imagery? Our guide to satellite imagery quality works through the other factors that affect how usable a capture is. ## Ordering New Tasking Without Checking Recent Archive Another very common mistake is requesting a new satellite capture when suitable imagery already exists. Commercial satellite operators maintain extremely large archives, and much of Australia has already been captured multiple times in the last year at 30cm and 50cm resolution. Archive imagery is typically faster to deliver and less expensive, because the data has already been collected. Archive scenes only, from Vantor alone, captured over the last 12 months. Every coloured strip is imagery that already exists and can be licensed without waiting for a new acquisition, and this is a single vendor across one year, which is why an archive check should always come before a tasking request. Tasking should be used when a specific capture date or a particular resolution is required, but we always recommend checking the archive first, or asking the provider to do so. | Approach | When it Makes Sense | Advantages | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | Archive imagery | Historical analysis, baseline studies, general monitoring | Lower cost, faster delivery | | Tasked imagery | Current conditions, specific dates, compliance deadlines | Control over timing and resolution | | Monitoring program (archive and fresh capture) | Baseline plus repeated capture over time | Consistent, reliable time-series | An archive-first workflow is usually a smart and quick check before committing to a fresh capture. Our comparison of archive vs tasking covers the trade-offs in more detail. ## Ignoring Cloud Cover and Acquisition Conditions Satellite imagery is captured through the atmosphere, and weather conditions have a direct impact on image quality. Cloud cover is the most common reason that tasking requests fail or are delayed. This is particularly important in tropical regions, coastal areas and during wet seasons. A satellite may pass over a location on schedule but still be unable to capture a usable image due to cloud, haze or smoke. Users sometimes assume that tasking guarantees a capture on a specific date, but in reality most acquisitions occur within a collection window rather than at an exact time. Modern satellite constellations are increasing revisit frequency, with some locations now observable multiple times per day, however cloud cover remains a limiting factor for optical satellites and can still delay successful collection. Successful ordering depends on setting realistic constraints, including acceptable cloud percentage, look angle limits and acquisition windows. High-revisit constellations reduce risk because multiple passes are available, increasing the chance of a clear scene. > **For urgent monitoring, revisit frequency often matters more than resolution.** A 50cm capture today usually beats a 30cm capture next month. See how often satellite imagery is updated and urgent satellite tasking in Australia. ## Treating Every Order as a One-Off Purchase Satellite imagery works best when it is used as part of a planned workflow rather than as individual scene purchases. Many projects begin with a single image request but later require additional captures for reporting, compliance or change detection. Ordering imagery one scene at a time often results in inconsistent data, because different acquisitions may come from different sensors, angles or seasons. Consistency is critical when comparing images over time. Baseline capture, 2024 Repeat capture, 2025 The same site captured a year apart by the same sensor, at the same resolution and product level. Because the two acquisitions are consistent, differences in the imagery are genuine site change rather than artefacts of a different satellite, look angle or season. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). | Workflow Type | Typical Use | Benefit | | ------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | Single archive order | Baseline or historical reference | Fast and cost-effective | | Tasked acquisition | Current conditions | Controlled timing | | Repeat monitoring program | Ongoing projects | Consistent time-series, resolution and product | Planning a monitoring program at the start of a project usually produces better results than ordering imagery as new requirements appear. ## Requesting the Wrong File Format Satellite imagery can be delivered in several formats, and the correct choice depends on how the data will be used and what software you have. Selecting the wrong format can make files difficult to open, slow to load or unnecessarily large. Some formats are designed for analysis, while others are designed for visualisation or web delivery. GeoTIFF, no compression COG, JPEG compression ECW, 15:1 compression The same capture delivered in three formats. Visually they are close to identical, but the file sizes, load behaviour and software support are not, which is why the format should be chosen from the workflow rather than by default. Imagery courtesy of SIIS (SpaceEye-T). | Format | Best Use | Notes | | ------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | GeoTIFF | Analysis and GIS workflows | Highest compatibility, but large file size | | COG | Cloud and streaming workflows | Optimised for size, the new norm | | ECW | Fast viewing, small file size | Good for field use, compressed data | | WMTS | Web maps and dashboards | Visualisation only | Understanding how the imagery will be used before ordering avoids the need for additional formats later. Our COG, GeoTIFF, ECW and WMTS comparison breaks down the differences with worked file sizes. ## Not Confirming Processing Level Not all satellite imagery products are delivered at the same processing level. Raw imagery must be corrected before it can be used for mapping or analysis. If imagery is not orthorectified to previous data or control, it may not align with existing GIS layers or survey data. This can cause problems in engineering, compliance and environmental reporting workflows. Orthorectified imagery in a known coordinate system. With terrain and sensor geometry distortion removed, the scene can be measured like a map and overlaid directly on existing GIS layers, survey data and previous captures. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. Typical processing levels include raw, ortho-ready, orthorectified and analysis-ready products. For most professional applications, orthorectified imagery in a known coordinate system should be requested, unless you have pre-processing software and the ability to run it. Checking the processing level, or what your provider will deliver, before ordering ensures the data will integrate correctly with existing datasets. Our guide to pre-processing satellite imagery explains what each correction step actually does. ## Expecting Satellite Imagery to Replace All Survey Methods Satellite imagery provides wide-area coverage, frequent updates and high spatial detail, but it does not replace every type of survey. Some users expect satellite data to achieve the same accuracy as aerial LiDAR or ground survey, which can lead to unrealistic expectations. Satellite imagery Satellite derived terrain model Imagery over a pit and its stockpiles alongside the terrain model derived from the same acquisition. Satellite data measures volume and change across an entire site without mobilising a crew, but it sits roughly an order of magnitude below LiDAR on accuracy. Elevation products processed by Terrabit. Satellite imagery is best suited to monitoring, mapping and change detection across large areas. It is less suitable for engineering set-out, millimetre-level measurement, or dense vegetation terrain models. Choosing the correct data source for the required accuracy avoids unnecessary cost and disappointment. Our Earth Observation guide compares satellite, aerial, LiDAR and drone data side by side. ## Ordering RGB and NIR Only When Additional Bands Could Add Value Satellite imagery is often delivered as natural colour with a standard 4-band set (Red, Green, Blue and Near Infrared), which is sufficient for visual interpretation and basic analysis. However, many commercial satellites capture additional spectral bands that enable more advanced environmental and analytical workflows. Natural colour (RGB) Colour infrared (NIR) The same capture over Tweed, New South Wales in natural colour and colour infrared. Bands you did not order cannot be recovered later, and the near infrared response is what separates vigorous vegetation, cleared ground and water in a way the visible bands alone cannot. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). Extended multispectral imagery can support calculations such as vegetation indices, moisture mapping, burn severity assessment, soil and mineral discrimination and other spectral classification techniques. If only the standard 4-band product is ordered, these types of analysis may not be possible later without sourcing a different dataset. For projects involving environmental monitoring, agriculture, mining compliance, research or land management, ordering the full multispectral band set (typically 8 bands) from the start provides greater flexibility. Even if the immediate requirement is only RGB visualisation, having access to the additional bands ensures the data can support future analysis without needing to re-task or re-order imagery. See what multispectral imagery is and our guide to band combinations and indices for what each band actually enables. ## Working Without a Satellite Data Strategy The most common problem is not technical. It is ordering imagery without a clear plan for how the data will be used. Without a defined workflow, organisations often purchase the wrong resolution, duplicate orders, or lose track of previous imagery. Over time this becomes expensive and difficult to manage. A simple data strategy should define: - **Purpose:** what the imagery needs to show or prove - **Frequency:** how often updates are needed - **Accuracy:** what standard the output has to meet - **Delivery:** format, projection and processing level - **Users:** who will access the data and through what software Areas of interest defined once, grouped by purpose and tracked by deliverable status, from pending and planned through to tasking, in progress, delivered and invoiced. Managing imagery this way is what stops duplicate orders and lost datasets. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. Centralised ordering platforms and data catalogues help maintain consistency and ensure imagery can be reused across projects. ## Avoiding These Mistakes Most satellite imagery issues occur before the order is placed. Defining the objective, checking archive coverage, selecting the correct resolution and confirming format and processing level will prevent the majority of problems. Satellite imagery should simplify decision-making, not complicate it. Working with a provider that understands both the technology and the industry application makes a significant difference, particularly for projects that require repeat monitoring, multispectral analysis, or integration with GIS and engineering workflows. Terrabit supports organisations across Australia with archive imagery, urgent tasking, monitoring programs, multispectral data, DEM generation and format optimisation through the Albatross platform, ensuring that imagery orders match the real requirements of the project rather than assumptions about the technology. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/common-satellite-imagery-mistakes-how-to-avoid-them --- ### How to Buy Satellite Imagery - a Complete Guide - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-09-09 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides Buying satellite imagery in Australia can feel overwhelming. Between dozens of sensors, resolutions ranging from meters to centimetres, licensing rules and complex file formats, it’s easy to get lost in the details. The good news? You don’t need to be a remote sensing expert to make the right choice. Whether you’re monitoring crops, planning infrastructure, exploring for minerals, or managing the environment, the right satellite data can save time, reduce costs and give you insights you can’t get any other way. At Terrabit, we work with the world’s leading satellite operators to make the process simple. Instead of sifting through technical specs and endless data archives, we help you match the right sensor, resolution and acquisition plan to your project - so you get the data you need, when you need it, in a format that’s ready to use. ## Use Cases: Why Organisations in Australia Buy Satellite Imagery Satellite imagery isn’t just about pretty pictures from space - it’s about making faster, smarter decisions on the ground. In Australia, where vast distances and challenging terrain make fieldwork expensive, remote sensing delivers enormous value. Mining & Exploration From identifying surface mineral signatures to monitoring disturbance and tailings dams, satellite data is a powerful tool for the resources sector. Mining companies use very high-resolution imagery to track activity across their leases, confirm rehabilitation progress and manage environmental compliance. Hyperspectral imagery can even detect subtle mineralogical variations to guide exploration, providing insights before committing to costly ground sampling. Environmental Monitoring Government agencies, consultancies and NGOs rely on satellites to track vegetation health, water quality and land use change. With archive imagery going back decades, it’s possible to measure long-term change at scale - whether it’s mangrove loss, bushfire planning/recovery, water body loss, or urban expansion. Infrastructure & Planning Beyond natural resource industries, infrastructure projects use imagery for corridor planning, monitoring urban growth and validating construction progress - all without costly site visits. At Terrabit, we see clients from all these industries adopting satellite imagery not because it’s “nice to have,” but because it reduces risk, improves accuracy and often replaces weeks of on-ground work. We also support government programs and energy infrastructure initiatives requiring consistent monitoring. ## Resolution: How Much Detail Do You Really Need? One of the first questions people ask is: _“What resolution should I choose?”_ Resolution, often called **Ground Sample Distance (GSD)**, refers to the size of the smallest feature a satellite can detect. In simple terms, it’s about how much detail you’ll see in the image. Here’s how the most common options compare: **30cm resolution (very high resolution)** - You can clearly see **vehicles, fences, individual trees and site infrastructure**. - Essential for **mining operations** where you need to track disturbance and rehabilitation, stockpiles or construction activity. - Useful for **infrastructure planning** where fine details matter - e.g checking road alignments or small building footprints. **50cm resolution (high resolution)** - A cost-effective alternative to 30cm if you don’t need quite as much detail. A deeper archive and history in the remote sensing world. - Still allows you to identify **field boundaries, large vehicles and vegetation structure**. - Often used in **agriculture** for crop monitoring or **environmental projects** where broader context is more important than the finest detail. **10m resolution (medium resolution)** - Ideal for **regional-scale monitoring** where you’re looking for patterns, not objects. - At 10m, you can detect changes in **vegetation health, water bodies or land use** over very large areas. - Common in **environmental monitoring** (e.g wetland mapping, bushfire impact studies) and **broadacre agriculture** (e.g seasonal crop stress analysis). **The takeaway:** higher resolution isn’t always better. It comes down to **what you’re trying to use the data for**. A mining engineer, monitoring pit development may need 30cm imagery, while an environmental scientist tracking vegetation change across a national park will get better value from 10m. At Terrabit, we work with you to balance resolution, coverage and cost. So you're not 'over' or 'under' purchasing for your project. Side-by-side: Very high-resolution KOMPSAT (left) vs free Sentinel-2 data (right) – object-level monitoring versus regional pattern analysis. Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korean Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services. ## Accuracy & Orthorectification: Why Aligned Images Matter Not all satellite images are created equal. Some look great but won’t line up perfectly with your previous imagery or GPS data. That’s where **orthorectification** comes in. **What is orthorectification?** Think of it as “straightening” and aligning the image. Raw satellite pictures can be distorted by the angle of the satellite or the elevation of the terrain. Orthorectification corrects those distortions so the imagery lines up accurately with real-world coordinates. **When does accuracy matter most?** - **Mining & infrastructure:** If you’re overlaying imagery with survey data or engineering drawings, positional accuracy is critical. A misaligned road or pit boundary could throw off your planning. - **Agriculture:** For broadacre farming, a small offset isn’t a big deal. But if you’re using imagery to guide precision equipment, accuracy matters. - **Environment:** For long-term monitoring, consistency is key. Having imagery that lines up year after year means you can trust your change detection results. **Do you always need it?** Not necessarily. If you just want to check seasonal crop health, raw imagery might be fine. If you’re making measurements or integrating with GIS layers, orthorectified data is worth the extra step. At Terrabit, we deliver imagery that’s **fit for purpose**. If your project needs high positional accuracy, we’ll make sure your imagery is orthorectified and work with your previous data or control. If it doesn’t, we won’t oversell you - you’ll get what’s best for your workflow. Orthorectification removes geometric distortions so multi-date imagery lines up for reliable change analysis. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services. ## Archive vs Tasking: Historical Images or Fresh Captures? When you buy satellite imagery, you’ve usually got two options: **archive** (existing imagery that’s already been captured) or **tasking** (asking a satellite to capture something new). Both have their place - it just depends on your project. ### Quick Comparison | Aspect | Archive Imagery | Tasking a Satellite | | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | What it is | Previously collected scenes already in the provider’s catalogue | A new capture scheduled over your Area of Interest (AOI) | | Delivery speed | Hours–days (immediate availability) | Depends on revisit + weather (days–weeks) | | Cost | Lower (no new acquisition required) | Higher (capacity reserved, acquisition risk managed) | | Control | Limited: you take what exists (date, cloud %, off‑nadir) | High: specify timing window, cloud %, priority, off‑nadir tolerance | | Historical analysis | Excellent (multi‑year lookback) | Not applicable (future‑focused) | | Recency | May be weeks–years old | Most current possible | | Best for | Baselines, change detection, environmental history, feasibility | Monitoring programs, project milestones, time‑critical events | ### Archive Imagery Think of this as the “back catalogue.” Many satellites have years (sometimes decades) of coverage. Great for establishing baselines, building multi-year time series and validating historical change. Benefits: - **Fast delivery** – often available within hours or a couple of days. - **Cost‑effective** – you’re licensing data that already exists. - **Historical insight** – enables long‑term change detection (seasonal, annual, multi‑year trends). Example: An environmental team evaluating land‑clearing trends might pull a 5‑year archive time series instead of waiting months for multiple new acquisitions. ### Tasking a Satellite This is booking acquisition capacity for a fresh capture over your AOI within a defined time window. Benefits: - **Up‑to‑date** – delivers the most recent possible view. - **Control** – you can set cloud cover tolerance, timing constraints, off‑nadir / look angle limits and acquisition priority. - **Critical projects** – ideal for mining, infrastructure, agriculture or emergency response where conditions change quickly. Example: A mine operator tasks monthly very high‑resolution imagery to track construction progress against schedule and budget. ### Which Should You Choose? - Choose **Archive** when you need speed, historical depth or cost efficiency. - Choose **Tasking** when you need guaranteed coverage, recency tied to milestones, or specific acquisition parameters. Often the optimal (and most economical) approach is a blend: use archive imagery first to understand the past, then layer in a tasking cadence to stay current. > Tip: Start by defining the business question (baseline change? near‑real‑time progress? compliance evidence?)-the answer usually makes the archive vs tasking balance obvious. At Terrabit, we help clients model that balance so you’re not over‑paying for recency where it isn’t needed-or missing critical updates where it is. Choosing between existing archive imagery and new tasking depends on recency needs, cloud risk and budget. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services. ## Cloud Cover & Revisit Rates: Why Satellites Don’t Always Get It Right First Time One of the biggest surprises for first-time buyers is that you don’t always get a clear shot on the first try. Clouds, shadows, haze, snow - they can all get in the way. **Cloud cover** - Even the best optical satellites can’t see through clouds. If your area is in the tropics, or you’re looking during the wet season, you may need multiple attempts before you get a cloud-free image. - For projects where clarity is critical (like construction monitoring), the best results come from setting a low cloud-cover tolerance and working with a constellation that offers high revisit rates. **Revisit rates** - This is how often a satellite can pass over your location. Some satellites only have overpasses every few days, while big constellations can try multiple times a day. - More satellites = more chances to capture your site without clouds. **Managing expectations** - **Mining:** If you need a monthly update, we’ll recommend satellites with high revisit rates so you’re not left waiting. - **Agriculture:** Timing is everything. Scheduling tasking around critical growth stages means better insights - but you’ll still need to factor in cloud risk. - **Environment:** For long-term monitoring, missing one capture isn’t the end of the world, because the big picture comes from many images over time. At Terrabit, we set realistic expectations from the start. We’ll tell you upfront how often your area of interest can be captured, what the cloud risks are and build in backup options so you don’t get stuck waiting weeks for a clear image. High revisit very high-resolution capture over Perth enabling timely monitoring of complex urban infrastructure. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services. ## Licensing & Usage Rights: What You Can (and Can’t) Do with Your Imagery When you buy satellite imagery, you’re not actually “owning” the data - you’re licensing the right to use it. For most projects, that’s all you need, but it’s important to understand the basics so there are no surprises later. **The essentials** - **Standard licence:** You can use the imagery inside your organisation for analysis, reporting, and decision-making. - **Sharing:** Want to share it with a contractor or partner? Usually fine - but wider distribution (like publishing online or selling it) may need extra permissions. - **Time limits:** Most licences don’t expire, but some providers have restrictions on how long the data can be used for commercial projects. **Why it matters** - **Mining:** If you’re working with external consultants, you’ll want to be sure they’re covered under your licence. - **Agriculture:** If you’re supplying data to growers or agronomists, make sure usage rights extend down the chain. - **Environment:** Public reports and research often need imagery cleared for publication - something to confirm before you buy. At Terrabit, we cut through the fine print and make sure the licence matches how you actually plan to use the imagery. No nasty surprises, just clarity from the start. Explore product delivery options on our Satellite Imagery page or review active constellations on the Satellites page. ## Formats & Delivery: What You Actually Get When you buy satellite imagery, one of the first questions is: "What do you actually receive?' File types, ease of use and pre-processing can make a big difference in how quickly you can turn data into decisions. **File types & compatibility** \ Common formats include COG, ECW, GeoTIFF, JPEG2000 and shapefiles. These are widely supported in GIS software, so you won’t get stuck converting files before you can start working. **Analysis-ready vs raw** \ Some projects need imagery that’s ready to go - orthorectified, calibrated and pre-processed - so you can jump straight into measurement or modelling. Other projects may prefer raw data, giving full control over your own processing workflow. The takeaway: the way imagery is delivered matters almost as much as the imagery itself. Providers like Terrabit focus on formats and delivery options that suit your workflow, letting you spend less time on files and more time on insights. ## Pricing: What Drives the Cost of Satellite Imagery One question we hear a lot is: _“How much does high-resolution satellite imagery cost?”_ The answer isn’t fixed - it depends on a few practical factors. - **Resolution:** Finer detail costs more. A 30cm image showing vehicles and fences will be pricier than a 50cm image of the same area and much more than a 10m regional view. - **Area & Coverage:** The bigger the area you want to capture, the higher the cost. - **Archive vs Tasking:** Buying existing archive imagery is usually cheaper than tasking a satellite to capture something new, especially if you need it at a specific time. - **Frequency & Satellites:** If you need frequent updates, or want multiple satellites covering your site to avoid cloud delays, prices can increase. - **Processed vs Raw Data:** Imagery that’s ready-to-use (orthorectified, calibrated, or analysis-ready) can cost more than raw files but it saves you time. At Terrabit, we help you balance these factors so you get the imagery you need without paying for features you don’t. Often, a mix of archive and tasking, paired with the right resolution, gives the best value. Learn more about ordering workflows on the Satellite Imagery product page. ## Bringing It All Together Buying satellite imagery in Australia doesn’t need to be complicated. By thinking about resolution, accuracy, timing, licensing and delivery formats upfront, you can choose data that actually meets your project needs - without wasting time or money. The right imagery can help you monitor operations, track environmental change or make informed decisions faster than traditional surveys ever could. And while there are lots of options out there, working with a partner who understands your workflow can make all the difference. At Terrabit, we help organisations navigate the choices, balance cost and quality and get data that’s ready to use - so you spend less time researching options, managing files and more time turning insights into action. Start exploring active satellites on our Satellites page or request tailored guidance via the Satellite Imagery product portal. Get a Quote → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/complete-guide-to-buying-satellite-imagery --- ### DEMs, DSMs & DTMs From Satellite Explained - Author: Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-12-04 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Product Updates Elevation data sits at the heart of countless decisions. Whether you're planning a new access road or modelling flood risk, accurate terrain information shapes the outcome. But here's the thing: **not all elevation data is the same** - and choosing the wrong type can throw off your entire analysis. In this guide, we'll break down the different types of elevation models, explain how satellites capture them and show you exactly how industries are putting this data to work. Flythrough animation of a satellite-derived 3D elevation model. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## What is a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)? A **Digital Elevation Model (DEM)** is a digital representation of the Earth's surface. It's essentially a grid of elevation values, where each pixel represents height at that location. Under the DEM umbrella, there are two main types: - **DSM** (Digital Surface Model) - **DTM** (Digital Terrain Model) They serve different purposes and allow for different insights to be gathered depending on the specific use case they are utilised for. ## Digital Surface Model (DSM) A DSM captures the **top of everything visible from above**. Trees, buildings, stockpiles, infrastructure - all of it. Think of it as what a satellite "sees" when it looks straight down. It's the first surface that reflects the signal back. **DSM is ideal for:** - Estimating building and forest canopy height - Digital Twins and urban planning - Solar panel placement and shadow analysis - Line-of-sight and telecommunications planning **Where does DSM data come from?** 1. With **stereo satellite imagery**, two images of the same area captured from different angles are compared, and software calculates elevation to generate a DSM 2. With **LiDAR**, a sensor emits pulses of laser light and measures the return time to create a dense 3D point cloud, which is then converted into a DSM ## Digital Terrain Model (DTM) A DTM strips everything away. No trees. No buildings. No vegetation.\ What's left is the **bare earth** - the actual terrain of the land beneath the features. Getting a high quality DTM requires semi-automated processing and editing. The DSM elevation data needs to be filtered and classified to remove above-ground features. It's additional work but for many applications, it's essential. **DTM is ideal for:** - Flood and water modelling - Cut and fill calculations - Slope stability and grade assessment - Mine pit design and planning **Where does DTM data come from?** 1. With **stereo imagery**, algorithms first generate a surface model and then semi-automatically filter out vegetation, buildings and other non-ground features to isolate the bare earth 2. With **LiDAR**, the point cloud is classified into ground and non-ground returns and only the ground points are used to create the DTM Visual comparison of DSM versus DTM. The orange line represents a DSM (including surface features), while the green line represents a DTM (bare ground only). ## DSM vs DTM: Side by Side The difference between DSM and DTM becomes clear when you compare them directly. In the example below, notice how the DSM captures buildings and infrastructure as elevated features, while the DTM shows only the underlying ground surface with those features removed. DSM (with buildings) DTM (buildings removed) RGB Satellite Imagery Side-by-side comparison of DSM and DTM at a mine site, with corresponding RGB imagery below. Notice how buildings visible in the DSM are removed in the DTM to reveal bare ground. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. | Feature | DSM | DTM | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- | | Represents | Surface (ground + objects) | Bare ground only | | Includes vegetation/buildings | Yes | No | | Typical use cases | Urban planning, telecom, stockpiles, solar | Hydrology, earthworks, surface planning | ## Why the Difference Matters Choosing the wrong model can completely change your results. **Example 1: Flood modelling**\ Use a DSM and your model will show the flow of water diverting at a tree canopy or rooftop. A DTM reveals how water actually flows across the ground. **Example 2: Telecommunications planning**\ Here, you want the DSM. High-frequency 5G signals don't pass through walls and buildings - they bounce off them. The bare ground is irrelevant; it's the structures that matters. > **The key is matching the model to the question you're trying to answer.** ## How Satellites Capture Elevation Data Satellites don't measure elevation the same way a surveyor on the ground would. They use remote sensing techniques to extract 3D information from orbit. ### Stereo Photogrammetry This is how satellite-derived DEMs are created. A satellite captures two images of the same area from different angles, typically in a single pass or on occasion separate orbits. Software then measures the **parallax** (the apparent shift of features between images) to calculate elevation. It works the same way your eyes perceive depth. Two viewpoints, one 3D result. High-resolution satellites like **WorldView Legion** can achieve **0.5–4m vertical accuracy** without ground control, though accuracy improves significantly with control and can be less than **50cm**. Using this method, DSMs or DTMs can be generated anywhere in the world, provided there are clear skies and reliable ground control data. High-resolution satellite imagery of Guadalupe Peak, West Texas - the foundation for accurate elevation extraction. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ### From Imagery to Elevation The process involves several steps: 1. **Image acquisition** - Stereo pairs are captured with sufficient overlap and appropriate base-to-height ratio for conversion to a DEM 2. **Ground control** - Reference points tie the imagery to real-world coordinates to improve accuracy 3. **Matching and Elevation extraction** - Photogrammetry software identifies corresponding features across both images and their heights to create a DSM 4. **Quality control and DEM editing** - Results are checked and refined to remove erroneous data, with DTM editing if required The quality of the final DEM depends on image resolution, terrain complexity and the skill of the team processing the data. 3D model of New Zealand generated from satellite-derived elevation data. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## Resolution and Accuracy: What Do You Actually Need? Not all elevation data is created equal. Resolution and accuracy vary widely depending on the source. | Data Source | Resolution | Typical Vertical Accuracy | Availability | | ----------------- | ---------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | SRTM | 30m | ~10m | Free, global | | Copernicus DEM | 30m / 90m | ~4m | Free, global | | Commercial stereo | 0.5–2m | 0.5–4m | Tasked & Archive acquisition | **So what do you actually need?** It depends on the application. - **Regional planning or feasibility studies?** Freely available 30m DEM data (SRTM/AW3D30) often works well for this usecase - **Mine site access and design?** You'll want sub-metre accuracy from custom acquisition - **Monitoring active operations?** Recent data matters more than historical archives > The question isn't "what's the best resolution?" It's **"what resolution answers my use case?"** ## How Industries Use Satellite-Derived Elevation Data Here's where it gets practical. Across industries, organisations are using satellite-derived DEMs to make faster decisions, reduce costs and improve outcomes. 3D model of the Pyramids of Giza - demonstrating the detail achievable with satellite-derived elevation data. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ### Mining and Resource Extraction Elevation data helps to explain the entire process of the mining lifecycle. From exploration through to rehabilitation, terrain information drives critical decisions. Learn more about how satellite data supports each stage in our guide to leveraging satellite data across the mine lifecycle. DSM (all surface features) DTM (bare earth) RGB Satellite Imagery Elevation data supports site analysis and earthworks planning. The DTM removes above-ground features to reveal the underlying terrain. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. **Cut and fill analysis** is one of the highest-value applications. Accurate DTMs allow mining operations to calculate earthwork volumes, optimise material movement and plan extraction sequences with confidence. **Pit design and planning** relies on detailed terrain models to calculate stripping ratios and design safe pit walls. Detailed 3D view of mine pit wall geometry showing bench structures - essential for slope stability analysis and pit design. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. **Rehabilitation planning** requires understanding current conditions and target landforms. Elevation models support earthworks monitoring and track progress against rehabilitation milestones. **Geological interpretation** can be enhanced with the use of a DTM to determine outcrops and geological formations visible within the elevation data. 3D elevation model revealing geological stratification and road infrastructure across mine benches. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. ### Construction and Civil Engineering **Site selection** becomes faster when you can analyse slope and access across multiple candidate locations without commissioning individual surveys. Best for determining potential sites especially when the areas of interest are both sparse and remote. Learn more about how we support infrastructure projects. **Progress monitoring** tracks earthworks against schedule. Regular DEM capture gives you objective volume measurements, useful for haul road developments and remote site assessments. **Corridor planning** for roads, railways, pipelines and transmission lines needs continuous elevation profiles. Satellite DEMs deliver that efficiently across long distances providing cost-effective elevation data for initial site or route planning. ### Flood Risk and Water Management Water flows downhill. That simple fact makes elevation data fundamental to hydrology. Whether supporting government agencies with regional planning or helping infrastructure teams assess drainage requirements, DEMs provide the foundation for understanding how water moves across the landscape. **High-level flood mapping** relies on DEMs to identify at-risk areas across broad regions. By analysing terrain gradients and flow accumulation patterns, planners can pinpoint flood-prone zones and prioritise areas for further investigation without commissioning detailed site-specific surveys. **Watershed delineation** uses elevation to define catchment boundaries automatically, helping authorities understand how water moves across the landscape and where downstream impacts are most likely. > For detailed dam design or precision drainage engineering, higher-accuracy data from ground surveys or LiDAR is typically required. But for regional risk assessment and early-stage planning, satellite-derived DEMs provide a cost-effective foundation. ### Telecommunications and Network Planning Telecommunications networks are critical infrastructure, and elevation data plays a key role in their planning and optimisation. **Line-of-sight analysis** determines whether signals can travel between two points. But signals are not only affected by bare ground - they interact with trees, buildings and everything else in the way. DSMs provide a good baseline, particularly for remote regions and determining communication tower placement. **Microwave backhaul links** require precise elevation profiles between towers. Fresnel zone calculations, which determine the clear area needed for reliable transmission, depend on knowing exactly what's between point A and point B. ### Renewable Energy Development Terrain influences renewable energy development. Satellite-derived elevation data supports energy projects from feasibility through to construction. - **Solar farms** need slope and aspect analysis - optimal sites are relatively flat with the right orientation. Elevation models let you screen large areas quickly - **Wind resource assessment** benefits from terrain analysis that identifies ridges, elevated areas, and locations where topography accelerates airflow - **Hydropower feasibility** depends on head (elevation difference) and catchment size. Satellite DEMs support preliminary screening across broad areas ### Environmental Monitoring Elevation data supports a wide range of environmental applications. - **Habitat modelling** uses terrain variables like slope, aspect and elevation to predict species distributions - **Glacier monitoring** tracks ice volume changes over time using repeat elevation measurements - **Coastal vulnerability assessment** combines DEMs with sea level rise projections to map areas at risk of inundation Detailed 3D model demonstrating how elevation data can map remote regions. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## Choosing the Right Elevation Data for Your Project With so many options, how do you decide? Ask yourself these questions. For more guidance on selecting the right satellite data source, see our guide to the best sources of satellite imagery. **What accuracy do I actually need?** If 5–10 metre accuracy meets your requirements, there's no reason to be paying for sub-metre data. But if you're doing detailed modelling or more precise calculations, accuracy matters. **How current does the data need to be?** Most of the currently available free global datasets are over a decade old. If your site has changed through construction, mining or natural events, you will likely need a fresh capture. **What area am I covering?** Small sites might be more efficiently captured by drone. Satellite data makes sense for larger areas, remote locations, or places that are difficult to access. **Which model type do I need?** If you need surface details like buildings, trees and infrastructure included, choose a DSM. If you need the bare ground with above-ground features removed, a DTM is the right choice. Terrabit supplies both as satellite-derived elevation products. ## In Summary DEMs, DSMs and DTMs are all representations of elevation, but they answer different questions. - **DSM:** "What's the height of everything on the surface?" - **DTM:** "What's the shape of the land beneath it?" - **DEM:** The umbrella term covering both. Together, they form the foundation for terrain analysis across industries - from mining and construction to site planning and telecommunications. The data is more accessible than ever. The key is knowing which type you need and matching it to your application. For a comprehensive overview of the satellite imagery acquisition process, see our complete guide to buying satellite imagery. **Get that right, and elevation data becomes one of the most powerful tools in your analysis toolkit.** Want to find out how satellite-derived elevation data can support your projects? Our team can help you select the right elevation product for your specific requirements. Get in touch → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/digital-elevation-models-from-satellite-imagery --- ### Earth Observation Explained: Technologies, Data and Uses - Author: Michael Izatt, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-08-07 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery **Earth Observation (EO) is the collection of information about the Earth's surface using remote sensing (satellites, aircraft and drones) without needing to be on site.** Most people picture satellite imagery, and that's a big part of it. But Earth Observation also covers radar (SAR), LiDAR, aerial photography, and multispectral, hyperspectral and thermal sensors. Together, these let organisations monitor change, map assets, measure volumes and assess environmental conditions across mining, infrastructure, environment, agriculture, utilities and energy and government. ## How Earth Observation Works Different materials reflect and emit energy differently at different wavelengths. Sensors measure that energy, and processing turns it into maps, models and measurements. **Passive sensors** measure energy that already exists, such as reflected sunlight or emitted heat. Optical, multispectral, hyperspectral and thermal are all passive. They produce intuitive imagery, but cloud, smoke and darkness stop them. **Active sensors** send out their own signal and measure the return. SAR and LiDAR work at night, and radar sees through cloud and smoke. ### The four resolutions "Resolution" usually means pixel size, but four things matter: - **Spatial:** ground size of a pixel (30cm, 10m, 30m) - **Spectral:** how many wavelength bands are recorded - **Temporal:** how often the same place is imaged - **Radiometric:** how finely brightness levels are distinguished No sensor maximises all four. Fine detail means narrow coverage and higher cost. Wide coverage and frequent revisit mean coarser pixels. Choosing EO data is deciding which resolution you can afford to give up, a trade-off we cover in more detail in our guide to satellite imagery quality. ## Earth Observation Technologies ### Satellite Imagery Optical satellites record reflected sunlight. Most collect one high-detail panchromatic band plus lower-resolution colour bands, then combine them (pansharpening) to deliver full-colour imagery at panchromatic detail. At 25cm native resolution, individual aircraft, ground support vehicles and taxiway markings are all identifiable. Imagery courtesy of SIIS (SpaceEye-T). | Resolution | What it's good for | | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 25 to 50cm | Identify vehicles and equipment, inspect infrastructure, map building footprints | | 50cm to 2m | Construction progress, stockpiles, haul roads, parcel-level land use | | 3 to 10m | Field-level agriculture, vegetation condition, regional change | | 10 to 30m | Landscape monitoring, long-term trends, baselines (free) | Native 30cm is the very-high-resolution standard today, from constellations like Vantor's WorldView Legion, with some sensors reaching 25cm native as seen with SpaceEye-T from SIIS. You'll also see "HD 15cm" products, which apply resampling and enhancement, usually via trained ML models, to native 30cm imagery for a sharper image, though the underlying information content is derived from the native capture. Very-high-resolution optical imagery over a coastal launch facility. Fine detail and wide-area context in a single capture. Imagery courtesy of SIIS (SpaceEye-T). Free data remains excellent for many jobs. Sentinel-2 gives 10m colour with a five-day revisit, and Landsat (Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 today) gives 30m with an archive going back five decades, mainly being limited with respect to resolution and assurances on getting areas you are monitoring captured. Our comparison of commercial and free satellite data works through where each one earns its place. Because satellites revisit the same ground repeatedly, consecutive captures can be aligned and compared directly. That repeat coverage is what makes change detection practical over remote sites. 10 November 2025 11 November 2025 Port Hedland, Western Australia - the same port captured 24 hours apart. Vessel movements, stockpile changes and site activity become measurable. Imagery courtesy of BlackSky (Gen-3). Cloud cover doesn't have to mean a wasted order. Because satellites revisit the same ground repeatedly, a capture that comes back too cloudy can be rejected and reattempted on a later pass. The acceptable cloud threshold is agreed at the time of order, commonly 5 or 10% over the area of interest, and imagery that exceeds it is recaptured rather than delivered. Worth factoring into timelines: in a cloudy season, meeting a tight threshold can take several attempts over cloud prone regions. Our guide to archive versus tasking covers how this affects lead times. **Best for:** site monitoring, change detection, historical baselines, land-use mapping. **Limits:** blocked by cloud, smoke and darkness. ### Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) SAR transmits microwave pulses and measures what bounces back. Because it supplies its own energy, it works at night, and radar passes straight through cloud, smoke and most rain. A SAR image maps surface roughness and geometry, not colour. Smooth water looks black, while buildings and ships look very bright. SAR maps surface roughness and geometry rather than colour. Hard vertical structures return strongly and appear bright, while smooth surfaces reflect away from the sensor and appear dark. Imagery courtesy of SIIS (KOMPSAT-5). **Wavelength decides penetration**, and it's the most important thing to specify: | Band | Wavelength | Penetration | Typical use | | ------ | ---------- | ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | | X-band | ~3cm | Top of canopy only | Detailed infrastructure, maritime, urban movement | | C-band | ~5.6cm | Light vegetation | Flood mapping, crops, wide-area deformation | | L-band | ~23.5cm | Through canopy to ground | Forest structure, biomass, movement in vegetated terrain | Commercial SAR is now widely available (ICEYE, Capella, Umbra, Synspective, COSMO-SkyMed), alongside free Sentinel-1 C-band data. NISAR, launched July 2025, began public L-band data releases in July 2026, a genuinely new free capability for vegetated landscapes. ### InSAR: measuring ground movement Comparing the _phase_ of two radar images reveals how far the ground moved between them, to millimetre precision. - **DInSAR:** one image pair, for a single event like a landslide or collapse - **PSInSAR:** long time series over stable reflectors, ideal for built-up areas - **SBAS:** networked image pairs, better over natural terrain Two things to plan for. Measurements are taken along the satellite's line of sight, so separating vertical from horizontal movement needs both ascending and descending passes. InSAR also needs _coherence_, and dense vegetation, water and active earthworks can destroy it. **Best for:** tailings dam and pit wall stability, subsidence over underground workings, landslide detection, embankment and pipeline settlement, flood mapping through cloud. **Limits:** not intuitive to read, struggles in steep terrain, typically needs specialist processing. ### Satellite Derived Elevation (Stereo Photogrammetry) Elevation doesn't have to come from a laser. If a satellite images the same ground twice from different angles, the apparent shift between those views (parallax) can be solved into height, the same way two eyes give you depth. We go deeper on this in our guide to DEMs, DSMs and DTMs from satellite. Most very-high-resolution satellites can do this in a single pass, pitching forward and back to capture a stereo pair moments apart. **Tri-stereo** adds a third, near-nadir look, which fills the gaps stereo pairs leave behind tall buildings, in narrow valleys and on steep pit walls. 30cm RGB imagery 50cm satellite derived DTM A corridor captured in 30cm colour imagery alongside the 50cm terrain model derived from the same stereo acquisition. Elevation products processed by Terrabit. Two things drive quality more than the sensor name: **Convergence angle.** The angle between the two looks, typically 15 to 30 degrees. Too narrow and height is poorly constrained; too wide and the two images no longer look alike enough to match reliably. **Same-pass capture.** Pairs collected minutes apart share sun angle, shadows and site conditions. Pairs assembled from separate passes weeks apart often don't, and matching degrades. | Configuration | Accuracy | | --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | 50cm DEM from stereo or tri-stereo with ground control | Absolute 50cm LE90 | | 50cm DEM from stereo or tri-stereo without ground control | Absolute 3m LE90, relative 1m LE90 | | Free global stereo DEMs (AW3D30, ASTER GDEM) | 5 to 15m LE90 | Post spacing usually lands around two to four times the imagery GSD, so 30 to 50cm stereo yields a DSM at roughly 50cm to 1m posts. Relative accuracy across a single scene is generally better than absolute, which matters if you're measuring change rather than tying to a datum. The output is a **DSM**: canopy, buildings and infrastructure included. A bare-earth DTM can be processed from it, but photogrammetry only ever sees the top surface, so under closed canopy the filtering is an estimate, not a measurement. This is the single most important difference from LiDAR, which physically sees the ground through gaps in the foliage. Matching also needs visual texture. Open water, fresh snow, uniform sand and deep shadow give the algorithm nothing to lock onto, and those areas come back as voids or noise. #### Where it earns its place Elevation over very large or remote areas, where a LiDAR campaign is uneconomic or the site is simply too far to mobilise to. It's also the practical option for overseas and access-restricted sites, and for baseline terrain ahead of design, when you need the shape of the landscape rather than defensible engineering accuracy. Our article on where to use DEMs walks through the industry applications in detail. **Best for:** regional and remote-area DSMs, pre-feasibility and route selection, large-scale volumetrics, 3D site models, historical terrain reconstruction. **Limits:** cloud dependent, no canopy penetration, roughly an order of magnitude below LiDAR accuracy, and needs ground control to hit its better numbers. ### LiDAR A scanning laser fires up to two million pulses per second and times each return, building a dense 3D point cloud with offerings from both drone and aerial captures. A classified LiDAR point cloud over Brisbane. Every pulse return is assigned to ground, vegetation, building or infrastructure, which is what makes bare-earth extraction possible. Data sourced from Elvis portal - Queensland Government; Department of Resources. Its key advantage is **multiple returns**. Part of a pulse hits the canopy, and the rest passes through gaps to the ground. That's why LiDAR can map terrain under trees when nothing optical can. **Accuracy:** typically 5 to 15cm vertical and 10 to 30cm horizontal from aircraft. Worth knowing: accuracy matters more than density. A 2 pts/m² dataset at 5cm accuracy beats a 10 pts/m² dataset at 30cm. **The three elevation models, and why the difference matters:** - **DSM:** everything on the surface, including canopy, buildings and powerlines. Use for line-of-sight, solar and vegetation encroachment. - **DTM:** bare earth, with vegetation and structures removed. Use for engineering, earthworks and flood modelling. - **DEM:** the generic term for any elevation grid. Often used to mean bare earth, so always confirm which surface you're buying. A bare-earth terrain mesh derived from the classified point cloud. With vegetation and structures removed, drainage lines, slope and landform are measurable directly. DTM Mesh generated by Terrabit from LiDAR captured over Richmond River, NSW **Bathymetric LiDAR** adds a green 532nm laser that penetrates water, mapping riverbeds and seafloor to roughly three times the Secchi (clarity) depth, which is over 30m in clear water. It captures land and seabed in one pass, making it the standard for coastal work. **Best for:** engineering design, flood modelling, corridor mapping, forestry, volumetrics, mine planning. **Limits:** high cost per km², needs aircraft and clear weather, captures shape but not material. ### Aerial Imagery Crewed aircraft deliver very high resolution (2 to 20cm) over defined areas. Overlapping images are processed into orthophotos: imagery with distortion removed so it can be measured like a map. Aerial capture over Paris. At a few centimetres per pixel, individual vehicles, road markings and rooftop plant are all resolvable. **Oblique imagery** (captured at an angle) shows building facades and vertical structures that never appear looking straight down, making it valuable for inspections and valuation. **Best for:** engineering design, urban mapping, asset inspection. **Limits:** needs flight planning, airspace approval and clear weather. ### Drone Mapping Drones give centimetre detail over smaller sites, on demand. Accuracy depends far more on positioning method than on the aircraft: | Method | Typical accuracy | | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Standard GNSS | 5 to 10cm | | RTK / PPK | 2 to 5cm | | RTK/PPK + ground control points | 1 to 2cm horizontal, 2 to 3cm vertical | Stockpile volumes land within 1 to 3% with proper ground control, though the result is only as good as the base surface you measure against. Drone capture over a wetland margin. At this scale individual shrubs, vehicle tracks and the vegetation to water boundary can be delineated for environmental reporting. **Best for:** construction progress, stockpile volumes, site surveys, inspections. **Limits:** small coverage area, CASA approvals required, weather and access dependent. ### Multispectral Imagery Multispectral sensors record 4 to 13 discrete bands, turning imagery into measurement. Combining bands produces **indices**: | Index | Measures | Used for | | ----- | --------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | NDVI | Vegetation vigour | Crop condition, rehabilitation success | | NDRE | Chlorophyll in dense canopy | Late-season crop nutrition | | NDWI | Open water | Flood and dam monitoring | | NDMI | Vegetation moisture | Drought stress, bushfire fuel load | | NBR | Burn severity | Post-fire mapping and recovery | The value is that these are repeatable. With consistent atmospheric correction, a reading from March can be compared directly against one from last November, provided seasonal stage and antecedent rainfall are accounted for in the interpretation. That kind of like-for-like comparison is exactly what compliance reporting needs. > **Going further:** our guide to band combinations and indices shows what each composite and index actually reveals, with worked examples and the band numbers for each sensor. ### Hyperspectral Imagery Where multispectral samples the spectrum at a few points, hyperspectral draws the whole curve, with 100+ narrow, contiguous bands per pixel on science missions such as EnMAP and PRISMA. Commercial constellations trade some of that band count for revisit and cost: Wyvern's Dragonette-1 records 23 bands and Dragonette 2-5 record 31, still far finer spectral sampling than multispectral. Because minerals, plants and contaminants each absorb light at characteristic wavelengths, that spectrum acts as a fingerprint for identifying materials, not just classifying appearance. RGB PCA A South Australian mine site in true colour compared with a principal component analysis of the same hyperspectral capture. Surface materials that look near identical in RGB separate cleanly once the full spectrum is used. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern (Dragonette), processed by Terrabit. **Best for:** mineral mapping and exploration, tailings and acid drainage characterisation, gas leak detection, water quality, species-level vegetation mapping. ### Thermal Infrared Thermal sensors measure emitted heat rather than reflected light, so they work day and night. Night-time capture is often more useful, since it removes solar heating and reveals a surface's true thermal behaviour. That's how thermal imagery distinguishes mined ground from surrounding land. **Best for:** hot spot and spontaneous combustion detection, urban heat mapping, irrigation efficiency, active fire monitoring, thermal plume discharge. ## Comparing the Technologies | Technology | Resolution | Revisit | Through cloud | Through canopy | Cost | | ---------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------- | ------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Free optical satellite | 10 to 30m | 5 to 16 days | No | No | Free | | Commercial optical | Up to 25cm | Daily (taskable) | No | No | Moderate to high | | Satellite stereo DSM | 50cm to 5m posts | Taskable | No | No | Moderate | | SAR | 25cm to 20m | Hours to days | Yes | L-band only | Moderate to high | | InSAR | mm movement | Needs a stack | Yes | Band dependent | High | | Airborne LiDAR | 5 to 15cm vertical | Campaign | No | Yes | High | | Aerial imagery | 2 to 20cm | Campaign | No | No | Moderate to high | | Drone | 1 to 5cm | On demand | N/A | LiDAR only | Low per site (for smaller capture areas) | | Hyperspectral | 5 to 30m | Days | No | No | Moderate to high | ## Common Earth Observation Products **Imagery:** orthorectified satellite imagery, multispectral and surface reflectance, SAR amplitude, aerial orthophotos, basemaps and mosaics **Elevation and 3D:** DEM, DSM, DTM, classified point clouds, contours, canopy height models **Derived:** change detection, vegetation index time series, InSAR deformation maps, land cover classification, volumetrics, feature extraction, flood and burn severity mapping Most are delivered as **analysis-ready data**: already corrected, orthorectified and projected, so they drop straight into GIS, CAD or BI workflows. ## Earth Observation in Australia Australian conditions reward the right technology choice. **Distance.** Sites are often hundreds of kilometres from anywhere. Satellite tasking avoids the mobilisation cost and lead time of sending crews or aircraft, which is why remote site monitoring leans so heavily on EO. **Cloud.** Northern Australia's wet season blocks optical imagery for months, often exactly when flood and cyclone monitoring matters most. SAR helps for guaranteed captures within these conditions. **Vegetation.** Eucalypt canopy lets LiDAR through reasonably well, but frequently defeats X-band and C-band InSAR. L-band, including the new NISAR archive, suits Australian conditions better. **Strong open data.** Geoscience Australia's ELVIS platform provides national elevation and bathymetry data, including a 5m LiDAR-derived DEM and state-contributed 1m and 2m models. Digital Earth Australia supplies analysis-ready satellite time series. ## Choosing the Right Solution Work through it in this order: 1. **What's the smallest thing you need to see?** This sets your resolution floor. 2. **How often do you need to know?** Annual reporting and daily awareness lead to very different solutions. See how often satellite imagery is updated. 3. **What could stop you capturing?** If cloud or smoke could block you when it matters most, you need SAR. 4. **Do you need shape or substance?** Elevation and volume point to satellite derived DEMs or LiDAR. Condition and composition point to multispectral or hyperspectral. Movement points to InSAR. 5. **What accuracy must you defend?** If the number goes in a regulatory or investor report, validation matters more than the resolution headline. ### Combining datasets usually wins Rarely does one dataset do everything. High-resolution satellite imagery gives frequent, cost-effective coverage over large areas, while aerial LiDAR gives precise elevation for engineering and volumetrics. Used together, you get broad regular monitoring plus precision where it's actually needed. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can satellites see through cloud?** Optical satellites can't. SAR satellites can, and they work at night too. **What's the difference between DEM, DSM and DTM?** DSM includes canopy and buildings. DTM is bare earth. DEM is the generic term for any elevation grid, so always confirm which surface you're getting. **How accurate is LiDAR?** Around 5 to 15cm vertical and 10 to 30cm horizontal from aircraft. Bathymetric LiDAR is roughly 15 to 25cm vertical. **Is free satellite data good enough?** Sentinel-2 and Landsat answer many regional monitoring, vegetation and change questions. Commercial data earns its cost when you need finer detail, guaranteed timing or specific sensor types. **How quickly can I get imagery?** Archive imagery typically arrives within a few business days. Urgent tasking over Australia can deliver within 24 to 48 hours in good conditions. ## Earth Observation at Terrabit Terrabit helps organisations access and manage commercial Earth Observation data across Australia and internationally, from high-resolution satellite imagery and elevation products to customised monitoring programs. Our team works with clients to identify the most suitable data for each project, and to avoid paying for capability a project doesn't need. You can work directly with our experienced geospatial team who will guide you through options best fit for your usecase, or manage projects through Albatross, our platform for searching archive imagery, requesting new acquisitions, tracking orders and accessing completed datasets across multiple satellite providers in one place. > Ready to put Earth Observation to work on your next project? Browse active constellations on the Satellites page, explore Albatross or talk to the Terrabit team about your requirements. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/earth-observation-explained --- ### Satellite Imagery for Environmental Monitoring: A Practical Guide - Author: Simon Greig, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-06-29 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery, Data Analytics **Environmental monitoring has become one of the most demanding and high-value applications of satellite imagery.** Governments, consultancies, NGOs and resource companies increasingly rely on Earth observation data to track deforestation, vegetation health, water quality, land disturbance and ecosystem change. But choosing the right satellite data for environmental projects is not straightforward. With dozens of sensors, varying resolutions, multiple spectral bands and differing revisit rates, it’s easy to end up with data that doesn’t quite fit the analysis at hand. This guide explains how satellite imagery can be used effectively for environmental monitoring, what types of data work best for different applications and how to avoid common pitfalls when planning an Earth observation program. Satellite imagery brings entire landscapes into a single view, here the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia. Coverage at this scale is what makes consistent environmental monitoring across large, remote areas possible. Imagery courtesy of BlackSky. ## Why Satellite Imagery is Transforming Monitoring Australia’s vast distances, challenging terrain and remote ecosystems make field-based environmental monitoring expensive and logistically difficult. Satellite imagery provides a consistent, repeatable and cost-effective way to monitor large areas over time without needing to send people into the field every month. Key advantages include: - **Coverage:** Satellite imagery captures entire regions, catchments or mining leases, providing context that ground surveys often miss. - **Frequency:** Modern satellite constellations can revisit the same area multiple times per week, enabling timely detection of changes such as algal blooms, illegal clearing or rehabilitation progress. - **Historical baselines:** Archive imagery going back decades allows analysts to understand long-term trends, such as mangrove loss, urban expansion or seasonal vegetation cycles. - **Spectral insight:** Multispectral sensors capture wavelengths beyond the visible spectrum, allowing vegetation health, soil moisture and water quality to be quantified rather than just observed visually. Importantly, satellite data is rarely a replacement for fieldwork. It works best as a complement that guides where and when field visits are needed, focusing limited ground resources on the areas that matter most. ## Monitoring Use Cases and Their Data Different environmental applications require different types of satellite data. Below are the most common use cases and the sensor characteristics that serve them best. ### Vegetation Health and Land Cover Monitoring Tracking vegetation condition, biomass and land cover change is one of the most widespread uses of satellite imagery in environmental work. - **Resolution:** 10m multispectral imagery (such as Sentinel-2) is widely used for regional vegetation mapping and time-series analysis. Higher-resolution optical data (50cm or 30cm) may be used where detailed species-level or structural information is required. - **Key indices:** NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and its variants (EVI, NDWI) are commonly calculated from multispectral bands to quantify vegetation density, stress and water content (see our guide to band combinations and indices). - **Frequency:** Monthly or seasonal monitoring is typical, although more frequent captures may be used during critical growth periods or after disturbance events. A true-colour capture (left) and the derived NDVI map (right) over Tweed, New South Wales. NDVI converts multispectral bands into a single measure of vegetation density and vigour, turning a visual scene into a quantifiable health metric. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). Disturbance events such as fire are a major driver of land cover change, and satellite imagery is widely used to map their extent, gauge severity and track recovery over time. After a bushfire, medium-resolution data like Sentinel-2 is well suited to mapping the overall burn extent across a region, while high-resolution optical imagery resolves the detail within it: which stands of vegetation were destroyed, which survived, and where early regrowth is taking hold. Specialised indices add another layer. The Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), calculated from near-infrared and shortwave-infrared bands, separates burnt ground from healthy vegetation, and comparing NBR before and after an event produces a consistent map of severity rather than a purely visual assessment. Repeating these observations across seasons turns a single snapshot of damage into a record of how an ecosystem recovers, which is exactly the kind of long-term, repeatable measurement satellites are built for. Two 30cm captures of a fire-affected landscape. At this resolution the extent of the burn scar, the patches of surviving vegetation and early regrowth along drainage lines are all clearly visible, supporting monitoring of disturbance events and post-fire recovery. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ### Water Quality and Water Body Monitoring Monitoring lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal systems benefits from multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. - **Multispectral sensors** can detect turbidity, chlorophyll concentration and suspended sediment using combinations of visible and near-infrared bands. - **Resolution and revisit:** Medium-resolution data (10m) is often sufficient for broad water body monitoring, while commercial tasking may be used for targeted hotspot assessment. A high-resolution capture of a river system. Visible and near-infrared bands let analysts quantify turbidity, suspended sediment and chlorophyll rather than just observing the water visually. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ### Deforestation and Land Clearing Detection Illegal or unplanned land clearing remains a major environmental concern. Satellite imagery is one of the most effective tools for early detection and verification. - **Change detection workflows** compare archive or newly tasked imagery against known baselines to identify new disturbance. - **Resolution choice:** Medium-resolution data (10m) is effective for tracking large-scale clearing trends, while high-resolution optical imagery (50cm or 30cm) is used to verify events more accurately and assess impact severity. - **Temporal strategy:** Frequent revisits reduce the risk of missing rapid clearing events, particularly in regions with high cloud cover where SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) may supplement optical data. Land disturbance and sediment downstream of the Grasberg mine, Indonesia. High-resolution optical imagery verifies clearing and disturbance events and helps assess the severity and extent of impact. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView-3). ### Rehabilitation and Mine Site Compliance Mining and resource companies are increasingly required to monitor rehabilitation progress, disturbance tracking and environmental compliance. - **High-resolution optical imagery** (30cm to 50cm) is used to track vegetation regrowth, soil erosion and structural changes across rehabilitated areas. - **Change detection over time** provides quantifiable evidence of rehabilitation progress for regulatory reporting. - **Orthorectified data** ensures that measurements of disturbed area or vegetation cover are spatially accurate and comparable year to year. A change comparison sweeping between two captures of a mine site. Tracking disturbance, vegetation regrowth and rehabilitated ground across dates turns repeat imagery into quantifiable evidence of progress for compliance reporting. Imagery courtesy of Vantor - processed by Terrabit. ## Choosing the Right Resolution One of the most common questions we receive is: _What resolution do I need for my environmental project?_ The answer depends on the scale of the study and the level of detail required. | Resolution | Typical Use Case | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 10m | Regional vegetation monitoring, water body mapping, broad environmental baselines | | 50cm | Catchment-scale monitoring, infrastructure corridor assessment, detailed land use change | | 30cm | Fine-scale rehabilitation monitoring, hotspot verification, species habitat assessment | **Higher resolution is not always better.** For large-area environmental monitoring, 10m multispectral data often provides the best balance of coverage, cost and analytical capability. High-resolution imagery is most valuable when detailed verification or small-area focus is required. For a deeper look at matching detail to budget, see our complete guide to buying satellite imagery. ## Archive vs Tasking: History and Recency Environmental programs typically benefit from a combination of archive and tasked imagery. The two serve different purposes, and the table below summarises where each one fits. | Aspect | Archive Imagery | Tasked Imagery | | ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | What it offers | Historical data for trend analysis and baseline establishment | The most recent conditions, critical for detecting new disturbances, seasonal impacts or emergency responses | | Cost & availability | Cost-effective and quickly available | Higher cost; delivery depends on revisit rate and weather | | Control | Limited to scenes that already exist | Control over acquisition timing and cloud-cover tolerance | | Best for | Long-term vegetation cycles, urban expansion and cumulative environmental change | Compliance monitoring, rehabilitation tracking and time-sensitive assessments | In practice, most environmental programs combine historical archive data with regular tasking. This hybrid approach delivers both long-term context and current insight, and the right balance usually comes down to how time-sensitive the question is. Our guide on archive vs tasking covers the trade-offs in more detail. Selecting multiple archive scenes to cover a large area of interest in full. Each capture lists its date, cloud cover, off-nadir angle, band count and ground sample distance, so the clearest, most suitable imagery can be chosen for every part of the site. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. Where several scenes are needed to cover a large area, Terrabit processes them in house into a seamless mosaic, delivering orthorectified, analysis-ready imagery as one cohesive dataset rather than a collection of individual scenes to align and stitch together separately. ## Overcoming Cloud Cover Cloud cover remains one of the biggest challenges for optical satellite monitoring, particularly in tropical and coastal regions. Practical strategies include: - **High-revisit constellations:** Satellites with short revisit rates increase the likelihood of capturing cloud-free scenes. - **SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) integration:** SAR imagery penetrates cloud, smoke and haze, providing consistent observation regardless of weather. It is particularly useful for monitoring flood extent, wetland dynamics and vegetation structure. - **Flexible acquisition windows:** Setting broader tasking windows allows satellites multiple opportunities to capture clear imagery. - **Blended approaches:** Combining optical and SAR data provides the best of both worlds: spectral richness from optical and all-weather reliability from radar. ## From Pixels to Decisions: Change Detection Change detection is the analytical engine behind most environmental monitoring programs. By comparing satellite images captured at different times, analysts can identify and quantify changes in vegetation, water bodies, land disturbance and land cover. Common change detection approaches include: - **Pixel-based analysis:** Direct comparison of reflectance values between dates to detect surface change. - **Index-based analysis:** Tracking changes in vegetation (NDVI) or water (NDWI) indices over time to quantify environmental health. - **Time-series analysis:** Using multiple observations to identify gradual trends rather than single events. - **Post-classification comparison:** Classifying each image before comparing land cover categories to assess urban expansion, deforestation or habitat loss. The same site captured a year apart, in 2024 (left) and 2025 (right). Comparing co-registered imagery across dates is how analysts quantify land disturbance, vegetation change and rehabilitation progress over time. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Accurate change detection requires carefully preprocessed imagery, consistent sensor types and proper temporal spacing. Working from orthorectified, analysis-ready data reduces preprocessing overhead and improves the reliability of change detection outputs. ## Putting It All Together A successful satellite-based environmental monitoring program typically follows these steps: 1. **Define objectives:** What environmental indicators need to be tracked? What is the scale and frequency required? 2. **Select sensors and resolution:** Choose the appropriate balance of spatial, spectral and temporal resolution for each application. 3. **Establish baselines:** Use archive imagery to create historical reference points. 4. **Design acquisition strategy:** Combine archive data with regular tasking to ensure consistent coverage. 5. **Plan for cloud and seasonal variability:** Incorporate SAR or high-revisit optical options to mitigate cloud risk. 6. **Integrate change detection workflows:** Build analytical pipelines that convert imagery into quantified environmental metrics. 7. **Validate and report:** Combine satellite insights with ground truthing where necessary to produce robust environmental reports. In practice, these steps come together in a single workspace, where areas of interest are defined, grouped and tracked from planning through to delivery: Setting out the areas to monitor for a program: several operation sites and a water catchment are defined, grouped and given an acquisition status, from pending and planned through to tasking, in progress and delivered. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. ## Conclusion Satellite imagery has become an indispensable tool for environmental monitoring, providing the coverage, frequency and analytical depth needed to understand and protect the natural environment at scale. By carefully selecting the right resolution, sensor type and acquisition strategy, organisations can build monitoring programs that deliver actionable insight rather than just raw data. Whether the goal is tracking vegetation health, monitoring water quality or verifying rehabilitation progress, the right satellite solution comes down to matching sensor, resolution and acquisition strategy to the specific environmental question being asked. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/guide-to-environmental-monitoring-using-satellite-imagery --- ### How Often Is Satellite Imagery Updated? Revisit Rates Explained - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-06-12 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery **How often is satellite imagery updated?** For most locations, modern commercial satellite constellations can capture new imagery daily - and in many cases multiple times per day. One of the most common questions organisations ask when considering satellite imagery is how recent the data can actually be, and the answer has changed dramatically. In the past, satellite imagery was often associated with outdated or infrequent coverage. That has changed significantly over the last decade. Commercial Earth observation providers now operate hundreds of satellites globally, allowing some locations to be revisited daily and in some cases several times per day. The reality, however, is that update frequency - often called the **satellite revisit rate** or **temporal resolution** - depends on several factors including location, weather conditions, image resolution and the type of monitoring being performed. ## Satellite Revisit Frequency Has Changed Rapidly Commercial Earth observation systems have expanded considerably in recent years. Instead of relying on a single satellite passing overhead every few weeks, providers now operate large constellations capable of collecting imagery continuously across different regions. You can explore the constellations we work with on our Satellites page. For organisations monitoring infrastructure, environmental change, agriculture or construction activity, this means imagery can often be collected far more frequently than many people expect. In practical terms, repeat satellite imagery may be available: - multiple times per week, - daily, - or even several times per day for some locations. Port Hedland, Western Australia captured on consecutive days - vessel movements and stockpile changes are visible just 24 hours apart. © 2025 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. As a guide, typical update frequencies by imagery source look like this: | Imagery source | Typical update frequency | Best suited for | | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Free public data (Sentinel-2) | Every ~5 days | Regional monitoring, long-term trends | | Free public data (Landsat 8/9) | Every ~8 days combined | Historical change analysis | | High-revisit commercial (~1m) | Up to 15 times per day | Rapid change detection, operational awareness | | Very high-resolution commercial (30-50cm) | Daily to intra-daily | Detailed site monitoring, compliance | | SAR (radar) | Multiple times per week, day or night | All-weather and wet-season monitoring | The actual usable frequency, however, still depends on conditions on the ground and the type of imagery being acquired. ## Weather Still Matters For optical satellite imagery, **cloud cover remains one of the biggest limitations** on how often usable imagery can be collected. Even though a satellite may pass over an area regularly, heavy cloud can prevent useful imagery from being captured. This is particularly relevant across parts of northern and coastal Australia where cloud cover can persist for extended periods during wet seasons. Because of this, monitoring programs are often planned around expected seasonal conditions and revisit opportunities rather than assuming every scheduled pass will produce usable imagery. Coastal conditions can change dramatically between captures - in cloud-prone regions, every clear-sky pass counts. In regions with persistent cloud, **Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)** imagery is increasingly being used alongside optical collections. Unlike standard optical imagery, SAR systems can collect data through cloud cover and during nighttime conditions, keeping monitoring schedules on track even through the wet season. ## Resolution Affects Collection Strategy Image resolution is still an important consideration, but higher resolution imagery no longer necessarily means long revisit times. Modern commercial constellations are capable of collecting very high-resolution imagery far more frequently than was possible only a few years ago. Some providers now operate multiple satellites capable of capturing imagery at resolutions around **30-35cm on a near-daily basis** across many regions globally. Very high-resolution captures over Perth - modern constellations deliver this level of detail far more frequently than just a few years ago. Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Instead of resolution alone determining collection frequency, the more important factors are usually: - cloud conditions, - acquisition priority, - satellite capacity, - and the size of the area being monitored. Larger monitoring areas may still require trade-offs between resolution, frequency and cost, particularly where consistent repeat coverage is required over broad regions. For many operational workflows, organisations focus on building a monitoring strategy that balances image detail, revisit frequency and overall program scalability rather than simply selecting the highest available resolution. Our guide to the best satellite imagery sources compares how the major providers stack up on resolution and revisit rates. ## Monitoring Programs vs One-Off Imagery Satellite imagery is increasingly being used as part of ongoing monitoring programs rather than one-time purchases. This is where repeat acquisition becomes particularly useful. Comparing imagery over time allows organisations to identify: - land disturbance, - infrastructure development, - vegetation change, - flooding, - construction progress, - and broader environmental trends. Repeat captures of the same site (2024 vs 2025) - regular acquisition turns individual images into measurable operational insight. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Rather than focusing only on the latest image, many organisations are now building historical monitoring datasets that provide long-term operational visibility. Techniques like change detection make these repeat collections genuinely actionable. ## Historical Archive Access Is Also Important Modern providers maintain extensive historical imagery archives covering many parts of the world. This allows organisations to compare current conditions against previous months or years without needing to commission imagery retroactively. Archive access is commonly used for: - environmental assessments, - infrastructure planning, - change detection, - compliance reporting, - and historical site analysis. Archive imagery comparison (2020 vs 2025) - historical data lets you look back in time without having commissioned imagery in advance. Imagery courtesy of ESA/Copernicus. For many projects, combining archive imagery with ongoing repeat collections provides the most useful operational workflow. ## Frequently Asked Questions About Satellite Imagery Updates **How often do satellites take pictures of the same place?** It depends on the constellation. Free public satellites like Sentinel-2 revisit every ~5 days, while large commercial constellations can image the same location daily or even multiple times per day. High-revisit systems can achieve up to 15 passes per day over mid-latitude locations such as Australia. **Why is Google Maps satellite imagery often years old?** Free basemaps like Google Maps and Google Earth are mosaics assembled from imagery that can be one to three years old, and you cannot control when they update. Commercial providers let you task a new capture or access recent archive imagery on demand - see our comparison of commercial vs free satellite data. **Can I get satellite imagery from yesterday or today?** Often, yes. If a commercial satellite captured your area recently, that archive imagery can be delivered within hours. For guaranteed recency, urgent satellite tasking can schedule a new capture, with imagery typically delivered within hours of acquisition. **Can satellites capture images through clouds?** Optical satellites cannot see through cloud, which is why cloud cover is the main constraint on usable update frequency. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, however, collect data through cloud and at night, making them a reliable complement for monitoring in cloud-prone regions. ## Final Thoughts Satellite imagery is now updated far more frequently than most organisations realise. Depending on the location, imagery type and operational requirements, repeat coverage may be available daily or several times each week. However, factors such as cloud cover, acquisition priority and image resolution still play an important role in determining how often usable imagery can be collected. For organisations using satellite data operationally, the focus is increasingly shifting away from one-off acquisitions and toward consistent monitoring programs that provide reliable visibility over time. **Want to know how frequently your site can be captured?** The Terrabit team can model realistic revisit rates, cloud risk and costs for your area of interest - so you know exactly what update frequency to expect before you commit. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/how-often-satellite-imagery-is-updated --- ### How to Add Satellite Imagery to QGIS: Open and High-Resolution Options - Author: Simon Greig, Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-08-27 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery **QGIS is one of the most widely used GIS platforms for viewing, analysing and managing spatial data, and adding satellite imagery to a QGIS project is relatively straightforward.** The harder question is usually which satellite imagery you should be using. There are many options available, from free 10m imagery through to commercial 30cm products. The right choice depends on what you need to see, how frequently you need imagery, and whether you are using it for visual reference, analysis or detailed mapping. This guide explains how to add satellite imagery to QGIS, where to find imagery, and how the different imagery options compare. > *Don't have QGIS yet?* *Download QGIS* A stretch of Western Australian coastline at high resolution. Individual vehicles in the car park, the boundary between mangrove and bare sand, and the sediment plumes in the shallows are all resolvable, which is the level of detail that decides what questions imagery can answer once it is loaded into QGIS. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ## What types of satellite imagery can you use in QGIS? There are three common ways to bring satellite imagery into QGIS: 1. **Online basemaps** for quick visual reference 2. **Free satellite imagery** such as Sentinel-2 and Landsat 3. **Commercial high-resolution satellite imagery** for detailed mapping and monitoring All three have a place in a GIS workflow. The important part is understanding what each dataset can actually tell you. ## 1. How to add online satellite basemaps to QGIS The quickest way to get satellite imagery into QGIS is often through an online basemap. These services provide imagery as map tiles that can be displayed directly in QGIS, and they are useful when you need a visual reference while working with other spatial data. For example, you might use a satellite basemap in QGIS to: - Locate infrastructure - Check access roads - Understand surrounding land use - Digitise features - Provide context for survey or engineering data - Quickly review an area before obtaining more detailed imagery There is an important distinction, however, between *viewing* satellite imagery online and *obtaining* satellite imagery as a dataset. Online basemaps are designed primarily for visualisation. You typically have limited control over the capture date, resolution, processing or underlying data. If you need a specific acquisition date, a defined area of interest, or imagery suitable for analysis, you will generally need the underlying imagery rather than a basemap. Basemaps for satellite imagery are typically a paid service and are added as an XYZ stream, as shown below, so this guide focuses more on downloading datasets and adding them to QGIS. The XYZ tab of the QGIS Data Source Manager. The URL takes the tile template, and any login or API key the service requires is either configured under Authentication or appended to the URL itself. You can add an XYZ layer in QGIS by: 1. Open QGIS. 2. Select **Layer → Add Layer → Add XYZ Layer**. 3. Copy the link to your XYZ tiling service (e.g. `https://example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png`). 4. Configure any authentication, usually in the form of a login or API key which may have to be appended to the URL. 5. Click **Add**. ## 2. How to use free satellite imagery in QGIS For many GIS applications, free satellite imagery is an excellent starting point. Two of the most commonly used sources are Sentinel-2 and Landsat. ### Sentinel-2 Sentinel-2 provides multispectral imagery at resolutions down to 10m, which makes it particularly useful for regional environmental and land-cover applications. You can explore Sentinel-2 imagery through the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, where you can search by location and date, view what is available and access the underlying data. Free imagery is well suited to: - Vegetation monitoring - Land-cover mapping - Agricultural analysis - Water monitoring - Bushfire and environmental assessment - Regional change detection - Broad-scale disturbance monitoring ### Landsat Landsat provides a long historical archive, which is particularly valuable when you are looking at change over many years. You can search Landsat and other Earth observation datasets through USGS EarthExplorer. Imagery can be downloaded and brought directly into QGIS for analysis. ### What are the limitations of free satellite imagery? The main limitation is spatial resolution. At 10m resolution, each pixel represents an area of roughly 10m by 10m on the ground. That is suitable for identifying broad patterns, but smaller features can be difficult or impossible to distinguish. Sentinel-2 may clearly show a large area of vegetation clearing, for example, but it will not give you the same level of detail when mapping individual buildings, haul roads or small earthworks. Our comparison of commercial and free satellite data works through where that line usually falls. ### How to load a downloaded satellite image into QGIS If you have downloaded satellite imagery as a GeoTIFF, adding it to QGIS takes a few seconds: 1. Open QGIS. 2. Select **Layer → Add Layer → Add Raster Layer**. 3. Browse to the satellite imagery file. 4. Select the file and click **Add**. The Raster tab of the QGIS Data Source Manager. Leave the source type as File, browse to the GeoTIFF or ECW and click Add. Properly georeferenced imagery lands in the correct position without any further work. The imagery will appear as a raster layer in your project, and in most cases you can simply drag and drop the file into the application. You can then combine the imagery with the other GIS layers you already work with, including: - Shapefiles - GeoPackages - CAD data - Survey data - Digital elevation models - Tenement boundaries - Infrastructure layers This is where satellite imagery becomes genuinely useful. Rather than looking at imagery in isolation, you can combine it with your existing spatial data. ## 3. How to use high-resolution commercial satellite imagery in QGIS When you need to see more detail, commercial satellite imagery is a significant step up in resolution. High-resolution commercial imagery is available at resolutions of 30cm to 50cm, depending on the sensor and product. At 30cm resolution, the amount of detail visible within an image is substantially greater than a 10m dataset. Residential and infrastructure detail Individual asset detail Two things a 10m pixel cannot give you. Individual roofs, street layouts, a subdivision under construction and treatment ponds on the left, individual solar panel rows and their shadows on the right. Both are countable and mappable features rather than patterns. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). That makes commercial imagery useful for: - Mining operations - Infrastructure - Construction monitoring - Earthworks - Roads and haul roads - Stockpiles - Buildings and facilities - Land disturbance - Rehabilitation - Detailed environmental monitoring The benefit is not simply that the image looks better. Higher resolution allows you to identify and map features that would be represented by only a few pixels, or would not be visible at all, in lower-resolution imagery. A dense, complex site at very high resolution. Individual rides, footpaths, parked coaches and cranes on an active construction area are all separable, which is the difference between mapping a site boundary and mapping what is happening inside it. Imagery courtesy of SIIS (SpaceEye-T). ### Looking for commercial satellite imagery for your QGIS project? Terrabit supplies high-resolution commercial satellite imagery as analysis ready data, which means the imagery arrives in a state you can work with immediately. Every dataset is delivered fully processed and correctly georeferenced in standard GIS formats, so there is no reprojecting, converting, mosaicking or tidying up before you can use it. You drag the file into QGIS, it lands in the right place, and you can start mapping or measuring straight away. For most teams that is the difference between spending a morning preparing imagery and spending that morning actually using it. Terrabit can provide archive imagery for areas that have already been captured, as well as newly tasked imagery where your project requires a specific date or area of interest. **Contact Terrabit** **to discuss what imagery is suitable for your project.** ## Free vs commercial satellite imagery: which should you use? It depends on what you are trying to achieve. | | Free satellite imagery | Commercial high-resolution imagery | | ------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------- | | **Typical resolution** | 10m+ | 30cm to 1m+ | | **Cost** | Free | Paid | | **Historical archive** | Extensive | Extensive, depending on provider | | **Regional monitoring** | Excellent | Excellent | | **Vegetation analysis** | Excellent | Excellent | | **Land-cover analysis** | Excellent | Excellent | | **Detailed infrastructure** | Limited | Excellent | | **Small-scale disturbance** | Limited | Excellent | | **Detailed site mapping** | Limited | Excellent | | **Specific acquisition requirements** | Limited | Available depending on tasking | | **Best suited to** | Regional analysis | Detailed site-level analysis | This does not mean commercial imagery is always the better option. If you are monitoring vegetation across thousands of square kilometres, 10m imagery may give you everything you need. If you are trying to identify a newly constructed access road across a mine site, 30cm imagery will tell you a very different story. > **The best imagery is the imagery that suits the question you are trying to answer.** Our guide to satellite imagery quality covers the other factors, beyond resolution, that decide whether a capture is usable. ## Can you use satellite imagery from Terrabit in QGIS? Yes. Satellite imagery supplied by Terrabit is delivered in standard geospatial formats that drop straight into existing GIS workflows, including QGIS. Imagery can be supplied as ECW, GeoTIFF or Cloud Optimised GeoTIFF (COG), and our format comparison explains which one suits which workflow. That means your team can keep using the GIS tools and workflows it already has, rather than being locked into a separate desktop environment. Imagery can also be combined with other spatial products, including digital elevation models and your existing project data. For organisations managing imagery across multiple projects, platforms such as Albatross simplify the process of searching for imagery, managing orders and accessing datasets. **Learn more about Albatross** ## Useful satellite imagery resources If you are getting started, these are some of the most useful places to find and work with satellite imagery: - **QGIS** for downloading QGIS and accessing documentation - **Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem** for Sentinel-2 and other Copernicus Earth observation data - **USGS EarthExplorer** for searching and downloading Landsat and other Earth observation datasets - **Terrabit Albatross** for searching, managing and accessing commercial satellite imagery ## What satellite imagery should you use for your project? There is no single satellite dataset that is right for every project. A useful starting point is to work backwards from the question you need to answer. **Do you need broad regional information?** Start with free, lower-resolution imagery such as Sentinel-2 or Landsat. **Do you need detailed site-level information?** Consider commercial high-resolution imagery. **Do you need to understand change over time?** Look at archive imagery across multiple dates. **Do you need elevation information as well as imagery?** Consider stereo satellite imagery and a suitable DEM. **Do you need frequent monitoring?** Look at the monitoring interval you need, then at the available archive and tasking options. The objective is always to select the dataset that gives you the information you need at the appropriate resolution, frequency and cost. ## Final thoughts Adding satellite imagery to QGIS is easy. Choosing the right satellite imagery is the more important decision. Free imagery provides excellent regional coverage and suits many environmental and land-cover applications. Commercial imagery provides the detail you need to identify smaller features or monitor specific sites. Historical imagery adds another dimension altogether. A snapshot tells you what is there. A timeline tells you what changed. By combining the right imagery with QGIS and your existing spatial data, satellite imagery becomes much more than a basemap. It becomes a practical source of information for monitoring, analysis and decision-making. If you are unsure what resolution, imagery source or acquisition approach is right for your project, get in touch with Terrabit. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I use satellite imagery in QGIS?** Yes. QGIS supports common raster formats such as GeoTIFF and can also connect to online imagery services. Satellite imagery can be displayed alongside vector, survey, CAD, elevation and other GIS datasets. **What is the best satellite imagery for QGIS?** There is no single best dataset. Sentinel-2 and Landsat are excellent free options for broad-scale monitoring, while commercial 30cm or 50cm imagery is better suited to detailed site-level applications. **How do I add satellite imagery to QGIS?** To add a downloaded image, go to **Layer → Add Layer → Add Raster Layer**, browse to your GeoTIFF or ECW file, then click **Add**. The imagery loads as a raster layer and aligns with your other project data. Online basemaps can be added as tile services instead. **Can I use Google satellite imagery in QGIS?** Online satellite basemaps can be displayed in QGIS through appropriate mapping services, subject to their terms and licensing conditions. If you need imagery as a dataset for analysis, it is better to obtain properly licensed imagery in a suitable GIS format. **Is Sentinel-2 free?** Yes. Sentinel-2 imagery is available as open data and is widely used for environmental monitoring, land-cover analysis, agriculture and change detection. **What is the difference between Sentinel-2 and commercial satellite imagery?** The biggest difference is spatial resolution and the resulting level of detail. Sentinel-2 provides imagery at resolutions down to 10m, while commercial satellites can provide imagery at 30cm or better. The right option depends on the features and scale of your analysis. **What is analysis ready satellite imagery?** Analysis ready imagery has already been processed and georeferenced so it can be used as soon as it is delivered. It loads into QGIS in the correct position without reprojection, format conversion or other preparation work. **Can satellite imagery be used for change detection?** Yes. Comparing imagery from different acquisition dates is a common approach to change detection. It can be used to monitor clearing, construction, infrastructure development, rehabilitation, flooding and other changes over time. **Can satellite imagery provide elevation data?** Yes. Stereo satellite imagery can be used to generate elevation products such as digital surface models (DSMs) and digital terrain models (DTMs), depending on the imagery and processing approach. **Can Terrabit provide satellite imagery for QGIS?** Yes. Terrabit supplies analysis ready satellite imagery suitable for integration into GIS workflows, including high-resolution commercial imagery and archive imagery. Products can be delivered in standard formats such as ECW, GeoTIFF and Cloud Optimised GeoTIFF. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/how-to-add-satellite-imagery-into-qgis --- ### Satellite Data for Mining: Exploration to Rehab - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-09-17 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Industry Solutions Consistent satellite captures reveal activity and change through exploration, operations and rehabilitation. Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS) and processed by the Terrabit Team. Satellite data is a core asset in the mining industry. From early exploration to post‑closure rehabilitation, satellite imagery offers a reliable, cost‑effective and scalable way to monitor and manage mining operations. Here’s how satellite data supports each stage of the mine lifecycle: ## 1. Exploration: Smarter Targeting with Remote Sensing In the early stages, satellite data enables broad‑area assessment of geological conditions before committing to costly field surveys. **Key Uses:** - **Multispectral and hyperspectral data** to identify surface mineralogy - **High‑resolution basemaps** to identify outcrops and context - **Digital Elevation Models** for access planning and infrastructure design - **Historical imagery** to analyse previous exploration and mining activity **Outcomes:** - Reduced field costs and on‑ground risks - Faster site prioritisation - Data‑driven target selection Hyperspectral sensing supports surface mineralogy mapping and alteration detection. Image courtesy of Wyvern and processed by the Terrabit Team. ## 2. Site Planning: DEMs, Basemaps and Constraints for Design Before ground is broken, satellite data reduces uncertainty and accelerates design iterations by providing consistent, current context over the full area of interest. **Key uses:** - **High‑resolution basemaps (30–50cm)** to plan the layout of pits, waste dumps, ROM pads, haul roads and tailings facilities with real‑world context. - **Digital Elevation Models (DEM/DSM)** derived from stereo/tri‑stereo optical captures to support drainage design, slope classification, catchment analysis and tailings wall planning. - **Corridor routing and access planning** for roads, pipelines and power-identify constraints early (steep slopes, wetlands, riparian buffers, land tenure and easements). - **Viewshed/line‑of‑sight and shadow analysis** for communications, surveillance and blast exclusion zones. - **Hydrology and surface water mapping** to locate ephemeral channels, floodplains and potential water‑logging risks for pads and roads. - **Environmental and heritage constraints** using time‑series to confirm baseline vegetation extent and sensitive habitat proximity for approvals. **Recommended data:** very high‑resolution optical, recent DEM/DSM, historical imagery for baselines. **Outcomes:** fewer redesign loops, lower on‑ground survey time, earlier risk discovery and a clear, auditable planning baseline. ## 3. Construction: Progress Tracking of Major Infrastructure and Environmental Controls Once works commence, frequent, consistent captures provide objective progress evidence and early warnings-without mobilising additional survey crews. **Construction monitoring use cases:** - **Progress tracking** at daily/weekly cadence; overlay planned vs actual to flag schedule variance on roads, pads and facilities. - **Earthworks and materials**: monitor cut/fill extents, stockpile growth and laydown areas; optional volumetrics where suitable surface models exist. - **Mid construction quality assurance and control**: validate alignments for haul roads, tailings embankments and drainage features against design. - **Environmental controls**: verify sediment basins, erosion controls, turbidity risks, clearing limits and buffer compliance during works. - **Logistics and interfaces**: observe construction at ports/railheads and other interfaces to coordinate sequencing and access (see example below). Coastal infrastructure example: high‑resolution imagery supports port construction monitoring-tracking breakwater progress, dredging activity, berth construction and laydown growth-without additional site mobilisations. Port construction can be monitored via frequent high‑resolution captures to validate sequencing, shoreline works and buffer compliance. **Cadence & delivery:** daily for critical paths, weekly for routine builds; analysis‑ready, orthorectified products to drop into GIS/BI for quick reviews. **Benefits:** independent, consistent record of progress, reduced site travel, early risk detection and stronger stakeholder/compliance reporting. ## 4. Operations: High‑Resolution Monitoring and Change Detection The operational phase is where satellite imagery has become an essential part of modern mine management. With constellations now offering very high‑resolution capture and frequent revisits, operators can observe and assess changes across the site with accurate, consistent data. Year‑to‑year comparison enables precise change detection for active pits and haul roads. Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ### Focus Areas #### High‑Resolution Site Imagery Detailed very high‑resolution optical imagery gives mine managers a current and accurate visual record of site conditions. This supports: - Visual inspection of haul roads, pits and waste dumps - Volume estimation of stockpiles - Asset tracking across large areas #### Change Detection Regular image acquisition allows detection of physical changes on‑site, especially useful for identifying: - Vegetation clearance and compliance reporting - Unauthorized land use or encroachment - Unplanned expansion of pits or dumps - Shifts in water bodies or drainage patterns Change maps and digitisation provide a clear, objective record of operational activity over time, aiding internal decision‑making, compliance records and stakeholder communication. > Did you know: Satellite data and products can be used to verify activity on an exploration or mining lease, allowing it to be counted as an expenditure. Whole‑of‑site comparisons support operational reviews and external reporting. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). **Operational Benefits:** - Independent, consistent oversight of large or remote sites - Monitoring construction or infrastructure projects in complex environments (e.g., port development) to ensure accuracy and compliance - Early warning of compliance risks or physical hazards - Lower reliance on field inspections or drone deployments - Improved reporting for ESG and regulatory frameworks ## 5. Rehabilitation: Remote Time‑Series Monitoring of Regrowth, Stability and Compliance Satellite data plays a crucial role in mine closure planning and post‑closure monitoring by providing an objective, time‑stamped record of land use and recovery. Repeat capture supports objective tracking of activity decline and surface stabilisation through the closure phase. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SIIS. **Key Uses:** - **Regulatory compliance:** High‑resolution monitoring tracks rehabilitation milestones under WA’s Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) and QLD’s Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan (PRCP), providing audit‑ready evidence. - **Vegetation regrowth monitoring** using NDVI and other vegetation indices - **Species detection** differentiating native and invasive species Because satellites can capture imagery years or even decades after mine closure without a site visit, they are an ideal tool for long‑term environmental audits and stakeholder reporting. We use analysis‑ready data, standards‑based delivery and APIs so imagery flows into your systems for both insight and efficiency. ## Bringing It All Together Satellite data is no longer a novelty in mining-it’s a practical tool for day‑to‑day operations. With use cases across the full mining cycle from start to finish, there is a place for satellite products and solutions. Terrabit offers high‑quality, accurate satellite data and analytics throughout the mine cycle, including ongoing mine site monitoring and stockpile volumetric reporting. Talk to our team to learn more about how our service can assist. Get a Quote → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/mine-site-monitoring-lifecycle-satellite-data --- ### Satellite Pre-Processing Explained: Raw Pixels to Insight - Author: Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-11-13 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Data Analytics > **Terrabit insight:** The accuracy of any downstream analytics hinges on the quality of the pre-processing pipeline that prepares your imagery. When people see a high resolution and cloud-free satellite image, they rarely think about the complex steps that went into producing it. In reality, the raw data captured by satellites is far from ready to use. Whether for environmental monitoring, mapping, or commercial analytics, **pre-processing** is the essential foundation that transforms raw pixels into analysis ready data. Let’s lift the curtain on what really happens before an image reaches your screen. Terrabit’s end-to-end workflow from raw capture through QA, ensuring analysis-ready outputs for your monitoring operations. Diagram created by Terrabit. ### 1. Data Capture and Radiometric Correction Every satellite sensor captures data in digital numbers (DNs) - values that represent the intensity of light detected by the sensor for each band. These raw numbers must first be converted into a physical unit, typically **radiance**, to make them meaningful for scientific and analytical use. _Think of this as translating the satellite’s “language” into something humans and software can understand._ ### 2. Atmospheric Correction Between the satellite and Earth’s surface is an unpredictable layer - our atmosphere. It scatters, absorbs and distorts light, particularly under hazy, humid or smoky conditions. Atmospheric correction compensates for this interference, converting the radiance values to _surface reflectance_ so that the pixel values represents the ground response, not at the top of the atmosphere. This step is crucial for any time-series analysis or land cover change study. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WVL captures over active mine sites). False-colour output, emphasising vegetational signatures across the pit. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion captures over active mine sites). ### 3. Geometric Correction and Orthorectification Raw satellite data isn’t aligned to ground coordinates. Terrain, capture angle and sensor motion all cause spatial distortions. Geometric correction aligns the image to a map projection, while **orthorectification** removes distortions using a digital elevation model (DEM). The result? Every pixel corresponds precisely to a geographic coordinate - essential for accurate measurement, mapping and integration with other GIS data. ### 4. Cloud and Shadow Masking Even during the dry season imagery can be compromised by clouds and their shadows. Semi-automated masking and manual QA identifies and replaces these unwanted objects with overlapping cloud free data, allowing analysts to focus on their analysis not masking. This is especially important in tropical regions where cloud-free imagery can be rare. ### 5. Mosaicking Large projects often require multiple scenes to cover a region of interest. Mosaicking blends overlapping images into seamless and colour balanced mosaic. These processes balance visual quality with scientific accuracy - part art, part science. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion captures over Australian mine sites). Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion captures over Australian mine sites). ### 6. Quality Assurance Before delivery, each dataset undergoes rigorous quality checks - verifying alignment and accuracy. A small error at this stage can compromise the integrity of downstream analytics. For professional imagery providers, QA isn’t just a box to tick - it’s what separates a “pretty picture” from a reliable dataset. ### Final Thoughts Pre-processing may be invisible to most end users, but it’s the unsung hero of satellite analytics. Every corrected pixel represents hours of computation and technical expertise. Next time you see a clean, cloud-free image - remember, there’s a world of processing behind those perfect pixels. > Need analysis-ready imagery without the guesswork? Our team manages end-to-end pre-processing so you can move straight to insight. Talk to Terrabit about your next project. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/pre-processing-satellite-imagery --- ### Remote Site Monitoring with Satellites - How it Works - Author: Zachary Walls, Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-10-07 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Data Analytics In today's fast-paced world, knowing what's happening at your site is critical. Whether it's construction projects spanning hundreds of acres, active mining operations, agricultural fields across multiple regions, or distributed utility infrastructure, having actionable data at your fingertips can save time, reduce risk and optimise operations. Terrabit makes remote site monitoring simple, reliable and actionable through advanced geospatial intelligence. ## What is Remote Site Monitoring? Remote site monitoring uses satellite or aerial imagery to track conditions and activities at locations that are difficult or costly to visit frequently. Instead of sending teams on-site multiple times per week, you can access geospatial data collected at intervals ranging from bi-weekly to yearly-depending on satellite availability and your operational requirements. This enables smarter, faster decision-making backed by objective, verifiable data. Modern satellite constellations can capture imagery at resolutions from 30cm per pixel, depending on the sensor and application. This means you can detect objects as small as individual vehicles, track vegetation health at the plant level, or monitor landscape-scale changes across thousands of kilometres simultaneously. Change detection: Mining movement and changes between 2024 and 2025. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS) - processed by Terrabit. ## How Terrabit Makes It Work Terrabit combines advanced satellite technology, AI-driven analytics and tailored monitoring strategies to provide comprehensive visibility into your remote sites. Here's how we transform raw geospatial data into operational intelligence: ### 1. Define Your Monitoring Goals Every site is different. Terrabit works with you to identify what needs monitoring-whether that's tracking equipment movement on construction sites, measuring stockpile volumes in mining operations, assessing crop health using vegetation indices like NDVI and NDRE, monitoring construction progress against project milestones, or detecting unauthorised access to restricted areas-and determining optimal data collection frequency. We help you establish baseline conditions, define thresholds for alerts and identify the specific metrics that matter to your operations, whether that's change detection accuracy, temporal resolution, or specific spectral bands needed for your analysis. ### 2. Task the Right Satellite We recommend the best satellite constellation and imaging parameters for your specific needs. Options include: **Optical Imagery**: High-resolution visible and multispectral sensors (0.3m-5m resolution) ideal for visual inspections, progress tracking and standard change detection. Best for cloud-free conditions and daytime monitoring. **Hyperspectral Data**: Captures hundreds of narrow spectral bands, enabling precise material identification, mineral mapping, vegetation stress detection beyond what's visible to the human eye and contamination monitoring. **Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)**: Penetrates clouds and operates day or night, making it essential for all-weather monitoring. Particularly valuable for detecting ground deformation, measuring soil moisture, monitoring flood extent and tracking changes in infrastructure. The selection depends on your monitoring objectives, required revisit frequency and environmental conditions at your site location. Monitoring mining corridors for activity and compliance. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS) - processed by Terrabit. ### 3. Automated Data Collection Once satellite tasking is configured, data is collected automatically according to your schedule. For critical applications requiring near-real-time monitoring, we can leverage constellations offering multiple daily passes or hourly updates. This automation eliminates the need for manual coordination and ensures consistent data capture regardless of your team's availability or site accessibility constraints. ### 4. Data Processing & Analysis Raw satellite data undergoes several processing stages: **Radiometric Correction**: Compensates for sensor variations and atmospheric interference to ensure consistent, comparable data across time series. **Geometric Correction**: Orthorectifies imagery to correct distortions from terrain relief and sensor viewing angle, enabling accurate measurements and overlay with other geospatial datasets. **Atmospheric Correction**: Removes atmospheric effects like haze, water vapor and aerosols to derive true surface reflectance values, critical for vegetation analysis and change detection. Machine learning algorithms then analyse the processed data to identify patterns, anomalies, or changes relevant to your operations. This includes: - **Change detection algorithms** that identify differences between time periods with sub-meter accuracy - **Object detection models** trained to recognise specific equipment, vehicles, or infrastructure elements - **Spectral analysis** for vegetation health assessment, mineral identification, or material classification - **Time-series analysis** to identify trends, seasonal patterns, or deviations from normal conditions - **Volume calculations** for stockpiles, excavations, or earthwork using digital elevation models Vegetation and land use change at Gladstone, QLD (2020–2025). Time series analysis via remote sensing allows for environmental monitoring on a scale not possible by manual or other means. ### 5. Actionable Insights Delivered Processed insights are delivered through intuitive dashboards, automated alerts, or integrated APIs that connect directly with your existing project management or GIS systems. You can: - Visualise multi-temporal data to track progress over weeks, months, or years - Compare current conditions against baseline or previous periods - Receive threshold-based alerts when specific conditions are detected (e.g., unauthorised changes, equipment absence, vegetation stress) - Generate automated reports with quantitative metrics like area measurements, volume calculations, or index values - Export analysis results in standard formats (GeoTIFF, Shapefile, KML) for integration with tools like ArcGIS or QGIS. All of this happens without requiring specialised remote sensing expertise from your team. > **Unfamiliar with GIS Software?** Our portal allows for easy viewing and use of satellite data all from your browser, making it easy to share internally with your team without needing any specialised GIS expertise. Visit our Company page to learn more about our mission and technology. ### 6. Continuous Optimisation Terrabit continuously refines your monitoring program based on evolving site conditions, seasonal factors and your operational goals. If we detect that certain areas require more frequent monitoring or different sensor types would provide better insights, we adjust the collection strategy accordingly. This adaptive approach ensures you always have the most relevant, timely and actionable information while optimising cost-effectiveness. Hyperspectral analytics reveal what the eye cannot see-detecting subtle changes in minerals, vegetation health and surface materials for advanced site monitoring. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern - processed by Terrabit. ## Benefits of Remote Site Monitoring **Reduced operational risk**: Detect issues like erosion, unauthorised access, equipment displacement, or vegetation stress days or weeks before they escalate into costly problems. **Lower costs**: Minimise travel expenses, reduce manual inspection frequency by up to 70% and eliminate safety risks associated with accessing hazardous or remote locations. **Faster decision-making**: Receive insights within hours of satellite collection rather than waiting days for traditional site visits. Intra-daily updates enable rapid response to changing conditions. **Better resource allocation**: Deploy field teams only when satellite data indicates intervention is needed, focusing human expertise where it delivers maximum value. **Objective documentation**: Maintain time-stamped, georeferenced records of site conditions for regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, or progress verification. **Scalability**: Monitor hundreds of sites across different regions with the same effort required for monitoring one, enabling enterprise-wide visibility at unprecedented scale. ## Real-World Applications **Construction**: Track earthwork progress against schedules, monitor equipment positioning, verify contractor work and document site conditions for legal protection. **Mining**: Measure stockpile volumes, monitor tailings dam stability, track haul road conditions and assess rehabilitation progress on former mine sites. **Agriculture**: Calculate vegetation indices to identify underperforming areas, optimise irrigation scheduling, detect pest or disease outbreaks early and verify crop coverage for insurance purposes. **Utilities**: Monitor transmission corridors for vegetation encroachment, assess damage after severe weather, track construction impacts on rights-of-way and identify potential security threats. Unlock actionable insights for your sites with Terrabit’s advanced satellite monitoring and analytics-tailored to your operational needs. Connect with our team to see how remote site monitoring can transform your decision-making. Get a Quote → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/remote-site-monitoring-how-it-works --- ### Satellite Asset Monitoring for Mines, Ports and Remote Operations - Author: Zachary Walls, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-05-14 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Industry Solutions **Satellite monitoring doesn't need to be complex.** For teams managing large, remote or distributed sites - mines, ports, construction corridors, energy assets and environmental projects - the challenge isn't whether satellite imagery is useful. It's how to access it quickly, identify what has changed, and share insight across operations without building an entire geospatial team. This guide walks through how satellite asset monitoring works in practice, what high-resolution commercial satellite imagery can reveal across a site, and how Terrabit's Albatross platform turns regular captures into operational awareness for mining, infrastructure, port and environmental teams. ## What Is Satellite Asset Monitoring? Satellite asset monitoring is the use of repeat high-resolution Earth observation imagery to track physical assets, infrastructure and on-ground change across a site over time. Rather than relying on costly field visits, aircraft surveys or scattered drone captures, satellite monitoring delivers a consistent, audit-ready view of what is happening across your operations - whether that operation spans a single pit or thousands of kilometres of remote infrastructure. In its most useful form, satellite asset monitoring combines two complementary capabilities: - **Asset identification** - locating, measuring and tracking discrete features on a site. Vehicles, heavy equipment, stockpiles, tailings facilities, container yards, vessels, laydown areas, processing infrastructure, haul roads, sediment ponds and rehabilitation zones are all visible at modern satellite resolutions. - **Change detection** - comparing imagery from different dates to highlight what has moved, grown, shrunk, been built, been cleared or been disturbed. For a deeper look at the methods behind this, see our guide on what is change detection. Together, these turn satellite imagery from a static picture into an operational dataset - one that supports faster decisions, independent verification and a defensible record of site activity over time. ## What You Can Monitor from Space Modern commercial satellite constellations now deliver resolutions down to 30cm, with daily revisit capability across Australia. At that level of detail, satellite asset monitoring is no longer a regional, big-picture tool - it is a site-level operational tool. The following are all routinely monitored from satellite imagery on Albatross: | Asset / Feature | Why It's Monitored | | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Vehicles and heavy equipment | Production activity, contractor presence, unauthorised access | | Stockpiles and laydown areas | Material movement, volume change, logistics planning | | Pit boundaries and benches | Extraction progress, disturbance footprint, planning compliance | | Tailings storage facilities | Capacity, freeboard, surface water, perimeter integrity | | Haul roads and access tracks | Condition, expansion, encroachment | | Buildings, plant and infrastructure | Construction progress, asset inventory, damage assessment | | Vessels and port logistics | Berthing activity, dwell time, throughput indicators | | Vegetation and rehabilitation | Recovery progress, clearing limits, compliance | | Water bodies, sediment, runoff | Environmental performance, weather impact | For a wider view of how this applies across different industries, see Satellite Data for Mining: Exploration to Rehab and our Industry Solutions pages. For mine sites specifically, see our mine site monitoring and stockpile volumetric reporting services. ## Why High-Resolution Commercial Imagery Matters Open-access satellite data such as Sentinel-2 (10m) and Landsat (15-30m) is excellent for regional baselines, vegetation indices and broad change. But for asset-level monitoring of an active operation, resolution and revisit cadence become the deciding factors. **Resolution determines what you can identify:** - **30 - 35cm (very high resolution)** - individual vehicles, structural detail, earthworks, vessels at berth, fence lines, small structures. Ideal for active mining, construction, port logistics and detailed infrastructure inspection. - **50 - 80cm (high resolution)** - clear identification of stockpiles, pit boundaries, plant footprints, road networks and laydown areas. A strong balance of detail and cost for recurring monitoring programs. - **2 - 3m (medium-high resolution)** - useful for site-scale change detection, environmental controls and rehabilitation tracking where individual-asset detail is not required. **Revisit cadence determines how quickly you see change:** Daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly programs all have a place. Active construction or compliance windows may warrant daily captures; mature operations may only need monthly. The right cadence is a balance of operational tempo, risk profile and budget. For time-critical scenarios, see our guide on urgent satellite tasking in Australia. > **Note:** Cloud cover, off-nadir angle and seasonal sun elevation all affect how usable a given capture is. A good monitoring program plans for these conditions rather than reacting to them - building in tasking windows, backup constellations and weather-resilient options such as SAR where appropriate. ## How Albatross Simplifies Satellite Monitoring The historical barrier to satellite asset monitoring has never been the imagery itself - it has been the workflow around it. Sourcing data from multiple vendors, processing it to a usable standard, comparing dates, sharing outputs with non-GIS users, and keeping a clean record of what was captured when. Albatross was built to remove that overhead. Albatross brings tasking, archive browsing, analysis-ready imagery and side-by-side review into a single secure environment. Inside the Albatross platform, teams can: - **Define and manage Areas of Interest (AOIs)** across single sites or entire portfolios. - **Browse archive imagery** and submit new tasking requests against the same workflow. For a comparison of when to use each, see archive vs tasking. - **Access analysis-ready imagery** - orthorectified, atmospherically corrected and ready to overlay without additional pre-processing. See our breakdown of pre-processing satellite imagery for what that involves. - **Review captures side-by-side** to identify site change, asset movement and progression between dates. - **Share insights** with operations, compliance, executive and external stakeholders without requiring every viewer to be a GIS specialist. The outcome is a single, secure environment where satellite monitoring becomes part of the operational rhythm - not a one-off project that lives on someone's desktop. ## Industry Applications ### Mining and Resource Operations Mining is the highest-value use case for satellite asset monitoring across Australia, and one of the most mature. With sites often spanning hundreds of square kilometres in remote regions, satellite imagery delivers an independent, repeatable view of what's happening on the ground. Typical satellite asset monitoring applications on a mine site include: - Pit progression and bench advancement tracking - Overburden, waste dump and laydown area growth - Stockpile location, footprint change and movement - Heavy equipment and contractor activity oversight - Tailings storage facility (TSF) perimeter, surface water and freeboard checks - Haul road condition, expansion and unauthorised access detection - Encroachment monitoring of vegetation regrowth - Disturbance footprint reporting against approved boundaries - Rehabilitation progress through NDVI and multispectral analysis - Independent verification of contractor and operator reporting At 35cm resolution from constellations like BlackSky Gen-3 and 30cm from WorldView-3 and WorldView Legion, individual trucks, drill rigs and structural changes are all identifiable - supporting daily-tempo operational awareness without site mobilisations. ### Infrastructure and Construction Major infrastructure - road, rail, pipelines, transmission, water, renewables - increasingly relies on satellite monitoring for progress documentation, contractor management and milestone verification across linear and remote corridors. Common infrastructure monitoring use cases include: - Construction progress tracking against schedule - Earthworks, cut/fill and laydown growth - Alignment validation for roads, rail and pipelines - Sediment basin, erosion control and clearing limit compliance - Independent visual evidence for stakeholder reporting - Post-event impact assessment after storms, floods or bushfires For more on this sector, see our infrastructure solutions page. ### Ports and Maritime Logistics Port and maritime monitoring is one of the fastest-growing satellite asset monitoring use cases. High-resolution imagery makes individual vessels, container stacks, berthing activity, dredging works and breakwater progress identifiable - useful for operators, regulators, financiers and supply chain analysts. Typical port monitoring applications include: - Vessel counts, berth occupancy and dwell time indicators - Container yard density and throughput trends - Construction monitoring at port expansion projects - Dredging extents and stockpile management - Environmental compliance around breakwaters and outfalls ### Environmental and Compliance Beyond active assets, satellite monitoring is a core tool for environmental performance, compliance and disclosure. The same imagery that supports operational oversight provides an audit-ready record for regulators, communities and investors. Common environmental applications include: - Vegetation clearing and rehabilitation tracking - Water body extent, turbidity and seasonal change - Sediment plume and runoff mapping after rainfall events - Fire scar mapping and recovery monitoring using NBR - Wetland and coastal change monitoring - ESG reporting evidence See our environmental solutions for a deeper view. ## From Imagery to Operational Awareness Imagery on its own isn't insight. The shift from "satellite data" to "satellite asset monitoring" happens when imagery is captured on a defined cadence, processed to a consistent standard, compared between dates and made accessible to the people who actually need to act on it. The Terrabit monitoring pipeline - from AOI definition and tasking to analysis-ready imagery, side-by-side review and shared insight in Albatross. A typical Albatross-supported monitoring program looks like: 1. **Define AOIs and objectives.** What sites, what features and what change matters most. A pit, a TSF, a port berth, a construction corridor or a rehabilitation cell will each have a different monitoring profile. 2. **Set a capture cadence.** Daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly - with the flexibility to escalate to urgent tasking when an event demands it. 3. **Choose the right resolution mix.** Very high resolution where detail matters, high resolution where coverage matters, archive imagery for baselines. See our full satellite imagery products for the options available. 4. **Deliver analysis-ready outputs.** Orthorectified to client supplied control or satellite ephemeris data, atmospherically corrected and ready for direct overlay in Albatross, GIS, BI or compliance workflows. 5. **Review, compare and share.** Side-by-side dates, change products, indices and exports for stakeholders who don't need access to the full platform. 6. **Build a defensible record.** Every capture, every observation and every shared report becomes part of an audit trail that supports compliance, investor reporting and operational governance. ## Why Operators Are Moving to Satellite-Based Asset Monitoring Three forces are driving Australian organisations toward satellite asset monitoring as a standard operational tool: - **Cost and access.** Commercial constellations have expanded rapidly, daily revisit is now available, and resolutions that were government-only a decade ago are commercially accessible. Costs per square kilometre continue to fall. - **Scale and remoteness.** Field-based monitoring scales linearly - more sites, more people, more travel. Satellite monitoring scales near-vertically. Whether you are monitoring one mine or twenty, the workflow is the same. - **Compliance and ESG expectations.** Regulators, financiers and communities increasingly expect independent, time-stamped evidence of operational and environmental performance. Satellite imagery delivers that evidence without relying on the operator's own reporting. Combined, these forces have moved satellite asset monitoring from a specialist niche into a core part of how large and remote operations are managed. ## Getting Started A useful satellite monitoring program rarely starts with "buy a lot of imagery." It starts with a clear view of which assets matter most, how often change needs to be detected, and which stakeholders need to see the output. From there, Terrabit can advise on the right resolution mix, capture cadence and tasking strategy for your sites - and Albatross handles the workflow from AOI to delivered insight. > Ready to put satellite asset monitoring to work across your operations? Explore the Albatross platform, browse our satellite imagery products and active satellite constellations, or request a tailored quote today. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/satellite-asset-monitoring-for-remote-operations --- ### Satellite Imagery for Government Planning and Emergency Response - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-04-08 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Industry Solutions Satellite imagery has become an essential data source for government agencies responsible for land management, infrastructure planning, environmental monitoring and emergency response. Modern Earth observation systems allow large areas to be monitored quickly, safely and repeatedly without requiring aircraft or field access, making satellite data particularly valuable for regional and remote operations. Government organisations use satellite imagery for a wide range of applications including disaster response, urban planning, environmental compliance, defence, border monitoring, infrastructure development and scientific research. With the growth of commercial satellite constellations, imagery is now available at higher resolution, with faster revisit times and more flexible acquisition options than ever before. This blog explains how satellite imagery is used in government workflows, what types of data are commonly required and how modern commercial satellite systems support planning and emergency response operations. Satellite imagery provides consistent, repeatable coverage of large or remote areas - critical for national programs spanning multiple states or regions. ## Why satellite imagery is widely used by government agencies Government projects often cover very large areas and may involve locations that are difficult to access on the ground. Satellite imagery provides consistent, repeatable coverage across entire regions without the need for aircraft mobilisation or site visits. Compared to aerial surveys, satellite imagery can usually be acquired faster for large areas and can be captured repeatedly over time, making it suitable for monitoring change as well as mapping. Common advantages include: - Coverage of large or remote areas - Repeat imaging over long time periods - No need for field access - Availability of historical archive data - Ability to capture new imagery on demand - Multispectral and radar analysis capability Because satellites operate globally, the same workflow can be used across multiple states, countries or continents, which is important for national and international programs. ## Planning applications Satellite imagery is frequently used during the planning stage of government projects where recent, accurate and consistent base data is required. Typical planning uses include urban expansion studies, transport corridor design, environmental impact assessments, land use mapping and infrastructure development. High-resolution optical imagery provides a clear visual reference, while multispectral data allows analysis of vegetation, water, soil and surface conditions. Lower resolution imagery such as 10m or 30m data is often suitable for regional studies, while 50cm to 30cm imagery are required for detailed planning in built-up areas. From dense urban harbours to major transport infrastructure - 30-50 cm satellite imagery resolves individual buildings, road corridors and assets for planning and design. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS). | Application | Typical resolution | | ------------------------- | ------------------ | | Regional land use mapping | 10m - 30m | | Environmental assessment | 10m - 3m | | Corridor planning | 70cm - 50cm | | Urban planning | 50cm - 30cm | | Infrastructure design | 50cm - 30cm | In many cases, government agencies use archive imagery first to review historical conditions before ordering new captures for the current project stage. ## Emergency Management Satellite imagery is widely used during natural disasters and emergency situations because it can capture large areas quickly and does not require access to affected locations. During events such as floods, bushfires, cyclones, landslides or earthquakes, satellite data can be used to assess damage, monitor change and support decision-making. Flood extent mapping and storm damage assessment are two of the most common emergency response use cases for satellite imagery. Optical imagery is commonly used for visual assessment, while radar imagery is often used when cloud cover prevents normal imaging. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can capture data at night and through cloud, which makes it valuable during severe weather events. SAR data captured by KOMPSAT-5 - able to image day or night and through cloud, making it a critical asset during cyclones, floods and storms. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS). High-revisit constellations are particularly useful during emergencies because they can capture the same location multiple times per day. ### Emergency use | Emergency use | Typical data type | | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | Flood extent mapping | SAR / optical | | Fire damage assessment | Optical / multispectral | | Storm damage | High-resolution optical | | Landslides | Optical / DEM | | Oil spills / water monitoring | Multispectral / hyperspectral | | Activity monitoring | High-revisit optical | Because disasters often require rapid response, agencies may order tasking instead of archive imagery to ensure the capture date is as recent as possible. Burn scar mapping after a bushfire - multispectral analysis lets agencies quickly delineate impacted areas and prioritise recovery efforts. Satellite imagery is also widely used before emergency events occur to monitor conditions, assess risk and support preparedness planning. By analysing vegetation health, terrain, moisture levels and historical change, agencies can identify areas that may be more likely to be affected by bushfires, floods, landslides or storms. Multispectral imagery is commonly used to monitor vegetation condition and fuel load, while Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are used to model water flow, flood risk and landslide susceptibility. High-resolution optical imagery is often used to map buildings, roads and critical infrastructure before an event so damage can be compared against a known baseline. Mt Kinahan, Western Australia - RGB versus NDVI. Multispectral indices reveal vegetation health and fuel load that are not visible in standard optical imagery, supporting fire risk mapping ahead of high-risk seasons. ### Pre-event monitoring | Pre-event use | Typical data type or Solution | | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Vegetation health / fuel load | Multispectral / indices | | Fire risk mapping | Multispectral / high-resolution optical | | Flood modelling | DEM / SAR / optical | | Drainage and terrain analysis | DEM | | Landslide risk assessment | DEM / optical | | Coastal erosion monitoring | Optical / SAR | | Infrastructure exposure mapping | High-resolution optical | | Change detection over time | Optical / SAR | | Drought monitoring | Multispectral | | Water level / wetland monitoring | SAR / multispectral | Satellite imagery (left) paired with its derived Digital Terrain Model (right) - the foundation for flood modelling, drainage analysis and landslide susceptibility mapping ahead of high-risk seasons. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. Learn more in our guide to DEMs from satellite imagery. Because this work is performed in advance, archive imagery and existing elevation data are often suitable, however new tasking may be required when up-to-date conditions are needed before high-risk periods such as bushfire season, cyclone season or major rainfall events. ## Archive vs tasking for government projects Government workflows often use a combination of archive imagery and new tasking depending on the project requirements. Archive imagery is useful for historical analysis, baseline mapping and cost-effective coverage of large areas. Tasking is used when recent data is required or when a specific capture window is needed. | Type | Advantages | Limitations | | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | | Archive imagery | Lower cost, fast delivery, historical coverage | May not be recent | | Tasking | Recent capture, custom specifications | Weather dependent | For emergency response projects, tasking is often prioritised to obtain the most current data possible. ## Role of high-revisit satellite constellations Traditional Earth observation satellites followed sun-synchronous orbits and captured the same location once every few days. Modern commercial constellations now operate multiple satellites in different orbital configurations e.g Mid-Inclination orbit (MIO), allowing more frequent revisits. High-revisit systems can capture the same location several times per day, which is useful for monitoring activity, tracking change and responding to time-critical events. These systems are commonly used for: - Disaster monitoring - Border and maritime surveillance - Infrastructure monitoring - Construction tracking - Security and logistics - Environmental compliance Frequent imaging allows agencies to observe changes over time rather than relying on a single capture. Activity monitoring at Sydney Airport and Laem Chabang Port - high-revisit constellations make it possible to observe operations multiple times per day. © 2026 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ## Multispectral and hyperspectral data in government programs Many government projects require more than standard RGB imagery. Multispectral and hyperspectral sensors record additional wavelengths that allow materials to be analysed based on their spectral response. Multispectral imagery is commonly used for vegetation health, water quality, soil disturbance and land classification. Hyperspectral imagery provides even more detail and can be used for mineral mapping, environmental monitoring and scientific studies. Hyperspectral data unlocks analysis that visible imagery cannot - here, a standard RGB scene compared with a PCA-derived view highlighting subtle surface and material differences. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern - processed by Terrabit. | Data type | Typical use | | ------------------ | -------------------------------- | | RGB / Panchromatic | Visual mapping | | Multispectral | Vegetation, water, soil | | Hyperspectral | Mineral / environmental analysis | | SAR | Flood Monitoring | | DEM / DSM | Terrain and elevation | Selecting the correct sensor type is often more important than selecting the highest spatial resolution. ## Managing satellite imagery projects Large government programs may involve multiple areas of interest, different capture dates and several satellite providers. Managing these acquisitions manually can be difficult, especially when tasking is involved. Order management platforms allow users to track capture progress, monitor tasking status and download imagery from a single interface. This is particularly useful when multiple agencies or contractors are involved in the same project. Platforms such as Albatross allow users to: - Submit archive and tasking requests - Track capture windows - Monitor order status - Download deliverables - Manage multiple projects Centralised management reduces delays and makes it easier to coordinate data across teams. Terrabit's Albatross platform centralises archive search, tasking, order tracking and delivery across multiple satellite providers. > **Coordinating across agencies?** A single workspace for tasking, archive search and delivery removes the back-and-forth that slows down multi-stakeholder programs. Visit our Company page to learn more about how Terrabit supports government workflows. ## Commercial satellite providers used in government workflows Government agencies often use a combination of satellite systems depending on the resolution, revisit frequency and spectral capability required. High-resolution optical imagery is typically used for mapping and planning, while high-revisit constellations support monitoring projects. Hyperspectral sensors are used for specialised environmental and scientific applications. | Provider | Typical strength | Common use | | ------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------- | | SI Imaging Services | High-resolution optical / SAR | Mapping, engineering | | Vantor | Very high-resolution optical | Monitoring, GIS | | BlackSky | High-revisit constellation | Emergency response | | Wyvern | Hyperspectral | Environmental / mineral | Using multiple providers allows the most suitable sensor to be selected for each project. ## Conclusion Satellite imagery is now a standard data source for government planning, environmental monitoring, infrastructure development and emergency response. Modern Earth observation systems provide global coverage, frequent revisit cycles and a wide range of sensor types, enabling consistent access to spatial information without the need for field-based data collection. Selecting the appropriate resolution, sensor type and acquisition approach is critical to ensuring the data is suitable for the intended application. Depending on the use case, archive imagery, tasking, multispectral analysis and high-revisit monitoring all play different roles in supporting accurate interpretation and decision-making. As satellite data becomes more accessible and higher in resolution, understanding these key factors is increasingly important for ensuring reliable, fit-for-purpose geospatial analysis across industries. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/satellite-for-government-emergency-response --- ### Satellite Imagery Guide: Resolutions, Bands & Sensors - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2026-04-02 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides **Satellite imagery is one of the most widely used sources of geospatial data in the world. It supports environmental monitoring, engineering, mining, agriculture, defence, mapping, urban planning and scientific research. What was once limited to governments and space agencies is now accessible to universities, businesses and individuals, with both free and commercial imagery available for many different purposes.** Despite this accessibility, satellite imagery can be confusing for new users. Terms such as spatial resolution, multispectral bands, revisit frequency, orthorectification, tasking and pan-sharpening are often used without explanation. As a result, users may request the wrong data, misunderstand what imagery can show, or select datasets that are not suitable for their project. This guide explains satellite imagery from the ground up. It is intended as a practical reference for students, GIS users, engineers, researchers and anyone working with Earth observation data for the first time. ## What Is Satellite Imagery? Satellite imagery is a collection of images of the Earth captured by sensors mounted on satellites orbiting the planet. These satellites form part of the global Earth observation system, which continuously monitors land, oceans, atmosphere and human activity from space. Most imaging satellites orbit between approximately 400 km and 800 km above the Earth. From this altitude, sensors measure reflected sunlight, thermal energy or radar signals coming from the surface. These measurements are processed into images that can be used for mapping, measurement and monitoring. Satellite imagery is not limited to normal photography. Many sensors record wavelengths outside the visible spectrum, including near-infrared, shortwave infrared, thermal and microwave radar. These additional wavelengths allow users to analyse vegetation health, soil moisture, mineral composition, surface temperature and other properties that cannot be seen with the human eye. Because the data is collected remotely without touching the ground, satellite imagery is part of the field known as remote sensing. 30 cm satellite imagery reveals detailed landscape features, infrastructure and environmental context. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## How Satellite Imagery Works Most Earth observation satellites operate in sun-synchronous orbits, meaning they pass over the same location at roughly the same local time on each revisit. This keeps lighting conditions consistent and makes it easier to compare imagery captured on different dates. However, not all modern satellites follow a strict sun-synchronous pattern. Some newer constellations use mid-inclination orbit (MIO), allowing more frequent revisits throughout the day. These systems can capture the same location multiple times within a single day, which is useful for monitoring change, tracking activity and time-sensitive projects. Satellites do not capture the entire Earth at once. Instead, they collect data in swathes as they move along their orbit. Each swath is transmitted to ground stations, processed and stored in an archive where it can later be downloaded or ordered. Each image is made up of pixels, and each pixel represents a small area on the ground. The size of that area determines how much detail can be seen in the imagery. | Resolution | Ground Size per Pixel | | ---------- | --------------------- | | 30 m | 30 x 30 metres | | 10 m | 10 x 10 metres | | 3 m | 3 x 3 metres | | 50 cm | 0.5 x 0.5 metres | | 30 cm | 0.3 x 0.3 metres | Smaller pixels provide more detail, but usually result in larger file sizes, higher cost and smaller coverage per scene. Sentinel-2 - 10 m resolution (free) KOMPSAT-3 - 40 cm resolution (commercial) Resolution comparison: free 10 m Sentinel-2 data versus commercial 40 cm KOMPSAT-3 imagery over the same area. Imagery courtesy of ESA and SIIS. ## The Four Types of Resolution In satellite imagery, the term resolution does not refer to only one property. There are four different types of resolution and each one affects how the data can be used. ### Spatial Resolution Spatial resolution describes how large each pixel is on the ground. Lower resolution imagery covers large areas but shows less detail, while higher resolution imagery shows more detail but covers smaller areas. | Resolution | Typical Use | | ---------- | ------------------------ | | 30 m | Climate, land cover | | 10 m | Environment, agriculture | | 3–5 m | Monitoring, mapping | | 50 cm | Engineering, planning | | 30 cm | Detailed inspection | Higher resolution is not always better. Large regional studies often use lower resolution data because it is easier to process and significantly cheaper to acquire. ### Spectral Resolution Spectral resolution describes how many wavelengths of light a sensor records. Different materials reflect light differently, so capturing multiple wavelengths allows analysis that is not possible with normal colour imagery. | Type | Description | | ------------- | ---------------------- | | Panchromatic | Black and white | | RGB | Standard colour | | Multispectral | Several wide bands | | Hyperspectral | Many narrow bands | | SAR | Radar instead of light | Higher spectral resolution allows more advanced analysis, particularly for vegetation, water, soil and mineral studies. For a deeper look at what different band combinations and indices can reveal, see our dedicated guide. RGB (True Colour) Colour Infrared (CIR) NDVI (Vegetation Index) The same scene rendered in three different band combinations. Standard RGB shows natural colours, colour-infrared highlights vegetation, and NDVI quantifies vegetation health. Sentinel-2 data courtesy of ESA. ### Temporal Resolution Temporal resolution describes how often a satellite can capture the same location. Some satellites revisit every few days, while others operate in constellations that allow daily or even multiple captures per day. | System Type | Typical Revisit | | ------------------------- | -------------------- | | Scientific missions | Days to weeks | | Monitoring constellations | Daily | | Commercial tasking | On demand / intraday | High temporal resolution is important for monitoring change, construction progress, disasters and time-critical projects. ### Radiometric Resolution Radiometric resolution describes how precisely brightness values are recorded. Sensors with higher radiometric resolution can detect smaller differences in reflectance, which is important in scientific and environmental analysis. For most users, spatial and spectral resolution are the most important, but radiometric resolution becomes more relevant in advanced remote sensing workflows. ## Types of Satellite Imagery Different satellites capture different types of data depending on the sensor design. **Optical imagery** records reflected sunlight and produces images similar to aerial photography. These datasets are commonly used for mapping, planning, agriculture, environmental monitoring and mining. Because optical sensors rely on sunlight, they require daylight and are affected by cloud cover. **Multispectral imagery** records several wavelengths of light, including near-infrared and shortwave infrared in addition to the visible bands. This allows materials to be distinguished based on their spectral response rather than only their appearance. Multispectral data is widely used for vegetation analysis, water monitoring, soil studies, land classification and change detection, and most modern satellites provide it as a standard product. RGB Infrared Composite (IRG) Red-Edge Decorrelation Multispectral band combinations over a mine site reveal information invisible to the human eye. RGB shows natural colours, infrared highlights vegetation, and red-edge decorrelation distinguishes mineral and soil composition. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern. **Panchromatic imagery** is high-resolution black-and-white data captured using a single broad wavelength band. Because more light reaches the sensor, panchromatic images are usually sharper than colour imagery. High-resolution colour images are often created by combining panchromatic data with multispectral bands in a process known as pan-sharpening. **Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery** uses microwave signals instead of visible light. This allows the satellite to capture data at night and through cloud, smoke and haze. Radar imagery is commonly used for flood mapping, ground movement detection, ice monitoring and terrain analysis, although it requires specialised processing to interpret. SAR imagery captures surface detail using radar signals, enabling data collection at night and through cloud cover. Imagery courtesy of SIIS. ## Free vs Commercial Satellite Imagery Free satellite imagery is widely used for education, research and environmental monitoring, but professional projects often require commercial data to achieve higher resolution, more recent capture dates or greater acquisition control. | Satellite | Resolution | Cost | | ---------- | ---------- | ---- | | Landsat | 30 m | Free | | Sentinel-2 | 10 m | Free | | MODIS | 250 m+ | Free | Free imagery is suitable for regional studies and time-series analysis, but it has limitations in spatial resolution, capture timing and acquisition flexibility. Commercial satellites provide higher resolution, faster delivery and more flexible acquisition options. These systems are widely used in engineering, mining, environmental monitoring and infrastructure projects where accuracy and timing are critical. | Provider | Typical Strength | Common Uses | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | SI Imaging Services | High-resolution optical / SAR | Mapping, engineering, emergency management | | Vantor | Very high-resolution optical | Monitoring, GIS, premium quality | | BlackSky | High-revisit constellation | Change detection, monitoring | | Wyvern | Hyperspectral | Mineral / vegetation analysis | For a detailed comparison of the best sources of satellite imagery available in Australia, see our dedicated guide. ## Archive vs Tasking Imagery Satellite imagery can usually be ordered from an existing archive or captured on demand. For a detailed comparison, see our guide on archive vs tasking. **Archive imagery** already exists in the satellite database and is usually cost-effective and faster to deliver, but it may not be recent or cloud-free. With operators like Vantor contributing over 32,000 swath footprints across Australia in just 12 months, the probability of finding suitable archive coverage is higher than ever. **Tasking** means requesting a new capture. This allows control over the capture window, resolution and specifications, but depends on weather conditions and satellite availability. For time-critical projects, urgent tasking options are also available. | Type | Advantages | Limitations | | ------- | ------------------------- | ----------------- | | Archive | Lower cost, fast delivery | May not be recent | | Tasking | Recent, custom capture | Weather dependent | Tasking allows new satellite captures to be commissioned over a specific location and time window. Imagery courtesy of SIIS. ## Common Processing Terms **Orthorectified imagery** is corrected so that it matches real-world coordinates and can be used accurately in GIS and mapping software. For more on imagery formats and processing, see our guide on COG, GeoTIFF, ECW and WMTS formats. **Pan-sharpened imagery** combines high-resolution panchromatic data with multispectral colour bands to produce detailed colour images. This is a standard processing step for most commercial very high-resolution products. Pan-sharpened 30 cm imagery combines high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral data to produce detailed colour images. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. **COG (Cloud Optimised GeoTIFF)** is the most common file format for satellite imagery and contains coordinate information so the image can be used directly in GIS software. **DEM and DSM products** are elevation models created from stereo imagery and are used for terrain analysis, contour generation, volume calculations and engineering studies. 3D elevation models derived from satellite stereo pairs enable terrain analysis, volume calculations and engineering studies. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## Choosing the Right Imagery The correct resolution depends on the project requirements, the size of the area and the level of detail needed. For a comprehensive breakdown of what to consider when purchasing satellite data, see our complete guide to buying satellite imagery. | Use | Typical Resolution | | --------------------------- | ------------------ | | Global studies | 30 m | | Regional environmental work | 10 m | | Mapping | 3–5 m | | Baseline or basemaps | 50 cm | | Detailed inspection | 30 cm | Higher resolution usually means higher cost, so the goal is to select the lowest resolution that still meets the requirement. 2024 2025 High-resolution satellite imagery enables year-on-year change detection across mine sites, tracking disturbance, rehabilitation and infrastructure development. Imagery courtesy of SIIS. ## Conclusion Satellite imagery is no longer limited to government programmes and space agencies. It is now a practical and widely available data source used across science, engineering, environmental monitoring and industry. Understanding the fundamentals - resolution, spectral bands, revisit frequency, archive vs tasking and processing - makes it much easier to choose the correct data and avoid common mistakes when ordering or working with Earth observation data. Modern satellite constellations now provide higher resolution, faster revisit times and more flexible acquisition options than ever before. With the right sensor selection and processing, satellite imagery has become one of the most powerful tools available for monitoring the world. Terrabit works with a range of commercial satellite providers and can help recommend suitable imagery based on project requirements, accuracy needs and timeframe. We also provide access to Albatross, our order management platform, which allows users to track capture progress, manage tasking requests and download deliverables in one place. If you are unsure what resolution, sensor type or acquisition method is required, contact the Terrabit team to discuss your project and we can recommend the most suitable satellite data solution. Get in touch → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/satellite-imagery-a-practical-guide --- ### Satellite Imagery Quality: Why It Matters - Author: Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-04-15 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides Satellite imagery quality is critical across its many applications - from mine site planning and environmental monitoring through to disaster response and infrastructure analysis. However, "high quality" isn't defined by a single metric. It depends on several key factors that influence how usable, accurate and consistent the final dataset is. This blog breaks down the main components that define satellite imagery quality and why they matter in real-world workflows. ## Spatial resolution Spatial resolution refers to the smallest feature that a satellite sensor can distinguish on the ground. A higher spatial resolution means more detail, allowing us to identify smaller objects. For example, a satellite with 10m resolution might show a general outline of a forest, while one with 30cm resolution could reveal tree crowns or even reveal species of vegetation. This is crucial for applications such as mine planning, where detailed operational footprints require reporting for compliance with rehabilitation or disturbance. This is the first and key step before deciding on what resolution would be most suitable for your project. The same coastal scene at Gladstone, QLD - 70 cm KOMPSAT-3 (left) versus 10 m Sentinel-2 (right). Higher spatial resolution reveals individual buildings, vehicles and shoreline features that are only loosely outlined at 10 m. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS) and Sentinel-2 (ESA). ## Beyond the visible: spectral bands Unlike other technology, satellite imagery typically comes with 4 multispectral bands even 100s of bands with hyperspectral. Different materials on Earth reflect and absorb light differently across the electromagnetic spectrum (or spectral bands, more simply). By analysing these spectral "fingerprints," you can identify various features on the natural Earth. For example, healthy vegetation strongly reflects near-infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. Sensors with specific near-infrared bands can therefore assess vegetation health and differentiate between types of species, be it invasive or native. Tweed, New South Wales - true-colour RGB versus NDVI. The vegetation index surfaces health and stress patterns that are not visible to the human eye. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). Read more in our guide to band combinations and indices. ## When time matters: temporal vs epochs Temporal resolution refers to how frequently a satellite revisits and captures imagery over the same area. It also includes access to historical imagery, which enables analysis of how a location has changed over time. Together, this creates both a near-real-time and historical view of the Earth's surface, supporting change detection and ongoing monitoring of dynamic environments. In operational mining environments, for example, frequent revisit cycles are important for monitoring land disturbance and tracking how quickly sites are changing. This supports more accurate reporting for environmental compliance, operational planning and site management. Without sufficient temporal resolution, it becomes more difficult to reliably understand the timing and progression of change. In addition to recent capture, high resolution satellite archives extending back into the early 2000s provide valuable historical context. When combined with new tasking, this enables both retrospective analysis and up-to-date monitoring using the most current available data. The same mine site captured one year apart - 2024 versus 2025. Frequent high-resolution revisits make it possible to quantify pit progression, stockpile change and land disturbance for compliance and operational reporting. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS) - processed by Terrabit. ## Impact of project size and swathes on timeliness The size of the Area of Interest (AOI) and the number of satellite swathes required to cover it can significantly influence both acquisition timelines and the consistency of the final dataset. Larger projects often require multiple satellite overpasses, which may span several days or even weeks depending on tasking schedules and orbital constraints. This extended collection period can introduce variability in seasonal conditions, lighting and sensor geometry across different swathes. For example, imagery captured over a large region such as the Pilbara may require multiple swathes to achieve full coverage. These can vary in vegetation conditions, capture angles (from 0° to 25° off-nadir) and sun angle - all of which can impact how seamlessly the dataset can be mosaicked and colour balanced. To address these challenges, specialised processing workflows are used to harmonise imagery across the full Area of Interest. This typically includes geometric correction, radiometric balancing and alignment to ground control, ensuring the final dataset is spatially consistent and suitable for analysis across the entire region. Continental-scale coverage built from thousands of overlapping satellite swathes captured across different dates, sun angles and viewing geometries - the kind of mosaic that demands geometric correction, radiometric balancing and alignment to produce a consistent dataset for analysis. ## Atmospheric corrections Atmospheric corrections are essential for enhancing the quality of satellite imagery by compensating for distortions caused by particles, gases and water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere. These distortions can affect the radiance and reflectance values captured by the satellite, leading to misleading data. By applying atmospheric correction algorithms and careful pre-processing steps, the imagery becomes more reliable for analysing. Ensuring consistent, true-color representations and accurate surface reflectance values. This is especially important for applications like environmental monitoring, agriculture and land cover classification, where precise measurements are critical. After atmospheric correction, surface reflectance is recovered faithfully - producing crisp, true-colour imagery suitable for downstream analysis and time-series comparison. Imagery courtesy of Vantor - processed by Terrabit. Learn more in our guide to pre-processing satellite imagery. ## Conclusion High-quality satellite imagery is the foundation of accurate, actionable insights across a wide range of applications - from mine site planning and environmental monitoring through to disaster response and vegetation analysis. Selecting the right dataset requires consideration of several key factors, including spatial resolution, spectral bands, temporal frequency, project scale and atmospheric conditions. Understanding how these elements interact helps ensure imagery is fit for purpose and suitable for reliable analysis. When these factors are appropriately aligned, satellite imagery becomes a powerful input for decision-making, enabling more accurate interpretation of change, condition and spatial relationships across the landscape. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/satellite-imagery-quality-why-it-matters --- ### Satellite Imagery Resolution vs GSD vs Accuracy: What Actually Matters - Author: Zachary Walls - Published: 2026-09-15 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery **When purchasing satellite imagery, it's easy to get hung up on a single number, usually the smallest pixel size (30cm or 50cm). But resolution alone doesn't tell you whether the data will actually support your project goals.** Industry terms like **resolution**, **ground sample distance (GSD)** and **accuracy** are often used interchangeably, even though they describe very different aspects of image quality. Understanding their differences, and how they influence each other, will help you select imagery that actually fits your needs. This guide breaks down what each term means in practice, why it matters and how to choose the right satellite imagery resolution and accuracy for your project. ## Resolution vs GSD vs Accuracy at a Glance | Term | What it describes | Typical expression | Why it matters | | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Resolution | The smallest feature a sensor can distinguish in theory | 1m, 50cm, 30cm | The headline spec used to market a sensor or product | | Ground sample distance | The ground area each pixel actually represents | 31cm GSD at nadir | How much detail the delivered image really holds | | Absolute accuracy | How close pixels sit to their true real-world coordinates | ±3m CE90, RMSE | Overlaying with GIS layers, survey data or other sensors | | Relative accuracy | How consistently features are positioned within a dataset | ±1m between features | Change detection, mosaics and tracking movement over time | ## Resolution vs GSD: What's the Difference? ### What people mean by "resolution" In remote sensing terminology, "resolution" is the headline number: _30cm_, _50cm_ or _1m_. It refers to the smallest feature the sensor can theoretically distinguish under ideal conditions. However, this number alone can be misleading, because it doesn't describe how the image is sampled on the ground or how accurate it is. We cover the other dimensions of quality (spectral, temporal and atmospheric) in our guide to satellite imagery quality. ### What GSD actually tells you **Ground Sample Distance (GSD) is the distance between the centres of adjacent pixels, measured on the ground.** If an image has a 50cm GSD, each pixel represents a 50cm × 50cm area on the surface. In real imagery: - **GSD tells you how much ground detail is captured per pixel.** - **It is influenced by satellite altitude, off-nadir angle** and any resampling or processing done after capture. - **Unlike headline resolution, GSD reflects how the data was actually acquired.** So when a product is advertised as 30cm, the effective GSD, once geometry and processing are factored in, can be larger. GSD is a more reliable indicator of usable spatial detail than the "resolution" number. > **Quick note:** _Resolution_ is a sensor specification. _GSD_ is how the sensor's data is actually sampled on the ground. 70cm 50cm 30cm An equipment laydown area at a Western Australian Goldfields mine site in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery, captured on different dates. Haul trucks are visible at every level, but distinguishing machinery type and smaller equipment depends on finer resolution. Labels show each sensor's resolution class; the actual GSD of each capture varies with off-nadir angle and processing. ### How off-nadir angle and processing change GSD Satellites rarely image a site from directly overhead. To reach a target on a given pass, the sensor points sideways, and the angle away from straight down is the **off-nadir angle**. The further off-nadir the capture, the longer the line of sight to the ground and the larger each pixel becomes. A sensor quoted at 31cm GSD at nadir samples at roughly 34cm at 20° off-nadir, and coarser again at steeper angles. Off-nadir captures also show more building lean and longer terrain displacement, which orthorectification has to correct. Processing matters too. Many products are **resampled** to a tidy delivery size, so a scene captured at 34cm might be delivered on a 30cm grid. Resampling changes the pixel count, not the information content, so always ask for the **native GSD and off-nadir angle** of the actual capture, not just the product name. Sun angle, haze and season also affect how much of that detail you can actually use, as the comparison below shows. 35cm 30cm A mine workshop near Newman, Western Australia at 35cm and 30cm. The sensor resolutions are almost identical, but a low sun angle in the 35cm capture casts long shadows that hide ground detail while emphasising building height. Resolution is only one part of usable detail. ## Accuracy: Why It's Often More Important Than Resolution Resolution and GSD are about the detail captured in the image. **Accuracy is about how well that image relates to real-world coordinates and features**, which is essential if you intend to measure, align or run change detection. There are two main forms of positional accuracy. ### Absolute accuracy Absolute accuracy describes how close each pixel is to its correct geographic location. It's usually expressed as an error value, such as ± to control, **RMSE** (root mean square error) or **CE90** (the radius within which 90% of points fall). Vertical accuracy for elevation products is expressed as **LE90**. Absolute accuracy matters when: - Overlaying satellite imagery with previous data or GIS layers - Performing measurement or change detection across multiple dates or sensors ### Relative accuracy Relative accuracy measures how consistent the positions of features are _within the image dataset itself_. High relative accuracy is critical for: - Multi-date change detection - Mosaic creation - Tracking movement over time An image can be very sharp (high resolution) but poorly aligned to real coordinates if it hasn't been correctly orthorectified. That makes accuracy a key factor for most precise or repeat analyses. > **Little-known fact:** satellite imagery is very accurate internally. Only a couple of ground control points are needed to bring absolute accuracy to within a couple of pixels. A 50cm capture from 2022 compared against a 30cm capture from 2025 over the same Goldfields site. Despite different resolutions, the imagery is accurately aligned, so clearing and new pit development can be measured directly. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. ### Orthorectification, ground control and the DEM Raw satellite imagery is positioned using the sensor model supplied with the capture. **Orthorectification** then removes distortion caused by terrain relief and viewing angle, using a digital elevation model (DEM). Three inputs decide the result: - **The sensor model:** very-high-resolution satellites typically deliver a few metres CE90 without any ground control. - **Ground control points (GCPs):** surveyed points visible in the image that tie it to real coordinates and can lift accuracy to sub-metre. - **The DEM:** errors in the elevation model used for orthorectification become horizontal shifts in the image. A 10m height error at 20° off-nadir moves features by roughly 3.6m, so a coarse global DEM in steep terrain can undo the benefit of a sharp capture. If you need defensible measurements, the DEM and control strategy matter as much as the pixel size. Our guide to DEMs from satellite imagery explains how elevation accuracy is specified. ## A Practical Perspective: What Quality Do You Actually Need? Many buyers fixate on the smallest pixel size available. But in real applications, **the value of higher resolution diminishes rapidly unless it supports your _specific task_**. Here's how to think about it. ### When higher detail makes sense You might prioritise finer detail (30 to 50cm) if you're: - Identifying individual tree crowns or assessing vegetation condition - Counting or monitoring vehicles, light machinery and equipment - Inspecting haul roads, stockpiles, benches and other surface features at mine sites - Mapping small disturbances, erosion or rehabilitation progress - Working in dense urban, industrial or complex environments where features are closely spaced In these cases, finer resolution provides visual clarity that genuinely improves interpretation or identification. **Vegetation and tree crowns.** In dense bushland, coarser pixels blend neighbouring crowns into a single texture. Finer resolution separates individual trees and the gaps between them, which matters for canopy counts, clearing boundaries and vegetation condition. 70cm compared with 30cm over bushland and buildings. At 70cm the canopy blends into texture, while at 30cm individual tree crowns and gaps between them can be delineated. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. **Vehicles, equipment and stored assets.** Counting is where resolution makes the most visible difference. A large haul truck tyre spans only a handful of pixels at 70cm, so rows of tyres merge into continuous lines, while at 30cm individual tyres can be counted. 70cm 50cm 30cm Tyre storage at a Goldfields mine site in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. Counting individual assets is where finer resolution earns its cost. The same applies to vehicles. Haul trucks are large enough to spot at any of these resolutions, but light vehicles, smaller machinery and equipment layouts become far easier to count and classify as resolution improves. 70cm compared with 50cm over a laydown yard. Both show the parked haul trucks, but counting light vehicles and individual tyres is far more reliable at 50cm. Shown in the Terrabit Albatross platform. **Closely spaced features.** In camps, towns and industrial yards, objects sit close together and coarser pixels blur the boundaries between them. Zooming into the same accommodation camp shown later in this guide, the sports court and buildings are clear at every resolution, but outdoor furniture, parked vehicles and the edges between structures only resolve cleanly at finer resolution. 70cm 50cm 30cm A close-up of a Goldfields accommodation camp in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. The court and buildings read at every level, while parked vehicles, outdoor furniture and court markings sharpen noticeably at 30cm. **Small disturbances and exploration clearing.** Drill pads, tracks and small clearings are usually visible even in coarser imagery. Finer resolution adds confidence at the edges, showing individual shrubs, regrowth and exactly where clearing stops, which is what disturbance and rehabilitation reporting depends on. 70cm 50cm 30cm Exploration drill pads in the Goldfields in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. The disturbance footprint is mappable at every level, while individual shrubs and small-scale regrowth at the clearing edge need finer detail. **Natural regrowth on disturbed ground.** Whether vegetation returns through rehabilitation or on its own, tracking it depends on seeing plants while they are still small. At 70cm, young shrubs appear as dark specks that are hard to separate from shadow and soil, while at 30cm each plant's crown is distinct enough to count and track over time. 70cm 50cm 30cm Young shrubs naturally establishing in a mine site clearing in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. Counting plants and tracking regrowth between captures is far more reliable when each shrub resolves as its own crown. Zooming out shows the wider context. The young shrubs are naturally occurring regrowth across a clearing, beside a patch of more established vegetation. A clearing at a Goldfields mine site at 30cm. Naturally occurring young shrubs are visible across the cleared ground, alongside a denser patch of established vegetation. ### When accuracy matters more If your goal involves: - Measuring change over time - Comparing imagery with previous data (aerial or UAV) - Producing maps or volumetric analyses Then positional accuracy and orthorectification usually matter more than squeezing every last centimetre out of pixel size. ### When coarser data is fit for purpose For broad, regional tasks like: - Large-scale land cover change detection - Baseline trend analysis Imagery with moderate resolution (70cm to 1m or more) can be both sufficient and cost-effective, especially when combined with larger swath widths for regional capture. **Site footprints and land use.** At the scale of a whole camp or lease, the layout, access roads and surrounding vegetation read clearly at every resolution shown here. 70cm 50cm 30cm A Goldfields accommodation camp in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. At site scale, the layout, access roads and surrounding land cover read clearly at all three, so coarser imagery is often enough for footprint and land-use mapping. **Major infrastructure.** Large plant such as conveyors, tanks and process ponds is also identifiable at 70cm, which makes coarser imagery a practical option for tracking site expansion or construction stages. Finer resolution becomes worthwhile when the goal is inspecting smaller fittings or equipment. 70cm 50cm 30cm A Goldfields processing plant in 70cm, 50cm and 30cm resolution imagery. Major infrastructure such as conveyors, tanks and ponds is identifiable at all three, while inspecting smaller fittings favours finer resolution. ### Matching resolution to the task | Resolution | Good for | | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 70cm to 1m | Site footprints, land-use mapping, regional change detection over large areas | | 50cm | Haul roads, stockpiles, disturbance mapping, construction progress | | 30cm | Counting vehicles and equipment, tree crowns, detailed infrastructure inspection, multi-class disturbance mapping | Resolution isn't the only thing that changes between captures. Sun angle and season change what stands out in a landscape, even at nearly identical resolution, so it's worth checking capture conditions as well as pixel size. 35cm 30cm Landscape near Newman, Western Australia at 35cm and 30cm. Similar resolutions, but different sun angles change what stands out: low sun emphasises terrain relief and earthworks, while high sun shows vegetation and surface colour more evenly. ## Where Vendors Fit Into the Quality Question Different satellite constellations are optimised for different combinations of resolution, GSD, accuracy and revisit frequency. That's why there's no single "best" imagery source, only the best fit for the task. Some providers prioritise very high spatial detail, while others focus on multispectral richness, geometric consistency or rapid revisit. In practice, Terrabit works with multiple vendors including **SIIS, Vantor, Wyvern and BlackSky**, so imagery can be selected and recommended based on what matters most for a given project, whether that's measurement accuracy, temporal change, spectral information or coverage. The key is understanding _what data suits your use case_ before choosing the data source. ## Questions to Ask Before Ordering Satellite Imagery Rather than asking "What's the highest resolution available?", start with these questions: 1. **What do I need to see, and what outcome do I want?** This sets your GSD floor. 2. **How long will it take to capture, or is archive imagery OK?** See our guide to archive vs tasking. 3. **What's the accuracy without control, compared to with control?** Ask for CE90 or RMSE figures for both. 4. **Will the data be orthorectified, and against what DEM?** A coarse DEM in steep terrain limits accuracy regardless of pixel size. 5. **What are the native GSD and off-nadir angle of the capture?** These tell you what the delivered product really contains. These attributes often influence project success far more than the headline resolution spec. For a wider checklist, see our complete guide to buying satellite imagery and the most common satellite imagery mistakes. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Is GSD the same as resolution?** No. GSD is the ground distance between pixel centres in the delivered image. Resolution is the smallest feature a sensor can distinguish in theory. The two are often quoted as the same number, but GSD reflects how the data was actually captured and processed. **Does a smaller GSD mean higher accuracy?** Not necessarily. GSD describes detail, while accuracy describes position. A 30cm image with poor orthorectification can be several metres out, while a 70cm image tied to ground control can be positioned to within a pixel or two. **How does off-nadir angle affect GSD?** The further off-nadir a capture is, the larger each pixel becomes and the more terrain and building lean must be corrected. Lower off-nadir angles give sharper, more geometrically consistent imagery. **What does CE90 mean?** CE90 (circular error at 90%) is the radius within which 90% of image points fall relative to their true positions. A product with 5m CE90 means 90% of points are within 5m of where they should be. **Is 30cm or 50cm satellite imagery better?** It depends on the task. 30cm suits counting vehicles, identifying equipment and mapping tree crowns. 50cm is often enough for haul roads, stockpiles and disturbance mapping, and usually costs less per square kilometre. ## Final Thought Resolution, GSD and accuracy each describe a different aspect of data quality. Focusing on one number alone, especially resolution, can lead to overspending or choosing imagery that doesn't meet your actual needs. **The best imagery isn't necessarily the sharpest. It's the imagery that reliably supports your analysis, measurement and decision-making.** If you're unsure what quality level is right for your project, it's usually much easier to ask first. Our experienced team can help you weigh GSD, accuracy and cost, and you can search archive imagery and compare captures across providers in Albatross. Talk to a Terrabit specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/satellite-resolution-gsd-accuracy-explained --- ### SI Imaging Services + Terrabit: More Coverage, Faster Decisions - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-08-29 - Category: announcements - Tags: Partnerships, News Terrabit is excited to announce a new partnership with **SI Imaging Services (SIIS)**-the worldwide commercial supplier/representative of the **KOMPSAT** satellite constellation developed by the **Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)**. This expands our access to **very-high resolution imagery** so your teams can monitor assets and environments with higher frequency and faster turnarounds. See our SIIS page for the KOMPSAT line-up, or if you’re new to our offerings, explore our Satellite Imagery page for example use cases and delivery options. A dense urban block captured at sub-meter resolution. Road markings, building roofs, and open spaces are clearly distinguishable-illustrating the asset-level detail achievable with KOMPSAT. Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korean Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ## What You Get With SIIS, we are expanding our tasking capabilities and image archives across the proven KOMPSAT sensors. The outcome: dependable high-frequency coverage, sharp visuals for change detection, and delivery formats that slot straight into your workflows. See our Satellite Imagery page for the full menu of product specs. - **High clarity:** Identify changes to roads, stockpiles, structures, and vegetation with confidence thanks to **40cm** class imagery. - **Speed + reliability:** **KOMPSAT-3A** and **KOMPSAT-3** each offer **multiple revisits per week** for the same area. Interested in seeing this in action? Have a look at our Satellites page. - **Delivery:** **Accurate Colour-balanced Orthorectified** products. Pre-processed via local in-house processing, using your ground control or satellite metadata, plus optional **WMTS** hosting. A broad mine site with pits, haul roads, and stockpiles visible in a single scene-delivering site-wide situational awareness from one capture. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ## Where It Helps First If your work depends on up-to-date ground truth-especially across large or remote areas. This partnership delivers faster workflow from tasking to insight. - **Mining & Resources:** Stockpile/change tracking, encroachment checks, rehabilitation progress. - **Infrastructure:** Construction progress, corridor monitoring. - **Government & Environmental:** Urban change baselines, coastal/shoreline updates and vegetation change detection. Zoomed-in mine operations where individual trucks and benches are discernible-highlighting sub-meter detail for operational decision-making. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (SIIS); processed by the Terrabit team. ## How We Make It Actionable Data only drives decisions when it’s easy to use. We design acquisitions and deliverables to reduce friction and increase value from the satellite products. - **Fit-for-purpose acquisition plan:** We’ll recommend the right sensor, resolution, and cadence for your project needs. - **Clean delivery:** Orthorectified and validated products in your preferred formats. - **Analysis-ready data, straight out of the box:** We preprocess optical imagery-so it drops into your software/workflows and you can focus on outcomes. Learn more on Satellite Imagery. ## Get Started Tell us your AOI, cadence, and project requirements-we’ll recommend the right sensor plan and delivery format. Contact Us → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/siis-and-terrabit-partnership --- ### Urgent Satellite Tasking in Australia - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-03-04 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Industry Solutions **When you need satellite imagery fast - for bushfire response, flood impact assessment, active mining operations, infrastructure construction or rapid environmental change - previous archive imagery just won't cut it. Timing is everything and the difference between a timely decision and a missed opportunity often comes down to hours.** At Terrabit, we enable urgent satellite tasking across Australia through direct access to the BlackSky Gen-2 and Gen-3 constellations inside our secure platform, Albatross. If you need new satellite imagery captured and delivered within 24 to 48 hours, we coordinate and deliver it quickly and cost-effectively - giving your team the situational awareness it needs, when it needs it. This guide covers how satellite tasking works, when to choose urgent tasking over archive imagery, what resolutions are available through BlackSky and why daily revisit capability is transforming the way Australian organisations manage operations, risk and environmental response. High-resolution satellite imagery delivers detailed operational awareness over urban and industrial areas. © 2026 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ## What Is Satellite Tasking? Satellite tasking is the process of requesting a satellite operator to direct a satellite to capture fresh, new imagery over a specific Area of Interest (AOI) at a designated time. Unlike archive satellite imagery - which consists of previously captured images stored in a database - tasked imagery is collected specifically for you based on your unique project requirements. When you task a satellite, you define the target point or area, select the resolution and set collection conditions such as cloud cover limits and off nadir angle. These instructions are sent to the satellite before it passes over your location and the resulting imagery is processed and delivered directly to you. Satellite tasking gives you control over exactly what is captured, when it is captured and at what level of detail - something archive imagery cannot guarantee. ## Why Urgent Satellite Tasking Matters for Australian Organisations Archive satellite imagery is powerful for historical comparison, baseline studies and long-term trend analysis. But when you need visibility on what is happening right now - a developing bushfire, construction monitoring or an active mine site - you need to task a satellite for a new collection. Urgent satellite tasking provides several critical advantages: - **Secure a new capture on your schedule.** Control exactly when imagery is collected over your area of interest rather than waiting for the next available overpass. - **Prioritise your collection.** Ensure the satellite acquisition occurs at the optimal time for your specific operational needs. - **Monitor change day-to-day.** Track developments as they happen - site progress, environmental impact, post-disaster recovery. - **Reduce operational downtime.** Make faster, better-informed decisions based on the most current data available. - **Mitigate risk proactively.** Respond promptly to evolving events such as natural disasters, compliance issues or unauthorised site activity. Instead of potentially waiting weeks for the next suitable aerial capture or satellite overpass, receive products urgently that reflect the current landscape. ## BlackSky Gen-2 & Gen-3 Satellite Constellations: Built for Speed and Frequency Terrabit provides satellite tasking through the BlackSky Gen-2 and Gen-3 constellations, which are specifically designed for high-frequency monitoring and rapid tasking. ### BlackSky Gen-3 - 35cm Very High-Resolution Satellite Imagery BlackSky Gen-3 delivers up to 35cm resolution satellite imagery, providing premium-level detail. At this resolution, you can identify individual vehicles, earthworks, structural changes, site expansion, road activity and equipment presence on industrial sites. **Ideal applications for 35cm imagery include:** - Active industrial and mining site monitoring - Construction progress documentation - Port logistics and shipping activity tracking - Detailed infrastructure inspection - Compliance verification requiring fine spatial detail BlackSky Gen-3 35cm imagery reveals individual structures, vessels and operational detail across industrial and port environments. © 2026 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ### BlackSky Gen-2 - 80cm High Resolution Satellite Imagery BlackSky Gen-2 delivers up to 80cm resolution satellite imagery, providing strong operational insight for broader area monitoring at a lower cost per square kilometre. **Ideal applications for 80cm imagery include:** - Environmental monitoring and change detection across larger regions - Regional infrastructure assessment - Resource and mining site oversight - Cost-effective repeat collection programs - Broad situational awareness for disaster response | Feature | Gen-3 (35 cm) | Gen-2 (80 cm) | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Resolution | 35 cm | 80 cm | | Best for | Detail-critical applications, individual asset identification | Broader coverage, cost-sensitive workflows | | Typical use cases | Active construction, ports, logistics, detailed infrastructure | Environmental monitoring, regional resources, post-event assessment | | Cost | Premium | Cost Effective | Together, these two constellations give Australian organisations flexibility to choose the right balance of resolution, coverage and cost for each project. ## Daily Satellite Revisit Capability Across Australia One of the most significant advantages of the BlackSky constellation for Australian organisations is **daily revisit capability**. This means that satellites can be tasked to capture imagery of the same location every day, enabling rapid monitoring across Australia's diverse and often remote geography. For how revisit rates compare across free and commercial satellites, see how often satellite imagery is updated. Daily satellite revisit capability unlocks operational benefits that were previously impossible without costly aircraft surveys or on-the-ground inspections: - **Track site progress continuously.** Monitor open-cut mining operations, construction sites, and infrastructure projects day-to-day without deploying field teams. - **Monitor post-event recovery.** After floods, bushfires, storms or other natural disasters, track the recovery timeline and coordinate response efforts with current imagery. - **Identify unauthorised activity.** Detect land encroachment, illegal mining, unapproved construction or environmental violations as they occur. - **Validate contractor milestones.** Confirm that resource and construction sector contractors are meeting agreed timelines and specifications using independent satellite evidence. - **Detect subtle environmental changes.** Track vegetation health, terrain movement, water body changes and asset displacement over time. Daily revisit capability enables continuous monitoring of critical infrastructure such as airports, ports and transport corridors. © 2026 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. With daily revisit and 24-48 hour delivery, you gain timely operational awareness that reduces risk, supports regulatory compliance and improves decision-making at every level. ## How Urgent Satellite Tasking Works: 24-48 Hour Delivery The satellite tasking process through Terrabit's Albatross platform is straightforward and designed for speed: 1. **Task submission.** You submit your satellite tasking request directly in Albatross by defining your Point of Interest, selecting your preferred resolution (35cm or 80cm) and specifying your collection cadence (Daily, Weekly, Monthly etc). 2. **Prioritised collection.** Your request is prioritised in the next available acquisition window. The BlackSky satellite passes over your target area and captures the imagery according to your specifications. 3. **Rapid processing.** The captured satellite imagery is processed through automated pipelines to produce analysis-ready products. 4. **Fast delivery.** Finished imagery products are delivered to you within 24 to 48 hours of the tasking request - ready to use for decision-making, reporting or further analysis. This turnaround supports urgent environmental response, active mining reporting, infrastructure monitoring and compliance verification without delay. ## Satellite Tasking vs Archive Imagery: When to Use Each One of the most common questions in earth observation is whether to use archive satellite imagery or to task a satellite for new collection. The answer depends on what you need and how time-sensitive your requirements are. For a detailed comparison, see our guide on archive vs tasking. **When to use archive satellite imagery** Archive imagery is the right choice when you need historical baselines, long-term trend data, or imagery for locations where recent captures already exist. It is typically less expensive than tasking and available 3-5 days with premium processing from Terrabit. Common archive use cases include: baseline environmental studies, historical land-use comparison, long-term vegetation or terrain monitoring, and research applications where image age is not critical. **When to use urgent or premium satellite tasking** Satellite tasking is the right choice when you need current updated or regular data, when no suitable archive imagery exists or when timing is critical to your operations or compliance requirements. Common tasking use cases include: dynamic event monitoring (bushfires, floods, storms), compliance and regulatory reporting deadlines, confirmation of current on-ground conditions, active construction or mining site documentation and rapid change detection. | Use Case | Archive Imagery | Urgent Tasking | Premium Tasking | | ---------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | --------------- | | Baseline studies | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | | Historical comparison | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Long-term monitoring | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Dynamic events and disasters | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | | Compliance or reporting deadlines | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Confirmation of current conditions | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Satellite tasking ensures certainty. You are securing the specific imagery you need rather than hoping it already exists in an archive. ## Satellite Tasking Applications Across Australia High-resolution satellite imagery combined with rapid tasking delivery transforms operational visibility for organisations across multiple Australian sectors. **Bushfire and Flood Response** In environmental emergencies, satellite tasking provides rapid access to imagery showing the extent of damage, the progression of active events and the status of critical infrastructure. Emergency management teams use tasked satellite imagery to assess bushfire burn scars, map flood inundation extents, coordinate recovery efforts and communicate impact to stakeholders. Australia's bushfire seasons and flood events demand near real-time awareness over vast areas - exactly the scenario where satellite tasking with daily revisit capability delivers the most value. **Mining and Resource Operations** Mining operations across Australia rely on satellite tasking to track pit progression, monitor overburden movement, assess haul road conditions, document disturbance and inspect tailings storage facilities. Port activity monitoring, stockpile measurement and construction progress verification are also common satellite tasking applications in the mining sector. With 35cm resolution from BlackSky Gen-3, individual vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment are identifiable, supporting detailed operational analysis without site visits. **Infrastructure and Construction Monitoring** Infrastructure and construction projects benefit from regular satellite tasking to document project progress against timelines, manage contractor accountability, verify milestones and communicate updates to project stakeholders with visual evidence. From major road and rail projects to energy infrastructure and urban development, tasked satellite imagery provides an independent, repeatable record of on-ground conditions. **Rapid Change Detection** Rapid change detection using satellite tasking identifies land-use changes, property boundary encroachment, unauthorised construction, vegetation clearing and other compliance issues. Organisations responsible for environmental management, planning enforcement or asset protection use repeat satellite imagery to detect and respond to changes as they occur. ## Satellite Tasking Options | Tasking Option | Resolution | Satellite Asset(s) | Best For | | ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Urgent Tasking (Gen-3) | ~35cm | BlackSky Gen-3 | High-detail requirements: construction progress, industrial inspection, infrastructure mapping | | Urgent Tasking (Gen-2) | ~80cm | BlackSky Gen-2 | Rapid turnaround at lower cost: inspections, environmental monitoring, regional assets | | Premium Tasking (WorldView Ultra-High Resolution) | ~30cm | WorldView Legion (x6) + WorldView-3 | Very high resolution, wide-area monitoring, detailed change detection. Suitable for weekly or fortnightly programs | | High Resolution Tasking (50 cm Class) | ~50cm | WorldView-2, GeoEye-1 | Strong balance of cost and resolution for recurring monitoring and asset inspection | | High Resolution PAN Only | ~50cm (Pan) | WorldView-1 | Panchromatic-only collection for mapping, elevation modelling and cost-effective detail capture | | Premium Tasking (KOMPSAT Optical) | 40-55cm | KOMPSAT-3, KOMPSAT-3A | High resolution, cost-effective optical monitoring. Ideal for fortnightly or monthly programs | | All-Weather Tasking (SAR) | ~1m (mode dependent) | KOMPSAT-5 | Day/night, cloud-penetrating radar imagery. Ideal for wet season monitoring, ground movement, infrastructure stability and disaster response | ## How to Task a Satellite Through Albatross Inside Terrabit's Albatross platform, you can manage the entire satellite tasking workflow: - **Define your AOI.** Draw, pick a point or upload your area of interest directly in the platform. - **Submit a tasking request.** Request urgent or standard satellite collection with your preferred parameters. - **Track progress in real time.** Monitor satellite acquisition status, revisit timing and delivery milestones. - **Access delivered products.** Download ready-to-use satellite imagery for analysis, reporting or integration into your GIS workflow. - **Get direct support.** Contact the Terrabit team for priority tasking coordination, feasibility assessment or technical consultation. Alternatively, speaking directly with our team can kick off the process urgently. Albatross enables seamless satellite tasking - define your area of interest, submit collection requests and track daily captures in real time. ## Frequently Asked Questions About Satellite Tasking in Australia **What is satellite tasking?** Satellite tasking is the process of instructing a satellite to capture new imagery over a specific Area of Interest at a designated time. Rather than relying on previously captured archive imagery, you request a fresh collection tailored to your project needs - including location, resolution, timing and collection conditions. **How quickly can I receive satellite imagery after tasking?** Through Terrabit's Albatross platform using BlackSky constellations, satellite imagery is typically delivered within 24 to 48 hours of submitting a tasking request. Delivery speed depends on satellite availability, weather conditions and collection priority. **What is the difference between satellite tasking and archive imagery?** Archive imagery consists of satellite images captured in the past and stored in a database. Satellite tasking involves requesting new imagery collection for a specific time and location. Tasking gives you control over when and where imagery is captured, while archive imagery is limited to what has already been collected. **What resolution satellite imagery is available for tasking in Australia?** Terrabit offers satellite tasking at 35cm resolution (BlackSky Gen-3) for detail-critical applications and 80cm resolution (BlackSky Gen-2) for broader coverage and cost-sensitive workflows. Both options support daily revisit capability across Australia. **What industries use satellite tasking in Australia?** Satellite tasking in Australia is used across mining and resource operations, infrastructure and construction, environmental management and disaster response, agriculture, defence, government compliance and regulatory enforcement, and urban planning sectors. **How does daily satellite revisit capability work?** Daily revisit capability means a satellite constellation can image the same location every day. The BlackSky constellation achieves this through multiple satellites in coordinated orbits, enabling near real-time monitoring of change over time. This is particularly valuable for active mining sites, construction projects, environmental events and ongoing compliance monitoring. **Can I use satellite tasking for bushfire and flood response in Australia?** Yes. Urgent satellite tasking is one of the most effective tools for disaster response. Tasked imagery provides rapid assessment of bushfire burn areas, flood inundation extents, infrastructure damage and evolving environmental conditions - often within 24 to 48 hours. ## Why Work With Terrabit for Satellite Tasking in Australia Terrabit combines direct satellite tasking access with deep local expertise, delivering a service tailored to Australian organisations and project conditions. - **Local knowledge.** We understand Australian project timelines, regulatory frameworks, seasonal conditions and the unique challenges of operating across remote and diverse landscapes. - **Industry experience.** Our team has extensive experience supporting mining, infrastructure, environmental and government sectors with satellite imagery solutions. - **Full lifecycle support.** From feasibility assessment and AOI definition through to ordering, delivery and ongoing tasking program management, Terrabit provides end-to-end assistance. Satellite imagery is becoming a standard operational tool for Australian organisations. As satellite constellations expand and tasking platforms become more accessible, the combination of daily revisit capability and 24-48 hour delivery is enabling teams to respond faster, manage assets more effectively and track change as it happens. Whether you need satellite imagery for mining operations, infrastructure projects, environmental monitoring or emergency response, Terrabit and our satellite partners deliver the speed, resolution and reliability Australian organisations depend on. **Ready to task a satellite? Contact Terrabit and submit tasking - or ask about Albatross and task directly from the platform.** Get started with satellite tasking → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/urgent-satellite-tasking-australia --- ### Terrabit Joins Vantor’s Partner Ecosystem - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-11-11 - Category: announcements - Tags: Partnerships, News ## Partnership Snapshot Brisbane Australia - November 2025 - Terrabit, a company focused on delivering very high-resolution and premium quality satellite imagery solutions, announced today that they have joined Vantor’s Partner Ecosystem. Vantor, the leading provider of spatial intelligence, and Terrabit will now serve Australia with Vantor’s products and solutions for mining, environmental and infrastructure industries. See our Vantor page for the products now available. Vantor combines software, AI, and spatial data to build a unified intelligence picture. Its industry-leading imaging satellite constellation fuels the most accurate living digital replica of Earth. These capabilities provide government and commercial customers with an unparalleled understanding of our world. Terrabit can now enable their customers to access Vantor’s products. Terrabit will add value to Vantor’s products with additional processing, localised support and customised analytics services to deliver actionable insights for Australian customers. _"We’re excited to bring Vantor’s very high-resolution imagery products to our clients,"_ said Simon Greig, Sales and Partnership Manager at Terrabit. _"Combining Vantor’s global technology with Terrabit’s regional expertise ensures Australian projects have access to the most accurate, timely and insightful geospatial data available."_ ### About Terrabit Terrabit is advancing the future of geospatial intelligence through high-resolution satellite imagery and analytics. Headquartered in Australia, Terrabit delivers data-driven insight to customers across mining, environmental and infrastructure worldwide. By combining access to the world’s most capable imaging satellites with local expertise and advanced analytics, Terrabit transforms raw data into actionable intelligence. Its solutions enable organizations to monitor change, manage resources and make confident, timely decisions in a dynamic world. ### About Vantor Vantor is unleashing a more automated, interoperable future. We’re forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, empowering decision makers and operators with the clarity they need to navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Our AI-powered spatial intelligence platform fuses data from the world’s most capable imaging satellites with real-time sensor feeds from space, air, and ground to create the most accurate living digital replica of Earth. The platform automates every part of the intelligence cycle-from tasking to collection to production-to continuously update and analyze this foundation at the pace of change. These capabilities provide customers with an unparalleled understanding of our world and connect the next generation of autonomous systems across the defense, intelligence, and commercial landscape. For more information, visit vantor. ## Talk to Us Ready to unlock near real-time satellite monitoring or fine-tune your imagery procurement workflow? Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/vantor-and-terrabit-partnership --- ### Vantor Expanding Satellite Constellation: 20cm Vantage™ and 40cm Pulse™ Programs - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2026-04-10 - Category: press - Tags: News, Vantor **Vantage™ and Pulse™ programs aim to combine high-resolution imagery with near real-time global revisit.** Vantor has announced a major expansion of its Earth observation constellation, introducing two new satellite classes designed to combine high-resolution imaging with high-frequency global monitoring. The announcement marks a significant step toward addressing a long-standing limitation in commercial satellite imaging: the trade-off between image detail and revisit frequency. Vantor's constellation expansion introduces the Vantage™ (20cm) and Pulse™ (40cm) satellite programs. Video courtesy of Vantor. ## Dual-satellite approach: Vantage™ and Pulse™ The expansion introduces two complementary systems: **Vantage™:** next-generation satellites delivering 20cm-class imagery, expected to begin deployment as early as 2029 **Pulse™:** a fleet of 40cm-class satellites designed for persistent, high-frequency monitoring, with deployment targeted from 2027 Together, these systems aim to create a commercial architecture capable of delivering both high spatial resolution and near real-time temporal coverage. ## Toward 15-minute global revisit capability According to the announcement, the expanded constellation is expected to significantly increase imaging capacity and revisit rates. Vantor states that the new architecture could enable imaging of the same location as frequently as every 15 minutes, representing a major shift in how satellite data can be used operationally. This builds on the company's current capabilities, where its existing constellation can already revisit some locations multiple times per day and capture millions of square kilometres of imagery daily. ## Building on the WorldView Legion constellation The new satellite programs build on Vantor's existing fleet, including the WorldView Legion satellites, which currently deliver 30cm-class imagery and enhanced revisit performance. These systems have already increased collection capacity and enabled more frequent monitoring across key regions, supporting both government and commercial applications. ## Enabling real-time spatial intelligence and AI workflows The expanded constellation is designed to support Vantor's broader spatial intelligence platform, enabling: - Continuous monitoring of assets and environments - Automated change detection at scale - Near real-time situational awareness - AI-ready 2D and 3D geospatial data The company states that this approach will allow customers to move from tasked imagery collection to continuous, automated intelligence workflows. ## Industry implications: closing the resolution vs revisit gap For decades, Earth observation systems have required a compromise between: - High-resolution imagery (e.g. 20–30cm) - High-frequency monitoring (sub-hour revisit) Vantor's dual-constellation approach signals a broader industry shift toward integrated, multi-resolution architectures capable of delivering both simultaneously. If successfully deployed, this model could reshape use cases across infrastructure and asset monitoring, defence and intelligence, environmental observation, mining and large-scale land management. ## Timeline and outlook **Pulse™** (40cm, high revisit): expected from 2027 **Vantage™** (20cm, ultra-high resolution): expected from 2029 While both systems remain in development, the announcement highlights increasing demand for persistent, high-resolution global monitoring and the growing role of AI-driven geospatial intelligence. Vantor's current constellation is available in Australia through Terrabit today. Talk to a specialist → ## Sources Vantor – Constellation Expansion Announcement (April 2026) URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/vantor-expanding-satellite-constellation --- ### What is Change Detection? - Author: Zachary Walls, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-04-27 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides Change detection is one of the core analytical capabilities in satellite imagery and Earth observation workflows. It refers to the process of identifying and quantifying differences in a location over time using satellite data. In practical terms, it answers a straightforward operational question: what has changed, where has it changed and how significant is that change. This makes change detection a foundational method across environmental monitoring, emergency response, mining, infrastructure planning and government applications. ## How Change Detection Works Change detection is based on comparing satellite images of the same area captured at different times. These images are typically sourced from the same sensor or from compatible sensors and are processed to ensure they are geometrically aligned and radiometrically consistent before analysis. Once aligned, change is identified by comparing differences in pixel values, spectral responses or derived indices. In multispectral workflows, this often includes vegetation or water indices, while in other cases it may involve classification outputs or direct image differencing. The key principle is that each pixel location is analysed over time to determine whether a meaningful change has occurred and if so how it has evolved. Port Hedland, Western Australia - the same area captured 24 hours apart. Vessel positions, stockpile movement and infrastructure activity become measurable when consecutive captures are aligned and compared. Imagery courtesy of BlackSky. ## Why Satellite Imagery is Well Suited to Change Detection Satellite data is particularly effective for change detection because it provides consistent, repeatable coverage of the Earth's surface. This repeatability allows the same location to be monitored over time using a standardised spatial reference. The ability to combine multispectral imagery, SAR data and high-resolution optical imagery also strengthens change detection workflows. Each sensor type contributes different information, whether it is spectral variation, structural change or all-weather observation capability. This multi-sensor environment is what makes satellite-based change detection operationally reliable across different environments and conditions. A single 30 cm satellite acquisition over an active mine site - the kind of high-resolution capture that, when repeated over weeks or months, becomes the input to operational change detection workflows. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion). ## Types of Change Detection There are several common approaches used depending on the dataset and the application. Pixel-based change detection is the most direct method and involves comparing raw or processed pixel values between two dates. It is commonly used for detecting vegetation loss, surface disturbance or water extent changes. Index-based approaches build on multispectral data by comparing derived indices such as NDVI or NDWI over time. These are widely used in environmental monitoring because they isolate specific surface properties. Post-classification comparison involves classifying each image independently before comparing the results. This is often used for land use change and urban expansion analysis. Time series analysis extends this further by using multiple observations over time to identify trends rather than single change events. This is increasingly used in long-term environmental and agricultural monitoring. | Method | What it compares | Typical use | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Pixel-based | Raw or processed pixel values | Vegetation loss, surface disturbance | | Index-based | Derived indices (NDVI, NDWI) | Vegetation health, water extent | | Post-classification | Independently classified land cover | Land use change, urban expansion | | Time series | Multiple captures over a period | Long-term agricultural / environmental | ## Key Applications Change detection is widely used across both natural and built environments. In environmental monitoring, it is used to track deforestation, vegetation change, coastal movement and ecosystem degradation. In emergency management, it supports flood mapping, bushfire impact assessment and disaster damage analysis. In mining and resources, it is used to monitor land disturbance, open pit expansion and rehabilitation progress, often as part of an ongoing mine site monitoring program. In urban environments, it supports the tracking of construction activity, infrastructure growth and broader land use change. Across agriculture, it is applied to crop monitoring, seasonal variation tracking and field-level condition assessment. Change detection spans contexts as varied as lithium evaporation ponds (left) where pond chemistry shifts week to week, and water infrastructure (right) where reservoir extent and surrounding land use evolve over seasons. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ## Data Requirements and Considerations Accurate change detection depends heavily on data consistency and preprocessing. Imagery must be radiometrically comparable, geometrically aligned and captured under similar environmental conditions where possible. Temporal spacing also plays a role. If images are too close together, natural variability can introduce noise. If they are too far apart, important intermediate changes may be missed. Sensor compatibility is another key factor, particularly when combining datasets from different satellites or constellations. Without these considerations, change detection outputs can easily be distorted by external variables rather than true surface change. Two captures of the same mine corridor, geometrically aligned to the same pixel grid. Pixel-for-pixel registration is what allows downstream change detection to attribute differences to genuine surface change rather than misalignment. Imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS) - processed by Terrabit. See our guide to pre-processing satellite imagery. ## Limitations While highly effective, change detection has a number of operational constraints. Atmospheric variation, seasonal change and differences in illumination can all introduce false signals if not properly controlled. Cloud cover remains a limitation for optical-based workflows, particularly in high-frequency monitoring environments, although increasing revisit rates and modern tasking capabilities are helping to reduce this constraint in practice. Complex land cover can also reduce accuracy, particularly where mixed surfaces or gradual transitions are present. In addition, threshold selection and classification settings can significantly influence final outputs, especially in automated or large-area processing workflows. For these reasons, change detection is rarely used in isolation and is typically validated against multiple data sources. This often includes SAR imagery for consistent observation through cloud and night conditions, along with high-resolution optical data and elevation models to provide additional context and verification. Synthetic Aperture Radar penetrates cloud and operates day or night, making it the standard fallback when optical capture windows are blocked by weather. SAR data captured by KOMPSAT-5 - imagery courtesy of SI Imaging Services (SIIS). ## Integration with Other Satellite Data In operational workflows, change detection is most effective when combined with other datasets. Multispectral imagery provides the spectral foundation for identifying vegetation, water and land cover change. SAR imagery adds all-weather and night-time capability, allowing consistent monitoring regardless of cloud conditions. High-resolution optical imagery provides detailed visual confirmation where required, while elevation data adds terrain context for hydrological and infrastructure analysis. This multi-layer approach improves reliability and reduces the risk of false change interpretation. Geelong, Victoria - the same hyperspectral capture rendered as natural colour (left) and a Principal Component Analysis composite (right). Layering analytical products on top of optical baselines is what makes multi-sensor change detection operationally reliable. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern - processed by Terrabit. ## Where Change Detection Fits in Earth Observation Change detection sits within the analytical layer of most Earth observation workflows. It is typically applied after satellite acquisition and preprocessing and before final product generation and reporting. In practice, it is one of the key steps that transforms raw imagery into actionable intelligence, enabling users to move from visual interpretation to quantified environmental or structural change. ## Final Thoughts Change detection is one of the most operationally important techniques in satellite imagery analysis. It enables consistent monitoring of the Earth's surface over time and provides the foundation for understanding environmental, structural and land use dynamics at scale. As satellite revisit rates continue to improve and multi-sensor integration becomes more seamless, change detection is increasingly moving toward near real-time operational monitoring rather than retrospective analysis. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/what-is-change-detection --- ### What is Multispectral Imagery? - Author: Zachary Walls, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-04-21 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides Multispectral satellite imagery is one of the most widely used forms of Earth observation data. It underpins a large proportion of operational satellite workflows across government, mining, environmental monitoring, agriculture and disaster response. In simple terms, multispectral imagery captures Earth data in multiple specific wavelengths of light - beyond what the human eye can see - allowing us to analyse vegetation, water, soil and built environments in far greater detail than standard imagery. ## Seeing Beyond Natural Colour A standard image captures three bands of light: red, green and blue (RGB). Multispectral sensors extend this by capturing additional parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically including: - Blue - Green - Red - Near-infrared (NIR) - Shortwave infrared (SWIR) - In some sensors, red-edge bands Each band captures reflectance at a different wavelength and each wavelength responds differently depending on the material on the ground. Texas Downs, Western Australia - the same scene rendered in natural colour (left) and colour-infrared (right). Vegetation along watercourses, almost invisible in RGB, lights up red in CIR. Sentinel-2 imagery (ESA) - processed by Terrabit. Rather than capturing what something looks like, multispectral imagery helps determine what something is made of and how it is changing over time. ## How Multispectral Sensors Work Multispectral satellites do not capture a single photograph in the traditional sense. Instead, they collect multiple layers of data, each representing a specific wavelength range. These are known as spectral bands. Each pixel in a multispectral image contains reflectance values across those bands. This allows analysts to: - Compare spectral responses between materials - Detect changes over time - Classify land cover types - Extract environmental indicators Each band effectively acts as a different filter on the same location. ## Why Different Materials Respond Differently Every surface on Earth reflects and absorbs light differently depending on its composition. ### Vegetation Healthy vegetation reflects strongly in the near-infrared band. This response is the basis for vegetation health monitoring and indices such as NDVI. ### Water Water absorbs most infrared light, making it appear dark in NIR and SWIR bands. This characteristic is used for flood mapping and water body delineation. ### Urban areas Built environments such as concrete, asphalt and rooftops each have distinct spectral signatures that allow classification of urban land use and change detection. ### Minerals and soils SWIR bands are particularly useful in distinguishing soil types and mineral composition, making them valuable in exploration and environmental applications. Mt Kinahan, Western Australia - RGB versus NDWI. Water absorbs strongly in NIR and SWIR, so the Normalized Difference Water Index pulls subtle drainage and moisture features forward that natural colour cannot resolve. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView-2) - processed by Terrabit. This separation of materials is what makes multispectral data operationally valuable. Tweed, New South Wales - RGB versus NDVI. The same scene re-expressed as a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, where bright green indicates dense, actively photosynthesising canopy. Imagery courtesy of Vantor (WorldView Legion) - processed by Terrabit. ## Multispectral vs Hyperspectral Multispectral and hyperspectral imagery are often grouped together, but they differ significantly in spectral detail. | Feature | Multispectral | Hyperspectral | | --------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | Number of bands | Typically 4-16 | 100+ narrow bands | | Spectral detail | Moderate | Very high | | Data volume | Lower | High | | Processing complexity | Moderate | High | | Typical use cases | Mapping, vegetation, water, land cover | Material identification, mineralogy | Multispectral sensors such as Sentinel-2, WorldView-3 and WorldView Legion record a handful of broad bands. Hyperspectral sensors record 100+ narrow, contiguous bands, as on science missions such as EnMAP and PRISMA. Commercial hyperspectral constellations trade some of that band count for revisit, coverage and cost: Wyvern's Dragonette-1 records 23 bands and Dragonette 2-5 record 31, still far narrower and more closely spaced than any multispectral sensor. Multispectral imagery is the operational standard across most commercial Earth observation systems due to its balance of detail, cost and scalability. Northern Territory, Australia - the same hyperspectral capture in natural colour (left) and as a PCA-derived composite (right). With many narrow, closely spaced bands, hyperspectral data exposes material differences that even a rich multispectral scene cannot resolve. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern (Dragonette) - processed by Terrabit. ## Common Band Combinations One of the most widely used applications of multispectral imagery is band combination analysis. By assigning different spectral bands to RGB channels, it is possible to highlight features not visible in natural colour imagery. Common examples include: - False colour infrared for vegetation analysis - Urban composites for built-up mapping - SWIR combinations for burn scars and soil moisture - Water-focused composites for flood extent mapping These combinations are widely used in environmental monitoring, emergency response and resource planning workflows. A Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) composite - a SWIR-based combination used to map fire severity and post-fire recovery. Sentinel-2 imagery (ESA) - processed by Terrabit. For a deeper look, read our guide on band combinations and indices. ## Key Applications Multispectral imagery is used across a wide range of operational sectors: ### Agriculture - Crop health monitoring - Drought assessment - Yield estimation ### Environmental monitoring - Deforestation tracking - Vegetation Classifications - Water quality assessment ### Emergency management - Flood mapping - Bushfire burn severity assessment - Cyclone and storm impact analysis ### Mining and resources - Exploration targeting - Land disturbance monitoring - Rehabilitation tracking ### Urban and infrastructure - Urban expansion monitoring - Construction activity tracking - Land use classification ## Why Multispectral Imagery Is So Widely Used Multispectral data remains the backbone of operational Earth observation because it offers: - Broad geographic coverage with frequent revisit - Sufficient spectral detail for environmental and land analysis - Scalable data volumes suitable for large-area monitoring - Established analytical methods and indices It provides a practical balance between simplicity and analytical power. ## Limitations While highly effective, multispectral imagery has a number of operational constraints that should be considered when designing workflows. - **Limited spectral bands compared to hyperspectral systems**\ Multispectral sensors capture a smaller number of broader wavelength bands, which limits the level of material discrimination possible compared to hyperspectral imagery. - **Dependent on cloud-free optical acquisition**\ As an optical dataset, imagery quality and availability can be impacted by cloud cover, smoke, haze and atmospheric conditions. - **Requires correct band selection and processing**\ Reliable outputs depend on appropriate band combinations, calibration and processing workflows. Incorrect configurations can lead to misleading interpretations. - **Interpretation relies on domain expertise**\ Spectral responses are not always intuitive and require experience in remote sensing and environmental context to interpret accurately. ## Where It Fits in Earth Observation Multispectral imagery sits at the core of most Earth observation workflows. It bridges the gap between: - Standard RGB satellite imagery used for visual interpretation - Hyperspectral data used for material-level analysis - Radar systems used for structural and all-weather monitoring In most operational programs, multispectral data acts as the primary analytical layer for environmental and land-based decision-making. ## Final Thoughts Multispectral satellite imagery is one of the most important and widely used datasets in Earth observation. It translates reflected light into structured information about the Earth's surface - enabling consistent monitoring of vegetation, water, land use and environmental change at scale. As satellite constellations continue to expand and revisit times improve, multispectral data will remain central to operational decision-making across government, industry and environmental sectors. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/what-is-multispectral-imagery --- ### What is Satellite Imagery? Types & Uses Explained - Author: Michael Izatt - Published: 2025-09-15 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides Regional context from free Sentinel‑2 data enables large‑area environmental and urban analysis. Satellite imagery lets us see Earth from space - but it’s far more than just pretty pictures. It’s information. It’s insight. It’s the backbone of decision‑making in sectors from mining to urban planning, environmental monitoring to disaster response. In this article, we explain how satellite imagery works, the different types, what you can do with it, and where the technology is heading. By the end, you’ll see why satellite imagery isn’t just “nice to have” - it’s becoming essential. ## What Exactly Is Satellite Imagery? Satellite imagery refers to photos or data collected by Earth observation satellites orbiting the planet that capture visual, infrared, thermal, radar or other spectral information. These images are used to map, monitor and analyse Earth's surface. To be useful, satellite imagery is: - Processed to remove distortions and align with previous data or GPS coordinates - Calibrated so measurements are comparable across atmospheric conditions - Packaged into formats that can be analysed by GIS software or AI tools This transformation from raw data to actionable insight is what makes satellite imagery so powerful for commercial, research and government use. ## How It Works - From Space to Insight Here’s what happens between a satellite passing overhead and you receiving usable imagery: 1. Orbit & Sensor Types - The satellite’s orbit (sun‑synchronous or mid‑inclination) determines when and how often it can view a given location. - Sensors vary: optical (visible light), multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal, radar (SAR). Each has strengths and trade‑offs. 2. Data Capture - As the satellite passes over an area, its sensors record reflected light, heat or radar signals. - Some sensors work day or night, through clouds; others need clear skies and daylight. 3. Transmission & Ground Stations - The satellite beams data to ground stations where it’s stored and queued for initial QC and processing. - Some satellites have near real‑time downlink; others may have a delay depending on their orbit. 4. Processing & Correction - Raw data is corrected for atmospheric effects, sensor noise, and geometric distortion. - It’s orthorectified so each pixel lines up with its real‑world coordinates and corrected for terrain. 5. Analysis & Insight - Imagery can then be mosaicked, pansharpened (if in bundle format) and analysed for specific insights - common ones include: vegetation health, water levels, construction progress and change detection/disturbance mapping. ## Types of Satellite Data & Their Applications Different types of satellite imagery are designed for different jobs. Here’s a quick guide to the main categories and what they’re best for: | Imagery Type | Key Features | Example Applications | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | | Optical / Multispectral | Captures visible light plus extra bands; similar to photography | Crop health, urban planning, environmental monitoring | | Hyperspectral | Dozens to hundreds of bands; detects subtle material differences | Mineral exploration, ecosystem mapping, precision agriculture | | Thermal | Measures heat radiation; works day or night | Wildfire detection, infrastructure heat loss, volcano monitoring | | Radar / SAR | Works through clouds, day or night; detects surface shape and texture | Flood mapping, infrastructure movement, disaster response | Very high‑resolution optical capture (KOMPSAT‑3A). Imagery courtesy of KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute) / SI Imaging Services (SIIS). Hyperspectral sensing enables fine‑grained material discrimination for exploration and environmental science. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern. Radar/SAR operates day‑night through cloud and haze. Imagery courtesy of KARI / SI Imaging Services (KOMPSAT‑5). ## Why Satellite Imagery Matters Satellite imagery is used every day to make smarter, faster decisions across industries: - Mining & Resources - support exploration by identifying geological features, monitor tailings dams and track environmental compliance in remote regions. - Agriculture & Pastoral Land Management - monitor drought stress, pasture growth and crop yields over vast farms and rangelands. - Environmental Monitoring & Conservation - track bushfire risk and recovery, detect illegal land clearing and monitor habitats. - Urban Development & Infrastructure - plan new roads and suburbs, monitor construction progress and assess flood risk. - Disaster Management - rapidly map floods, cyclone damage or bushfire‑affected areas to prioritise response. - Government & Policy - support land‑use regulation, carbon accounting and climate change reporting. ## Benefits of Satellite Imagery - Wide‑Area Coverage - monitor entire countries or regions in a single dataset, including remote or inaccessible areas. - Regular, Repeatable Monitoring - many satellites revisit the same location daily or even multiple times per day, enabling time‑series analysis. - Rich, Multi‑Spectral Data - beyond just “pictures,” satellites provide insights into vegetation health, moisture, temperature and even ground movement. - Historical Archives - decades of imagery allow you to track long‑term trends like urban expansion, coastal erosion and climate impacts. Multi‑year comparison using Sentinel‑2 enables robust change detection and trend analysis. ## The Future of Satellite Imagery The satellite imagery industry is moving fast - and the possibilities keep expanding: - More Frequent Revisit Times - new constellations of small satellites are providing multiple captures per day, enabling near real‑time monitoring. - Higher Resolution & More Spectral Bands - each new generation of satellites delivers sharper images and richer data for more detailed analysis. - AI & Machine Learning Integration - automated change detection, predictive modelling and instant alerts are transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. - Easier Access & Integration - cloud platforms and APIs are making imagery more accessible to businesses, researchers and governments of all sizes. - Global Collaboration - open data programs like Copernicus and Landsat are enabling climate science, disaster response and policy planning worldwide. Satellite imagery is no longer just a tool for scientists or governments - it’s becoming a core part of decision‑making across industries. ## Conclusion Satellite imagery transforms how we see and understand the world. From tracking environmental changes to supporting agriculture, urban planning, mining and disaster response, it provides insights that were once impossible to access at scale. Whether you’re a business, government agency or researcher, using satellite imagery can help you make smarter, faster and more informed decisions. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/what-is-satellite-imagery --- ### What Satellite Imagery Reveals About Seasonal Landscape Change - Author: Simon Greig, Michael Izatt - Published: 2026-05-26 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Satellite Imagery Landscapes are never static. They respond constantly to rainfall, drought, vegetation cycles, water movement and human activity. From the ground, these changes can be slow and difficult to interpret. From space, they tell a far clearer story. High-resolution satellite imagery, captured repeatedly across seasons, gives mining, infrastructure and environmental teams a way to observe how a site behaves over time, without mobilising crews, increasing safety risk or relying on a single point-in-time inspection. This article looks at what seasonal satellite imagery reveals, how Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) deepen that understanding, and why repeat satellite capture has become one of the most valuable monitoring tools for organisations operating across large or remote Australian landscapes. ## How Seasonal Change Reshapes a Landscape Two satellite images of the same location captured in different seasons can look like completely different environments. Vegetation density shifts dramatically after rainfall. Water bodies expand and contract. Drainage lines emerge. Surface moisture changes. Previously hidden terrain features become visible during dry periods. Across Australia, from the tropical wet season in the north to the dry inland conditions of the Pilbara, Goldfields and central regions, these patterns drive how landscapes behave, how water moves, and where operational risk concentrates. The same landscape captured under contrasting conditions - vegetation density, surface moisture and terrain visibility shift dramatically between wet (left) and dry (right) periods. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. Common seasonal patterns visible from satellite imagery include: - Vegetation response after rainfall - Surface water expansion and recession - Sediment and runoff pathways - Changes in soil moisture - Rehabilitation recovery trends - Erosion and drainage development - Seasonal access constraints - Surface disturbance visibility during dry periods Rather than viewing imagery as a one-off snapshot, seasonal comparison creates a timeline of how an area responds to environmental conditions throughout the year. ## The Value of Satellite Monitoring The real value of satellite imagery isn't a single picture. It's the ability to observe consistent, comparable, large-area conditions over time, from anywhere. For organisations responsible for remote sites or long linear assets, that translates into several practical advantages. ### Cost-Effective Monitoring at Scale A single satellite capture can cover thousands of square kilometres in one acquisition. Compared with aerial surveys, drone flights or ground-based inspections, satellite imagery delivers wide-area visibility at a fraction of the operational cost. ### Reduced HSE Risk Many seasonal observations, such as drainage behaviour after heavy rainfall, post-cyclone surface change and rehabilitation recovery, historically required field mobilisation. Satellite imagery removes the need for personnel to enter remote, flooded or unstable terrain to gather that context. ### Frequent Revisits and Change Detection Modern commercial satellite constellations offer daily to weekly revisit options across Australia, with resolutions down to 30cm. This makes it possible to track week-to-week changes across roads, drainage structures, rehabilitation zones, stockpiles and operational infrastructure. ### A Historical Archive That Grows in Value Every captured image becomes part of a long-term visual record. Seasonal satellite imagery supports environmental reporting, compliance documentation, incident investigation and historical land-use analysis, often years after the original capture. ### Consistency Across Sites and Conditions Satellite imagery delivers an objective, repeatable record that doesn't depend on who was on site or which season they visited. That consistency makes it easier to compare conditions, validate change and build trust in reporting. | Monitoring need | Typical satellite approach | | ---------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Wide-area baseline | Archive optical, 50cm - 3m | | Repeat seasonal monitoring | Tasking, 30cm - 1m optical | | Post-event rapid assessment | Urgent tasking / SAR | | Long-term trend analysis | Multi-year archive (optical + multispectral) | | Terrain and drainage context | Satellite-derived DEM | ## Detecting Landslides and Ground Movement With Satellite Imagery One of the clearest examples of satellite imagery's operational value is the detection of landslides, slope failures and post-event ground movement. After heavy rainfall events, landslides can occur in steep terrain, particularly across tropical Queensland, the Great Dividing Range, and mountainous mining and infrastructure corridors. From the ground, the full extent of movement is often difficult and unsafe to assess. High-resolution satellite imagery makes it possible to: - Identify the location, extent and runout path of a landslide - Compare pre-event and post-event imagery to quantify visible change - Monitor whether movement is progressing or stabilising over time - Assess access constraints and downstream impacts on roads, rail and surrounding infrastructure Pre-event (left) and post-event (right) satellite imagery makes it possible to map the scar, runout path and downstream impact of a landslide without sending crews into unstable terrain. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. When combined with a Digital Elevation Model, this analysis goes further. The DEM helps explain the slope, aspect and drainage conditions that contributed to the failure, and helps identify other areas with similar terrain characteristics that may warrant closer attention. ## How DEMs Deepen Understanding Optical satellite imagery shows what's visible on the surface. Digital Elevation Models explain why those patterns occur. Elevation and terrain influence: - Where water accumulates - How runoff moves across a site - Which areas remain saturated after rainfall - Where erosion is most likely to develop - How surface disturbance propagates over time When combined with seasonal imagery, DEMs transform visual change into landscape understanding. A wet-season image may show expanded water pooling, while the DEM explains the drainage path and low points driving that accumulation. Vegetation variability often aligns closely with elevation, slope and moisture retention patterns visible through terrain analysis. Optical imagery (left) paired with its derived Digital Terrain Model (right) - the DEM exposes slope, aspect and drainage that explain how the surface responds to rainfall. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. In dry, low-vegetation terrain the optical scene (left) and DTM (right) together reveal ridge lines, drainage networks and low points that drive where surface water moves during rainfall events. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. For remote sites where ground survey is expensive or logistically difficult, satellite-derived DEMs provide an accessible baseline of terrain. They also provide a foundation for drainage modelling, hazard mapping, volumetric analysis and rehabilitation planning. A valley scene in 30cm optical imagery (left) paired with its 50cm DTM (right) - the elevation model isolates the drainage path and low points that drive where water accumulates after rainfall. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. Steep terrain captured in 30cm optical imagery (left) and its 50cm DTM (right) - slope, aspect and ridgelines are separated from vegetation cover, supporting hazard mapping, stability analysis and access planning. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. ## Applications Across Industries Understanding seasonal landscape behaviour improves planning and decision-making across every large land-based operation. Mining operations can monitor water movement, rehabilitation response, tailings storage facility behaviour and progressive land disturbance against regulatory commitments such as Western Australia's Mining Rehabilitation Fund (MRF) and Queensland's Progressive Rehabilitation and Closure Plan (PRCP) requirements. Infrastructure and energy projects can observe drainage impacts, vegetation clearing progression, erosion development and terrain behaviour across long corridors and remote assets. Environmental teams can monitor vegetation recovery, wetland response, seasonal surface water variability and the long-term recovery of disturbed land. Emergency response and risk teams can rapidly assess flood extent, landslide events and post-event conditions across areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. See our guide to satellite imagery for government planning and emergency response for more detail. A bridge crossing in 30cm optical imagery (left) paired with the 50cm DTM (right) - terrain context that informs approach design, drainage and asset-level monitoring along long infrastructure corridors. Imagery courtesy of Vantor, processed by Terrabit. | Sector | Seasonal monitoring use case | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------ | | Mining | Tailings, rehabilitation, water management, MRF / PRCP | | Infrastructure | Drainage, erosion, vegetation clearing along corridors | | Energy | Access tracks, lay-down areas, terrain stability | | Environmental | Vegetation recovery, wetland response, surface water | | Emergency response | Flood extent, landslide mapping, post-event assessment | Across all of these, the underlying value is the same: a consistent, repeatable, large-area record of how the landscape is changing. ## Seeing Landscapes Differently Seasonal change often happens gradually enough that it goes unnoticed day to day. But viewed from space over time, the landscape tells a much clearer story. It's a story of water, vegetation, terrain and human activity interacting in patterns that are often invisible from the ground. High-resolution satellite imagery and Digital Elevation Models give Australian operators a broader, safer and more cost-effective way to understand that story, and to make better decisions because of it. ## Explore Satellite Imagery and DEMs for Your Site Terrabit sources high-resolution satellite imagery and Digital Elevation Models from leading commercial constellations, with archive access and custom tasking across Australia. > Ready to bring seasonal landscape insight to your site? Browse our satellite imagery products and Digital Elevation Models, explore active satellite constellations and the Albatross platform, or request a tailored quote today. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/what-satellite-imagery-reveals-about-seasonal-change --- ### Where to Use DEMs - Real-World Industry Applications - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2026-04-17 - Category: articles - Tags: Guides, Industry Solutions Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are one of the most widely used geospatial datasets in modern Earth observation and GIS workflows. At their core, DEMs represent the bare ground surface of the Earth in a continuous digital grid - removing buildings, vegetation and other surface objects to reveal the true shape of the terrain. But in practice, that "bare earth" definition depends heavily on how the DEM is created. The sensor used, the processing approach and the experience of the team all play a role -particularly when balancing automated workflows against manual editing and quality control. Across industries, DEMs underpin everything from large-scale modelling and design through to detailed risk analysis and operational planning. From mining pits to floodplains to transmission corridors, they quietly support some of the most important spatial analysis being done today. ## 1. Mining Operations Mining is one of the most established use cases for DEMs. Accurate terrain models are essential for understanding site conditions and how material and infrastructure interact with the landscape across the life of a project. Common use cases include: - Access route and haul road planning - Site access and logistics planning - Cut and fill estimation for early-stage earthworks - Open pit and project area terrain visualisation A DEM provides the baseline terrain layer used to quantify earthworks, assess constraints and support decision-making across both planning and operational phases. When updated over time, it also enables consistent monitoring of how a site evolves through different stages of development. Mine site satellite imagery (left) paired with its derived DTM (right) - the foundation for cut and fill estimation, haul road planning and pit design. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## 2. Civil Engineering and Infrastructure Planning For civil engineering and infrastructure projects, DEMs are typically one of the first datasets used during early-stage planning and feasibility assessment. They provide a fast way to understand terrain conditions and site constraints before detailed surveying or design work begins. Key applications include: - Road and rail corridor planning and route comparison - Pipeline and transmission line route selection support - Preliminary earthworks and cut/fill assessment - Site feasibility and constraint mapping - Drainage and surface water flow analysis support By providing early visibility of slope, elevation and terrain variability, DEMs help identify potential constraints and opportunities earlier in the project lifecycle. This supports more informed decision-making and reduces the likelihood of major redesigns later as projects progress into detailed design and construction phases. Early-stage feasibility benefits from paired satellite imagery and DTM - enabling slope, access and constraint analysis without commissioning detailed ground surveys. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## 3. Flood Risk and Hydrological Modelling Water movement is fundamentally driven by terrain, making elevation data a key input for hydrological analysis. DEMs are commonly used to understand how water is likely to move across a landscape, particularly during rainfall extremes and major weather events. Typical applications include: - Flood extent and inundation mapping - Catchment and watershed delineation - Flow direction and runoff pathway analysis - Storm surge and coastal inundation modelling support - Drainage and surface water planning inputs Even relatively small variations in elevation can influence how water accumulates and travels through a landscape, which is why DEM resolution, coverage and source data quality are important considerations in hydrological workflows. Drainage networks revealed in satellite imagery (left) and the underlying DTM (right) - the same elevation data drives flow direction, catchment delineation and inundation modelling. DEM processed by Terrabit using imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## 4. Urban Planning and Smart Cities As cities become more data-driven, DEMs are increasingly used to support 3D urban modelling and spatial analysis workflows. They provide the terrain foundation used in building more complete representations of urban environments. Common uses include: - Urban growth and expansion analysis - Integration of building footprints into 3D city models - Solar exposure and shadow modelling - Viewshed and line-of-sight analysis - Infrastructure planning and spatial constraint assessment When combined with surface models such as DSMs, DEMs help enable more complete 3D representations of cities, supporting applications in digital twin and urban analytics environments. High-resolution satellite imagery of football stadium - the kind of urban scene where DEMs combined with surface models drive digital twins, viewshed analysis and 3D city modelling for smart-city workflows. ## 5. Telecommunications and Network Planning In telecommunications, terrain plays a critical role in signal behaviour and line-of-sight performance. Even small changes in elevation can influence coverage, particularly in higher-frequency networks such as 4G and 5G, where obstructions have a greater impact on signal propagation. DEMs are commonly used for: - Cell tower placement and coverage analysis support - Line-of-sight (LoS) assessment - Signal propagation and coverage modelling - Microwave link planning and feasibility analysis - Network expansion planning and scenario testing This is particularly important in regional and remote areas, where terrain variability is higher and infrastructure deployment decisions need to account for broader spatial constraints. Network infrastructure stretching across the landscape - DEMs underpin the line-of-sight, coverage and microwave link decisions that determine where each tower or pole is placed. © 2026 BlackSky Technology Inc. All Rights Reserved. ## 6. Renewable Energy (Solar and Wind) Energy developers rely heavily on DEMs during early-stage feasibility assessments and site selection studies. Terrain plays a key role in both solar exposure and wind behaviour across a site. Key applications include: - Solar farm slope and aspect analysis - Shadow and shading modelling - Wind flow and turbine siting assessment support - Site grading and earthworks planning inputs - Access route and infrastructure planning For large-scale renewable projects, even small variations in terrain can influence overall site performance and development efficiency, making elevation data an important input during the early planning stages. Solar slope and aspect analysis (left) and wind turbine siting on elevated terrain (right) - both rely on DEMs to identify the best parts of a site before detailed feasibility work begins. ## 7. Environmental Monitoring and Conservation DEMs also play an important role in understanding natural systems and tracking environmental change over time. They are commonly used for: - Erosion and land degradation monitoring - Vegetation and habitat analysis (when combined with other datasets) - Landslide susceptibility mapping support - River morphology and change detection - Ecosystem restoration planning inputs Because DEMs represent the underlying terrain, they are particularly valuable for analysing physical landscape change and identifying how natural processes are shaping the environment over time. Forested ridges and ravines in Sequoia National Park, California - paired with DEMs, this kind of imagery supports habitat analysis, erosion monitoring and ecosystem restoration planning. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. ## 8. Emergency Response and Disaster Management In time-critical environments, DEMs support rapid spatial understanding when conditions are changing quickly. Use cases include: - Bushfire spread analysis and modelling inputs - Emergency evacuation planning support - Landslide and terrain instability risk assessment - Flood response and impact mapping - Accessibility and logistics planning during events In disaster scenarios, terrain is often one of the first datasets used to understand how an event may develop and how it is likely to interact with the landscape. Flood inundation and bushfire burn scar assessment - DEMs underpin both pre-event risk modelling and post-event response, helping agencies prioritise where to act first. For more on this workflow, see our guide on satellite imagery for government planning and emergency response. ## DEM vs DSM - Why It Matters in Practice It's worth noting that many workflows confuse DEMs with DSMs. - **DEM** → bare ground (terrain only) - **DSM** → surface including buildings and vegetation Choosing the wrong one can significantly affect results - particularly in flood modelling, telecoms and engineering design. Visual comparison of DSM versus DTM - the orange line follows the surface (including buildings and vegetation) while the green line follows the bare ground. For a deeper dive, read our guide to DEMs, DSMs & DTMs from satellite. ## The Bigger Picture DEMs are no longer just a "background dataset" used for visualisation. They are now a core analytical layer used across engineering, environmental science, infrastructure planning and risk modelling. As satellite imagery resolution improves and global elevation datasets become more accessible, DEMs are shifting from specialist GIS products to everyday decision-making tools. The key question is no longer _"what is a DEM?"_\ It's _"what problem are you trying to solve with it?"_ Once you know the problem, see the DSM and DTM products Terrabit supplies. A satellite-derived 3D elevation model of coastal New Zealand - the same underlying technique now powers terrain analysis across every industry covered above. Imagery courtesy of Vantor. > **Need a DEM for your project?** Our team can help you select the right elevation product - archive or fresh tasking, DSM or DTM - matched to your application. Talk to a specialist → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/where-to-use-dems --- ### Wyvern + Terrabit: Hyperspectral Imagery for Next-Generation Insights - Author: Simon Greig - Published: 2025-09-23 - Category: announcements - Tags: Partnerships, News Hyperspectral imaging is changing how we understand the Earth. Terrabit is proud to supply data from Wyvern's Dragonette hyperspectral constellation, which captures data across 23 or 31 spectral bands for next-generation insights in mining, agriculture, environment and infrastructure. This means Terrabit can now help you access hyperspectral imagery, backed by our local expertise and support team in Brisbane, QLD. See our Wyvern page for sensor details, or if you’re new to our offerings, explore our Satellite Imagery page for delivery options and example use cases. False-colour hyperspectral composite showing vegetation variability for early stress detection and land cover discrimination. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern; processed by the Terrabit team. ## What You Get **Hyperspectral Bands** Unlike traditional optical imagery, hyperspectral data captures 20+ narrow bands across the visible and infrared spectrum. Enabling you to: - Detect subtle vegetation stress before it’s visible to the eye. - Identify mineral signatures for exploration and rehabilitation. - Monitor water quality and algae blooms with chemical-level precision. - Classify materials and track changes invisible in normal satellite imagery. Hyperspectral false-colour composite optimised for vegetation indices to highlight crop health differences. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern; processed by the Terrabit team. ## Where It Helps First Hyperspectral imagery already delivers value in: - **Mining & Exploration** – mineral mapping, soil chemistry and rehabilitation monitoring. - **Agriculture & Forestry** – crop stress detection, nutrient optimisation and disease tracking. - **Environment & Water** – algae bloom detection, wetland health and pollution monitoring. - **Infrastructure & Energy** – material degradation and analysis. Hyperspectral visualisation over a mine site combining PCA analysis and decorrelation stretches-highlighting how Wyvern data can be used to “see the unseen” by revealing separability of materials. Imagery courtesy of Wyvern; processed by the Terrabit team. ## How We Make It Actionable Hyperspectral data is powerful, but it only delivers value when presented in a way that drives real decisions. Terrabit ensures Wyvern’s hyperspectral imagery is practical and immediately usable by providing: - **Tailored acquisition plan:** We recommend the optimal spectral bands, capture parameters and revisit cadence for your Area of Interest (AOI). - **Clean, pre-processed data:** Orthorectified, Top-of-Atmosphere (TOA) corrected and radiometrically calibrated imagery, ready for analysis without extra pre-processing. - **Analysis-ready products:** In-house processing includes Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and decorrelation stretches, delivered in GIS-compatible formats so you can focus on detecting vegetation type, mineral signatures, water quality changes and other critical insights. With Terrabit as your supplier, Wyvern hyperspectral imagery arrives ready for analysis-not as raw files that slow your projects. Learn more on Satellite Imagery. ## Get Started Tell us your AOI, cadence and project requirements-we’ll recommend the right satellite solution and delivery format. Contact Us → URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/wyvern-and-terrabit-partnership --- ## Company ### About Terrabit Terrabit is an Australian geospatial technology company specializing in satellite imagery and AI-powered analytics. Our mission is to make earth observation data accessible and actionable. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company --- ### What We Do - Terrabit Terrabit turns satellite imagery into clear, actionable intelligence for mining, energy, government and environmental operations - end-to-end sourcing, local Australian processing, integration pipelines and continuous monitoring, delivered to clients across Australia and around the world. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/what-we-do --- ### Our Purpose - Terrabit Our purpose at Terrabit is to make geospatial data a simple, dependable asset for every operation we serve - powering smarter decisions across mining, energy, government and environmental work, in Australia and around the world. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/our-purpose --- ### Careers - Terrabit Build the geospatial foundation our clients depend on - in Australia and around the world. Engineering, geospatial and client-delivery roles at Terrabit, based in Brisbane. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/careers --- ### Partners & Vendors Terrabit partners with leading satellite imagery providers including BlackSky, Wyvern, SIIS, and Vantor to deliver comprehensive earth observation solutions. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/vendors --- ### BlackSky Partnership BlackSky provides high-revisit, high-resolution satellite imagery. Real-time monitoring capabilities with rapid tasking and delivery for time-sensitive applications. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/vendors/blacksky --- ### Wyvern Partnership Wyvern delivers hyperspectral satellite imagery for advanced spectral analysis. Agriculture, mining, and environmental applications with detailed material identification. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/vendors/wyvern --- ### SIIS Partnership SIIS (Satellite Imaging and Intelligence Solutions) provides comprehensive satellite data and analytics services for Australian defense and government applications. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/vendors/siis --- ### Vantor Partnership Vantor is an Australian satellite company developing sovereign imaging capabilities. Next-generation earth observation for Australian government and commercial customers. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/company/vendors/vantor --- ### Contact Us Get in touch with Terrabit. Contact our team to discuss satellite imagery, geospatial solutions, or partnership opportunities. Request a demo or quote. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/contact-us --- ## Legal ### Privacy Policy Terrabit privacy policy. How we collect, use, and protect your personal information in accordance with Australian privacy law. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/privacy --- ### Terms and Conditions Terms and conditions governing the use of Terrabit services, website, and platform. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/terms-and-conditions --- ### Cookie Policy How Terrabit uses cookies and similar technologies on our website. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/cookies --- ## Other Pages ### Terrabit - Satellite Intelligence & AI-Powered Insights Transforming industries with satellite intelligence and AI-powered insights. Geospatial data solutions for mining, energy, government, infrastructure, and environmental monitoring. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/ --- ### Satellite Tracker Track satellites in real-time. View orbital positions of earth observation satellites. Interactive 3D visualization of satellite constellations. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites --- ### Satellite Catalog Browse and search the satellites available through Terrabit. Filter earth observation satellites by vendor, resolution, spectral bands, and status. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/satellites/catalog --- ### Blog & Resources Latest insights on satellite imagery, geospatial technology, and industry applications. Technical guides, case studies, and company news. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog --- ### Articles - Blog Technical deep-dives, guides, and insights on satellite imagery and remote sensing. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/category/articles --- ### Press - Blog Press releases, media coverage, and industry news featuring Terrabit. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/category/press --- ### Announcements - Blog Product updates, partnerships, and company announcements from Terrabit. URL: https://terrabit.com.au/blog/category/announcements ---