Resolution, Revisit and Latency: the Three Axes of Value
Why do buyers pay so differently for imagery of the same place, and which property of the data are they really paying for?
Chapter summary
Every EO product sits somewhere on three axes.
Key takeaways
- 1
Resolution is how small a thing you can see; revisit is how often you can look again; latency is how quickly the image reaches you after it is taken.
- 2
No system is best on all three at once, because a sharp camera covers a narrow strip, a wide camera sees less detail, and fast delivery needs ground stations or relays everywhere.
- 3
Buyers pay most for the axis their decision depends on: a targeting officer pays for resolution and latency, a commodity trader for revisit, an insurer for a reliable image just after an event.
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A Short History of Commercial Earth Observation
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