III. INTENSITY: ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS IN THE SPACE ECONOMY 6. The satellite earth observation sector

Earth observation represents one of the earliest uses of space technologies. It allows the measurements from orbit Methodological notes of a very wide range of geophysical parameters, spanning the whole spectrum of the environment, including the Data used here come from private data providers and atmosphere, land, oceans, ice and snow. The number of from the Satellite database maintained by the remote sensing satellites had been increasing as countries Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS), an around the world seek to develop autonomous capabilities. international group which aims to co-ordinate civil Actors-wise, the United States, Europe, China and India are space-borne earth observations (i.e. fifty members all important operators of satellite remote sensing fleets and associate members made up of space agencies, (Table 6.2). Out of the 109 operational earth observation national and international organisations). The CEOS missions managed by civilian space agencies, fifty are dedi- database is updated annually, based on a survey of cated to gathering multi-purpose land imagery (CEOS, 2010). the organisation’s members. Commercial satellite earth observation represents a niche market valued at some USD 900 million to USD 1.2 billion in 2009, depending on the source, and includes full lines of products and services, not only imagery (Figure 6.1). The Sources international commercialisation of satellite imagery started when restrictions on space technologies were relaxed at the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) (2010), end of the cold war. The main customers remain govern- CEOS Missions, Instruments and Measurements Database, mental agencies, which provide anchor contracts to remote www.ceos.org. sensing satellite operators in some cases. For example Euroconsult (2010), Satellite-Based Earth Observation, Market in 2010, the US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Prospects to 2018, Paris. launched a USD 2.8 billion Service Level Agreement (“EnhancedView SLA”) to receive high-resolution earth Northern Sky Research (2010), Global Satellite-Based Earth imagery products and services over ten years from Observation, 2nd Edition, November. Digital-Globe, a commercial operator. According to Satellite Industry Association (2010), State of the Satellite Euroconsult estimates (2010), some 260 earth observation Industry Report, Report prepared by Futron Corp., and meteorology satellites could be launched in the next ten Washington DC, June. years, generating USD 27.4 billion in manufacturing revenues for the space industry, compared to 128 satellites and USD 20.4 billion in revenues the previous decade. Notes Although, it is estimated that 77% of all new earth observa- 6.1: Not adjusted for inflation. tion satellites in the coming ten years will be owned or operated by a government or military entity, confirming the 6.2: Several countries and agencies can co-operate for one satellite mission. Planned missions: Includes missions, both approved and dominance of public institutions on the supply side under consideration, to be flown in the next two to ten years. Instru- (Northern Sky Research, 2010). In addition, more than a ments: Earth observation satellites usually carry several instruments dozen radar satellites, which allow to see through clouds, (e.g. diverse sensors) which can be built by agencies, laboratories, are expected to be launched over the next decade. universities and/or industry.

Essential measurements about the earth and its environment conducted by satellite earth observations

Atmosphere: Aerosol properties, atmospheric humidity fields (water vapour), atmospheric temperature fields (air temperature), atmospheric winds, cloud properties, lightning detection, liquid water and precipitation rate, ozone, earth radiation budget (including solar irradiance), trace gases (carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases). Land: Landscape topography (lake areas and levels), multi-purpose imagery (land cover, urban planning), soil moisture, surface temperature (fire disturbance), vegetation (biomass, agricultural crop identification), albedo and reflectance. Ocean: Ocean colour (for biological activity, including fisheries), ocean salinity, ocean surface winds, sea level, currents, ocean wave height and spectrum, sea surface temperature. Snow and ice: Ice sheet topography (glaciers and ice caps), sea ice cover, edge and thickness, snow cover, edge and depth. Gravity, magnetic and geodynamic measurements: Groundwater, sea level.

64 THE SPACE ECONOMY AT A GLANCE 2011 © OECD 2011 III. INTENSITY: ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS IN THE SPACE ECONOMY

6. The satellite earth observation sector

6.1 Estimates of commercial remote sensing revenues, 2004-09 USD billion USD billion 1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Source: Satellite Industry Association (2010).

6.2 Selected ongoing and planned earth observation missions by civilian agencies As of October 2010

Agency Ongoing missions Planned missions Instruments

Argentina CONAE 8 1 24 Brazil INPE 3 6 11 Canada CSA 6 6 11 China CAST 3 7 35 CRESDA 2 3 – NRSCC 8 16 22 Europe EC – 14 8 ESA 11 28 51 EUMETSAT 6 14 14 France CNES 14 10 40 Germany DLR 5 3 9 India ISRO 12 15 36 Italy ASI 13 5 16 Japan JAXA 6 11 16 JMA 2 – 4 Korea KARI 2 4 8 Nigeria NASRDA 1 2 3 Norway NSC 1 – 1 Russian Federation ROSHYDROMET 2 12 33 ROSKOSMOS 3 13 40 South Africa SANSA 1 – 1 Spain CDTI 3 1 3 Sweden SNSB 1 – 4 Thailand GISTDA 1 – 2 Turkey TUBITAK 1 – 2 United States NASA 14 31 81 NOAA 22 12 55 USGS 2 1 5 Ukraine NSAU 1 – 5 United Kingdom UKSA 4 – 8

Source: CEOS (2010).

THE SPACE ECONOMY AT A GLANCE 2011 © OECD 2011 65 From: The Space Economy at a Glance 2011

Access the complete publication at: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264111790-en

Please cite this chapter as:

OECD (2011), “The satellite earth observation sector”, in The Space Economy at a Glance 2011, OECD Publishing, Paris.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264113565-11-en

This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries.

This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at [email protected].