The criticality of satellite data to solve some of the world’s pressing problems such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity is increasing with each passing day. While there is a plethora of available data and precise analytical tools to draw actionable insights, one of the problems that emerges is the lack of interoperability between platforms and combining data from different satellites in an accessible way.
Spacetech startup Open Cosmos has launched a platform called DataCosmos that aims to make satellite data access easier for everyone from organizations to governments. The platform combines earth observation data from multiple sources that can help mitigate ecological and sustainability challenges.
The platform combines Earth Observation (EO) data from multiple sources that can help mitigate ecological and sustainability challenges. Through it, Open Cosmos aims to democratize access to satellite data. In the words of Scott Smith, Technical Project Manager, Open Cosmos, who is leading the development of DataCosmos, the technology behind it is at the forefront of cloud-native approaches to dissemination and exploitation of satellite data that provides actionable insights and empowers people.
What makes DataCosmos differ from other platforms is that its interface combines multiple data types from satellites, drones, sensors etc. Since it’s a Cloud-based, users can access, download, visualize and process high-resolution imagery within seconds.
“DataCosmos is aimed at data fusion. Getting together satellite and drone imagery, data from sensors or vector layers, and results from applications on that data. Then it provides a visual interface to manage all the related information, visualize and compare, in order to take decisions. The integrated applications and the public API make the tool unlimited in terms of the results it can provide”, says Carlos Fernández de la Peña, VP of Business Development, Satellite Data and Services, Open Cosmos. DataCosmos seamlessly integrates access to data of 20+ satellites, and allows the user to task them for new images.
Accessing previously siloed, disaggregated data gets a lot easier with DataCosmos, and organizations can seamlessly navigate between different data-sets and utilize the data that’s needed.
“Climate change analysis requires both frequent, varied data, proper applications to process large data volumes, and flexibility to create new algorithms fusing data and results from various sources. DataCosmos has been designed with these three priorities in mind”, adds Peña.
Toggling between multiple data platforms to draw relevant insights is time-consuming as well as costly. DataCosmos claims to overcome this problem by providing an integrated data platform that not only combines multiple sources but also provide insights on areas ranging from agriculture to mining, depending on the user preference and choice. DataCosmos comes with latest geospatial standards and is designed for security and scalability.
“We currently integrate 15 applications, from oils spills detection, water quality analysis, ecosystems monitoring, visual features identification, carbon flux assessment, wildfire scars monitoring and many others. New agreements are being discussed to further enhance the platform functionalities and enrich the ecosystem,” says Peña
Some of the EO data providers to DataCosmos include:
“Open Cosmos is creating an environment to finally unleash the actual, enormous value of satellite imagery with DataCosmos. We can’t wait to see how governments and organizations use and gain insights from this exceptional data to tackle problems such as climate change and growing urbanization,” says Peña.
