Ground-breaking satellite data platform launched for UK users
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The Satellite Applications Catapult and UK Space Agency have jointly funded and developed a new online data hub to enable UK end-users to access data from the Copernicus Earth observation Sentinel satellites.
The Sentinel Data Access Service (SEDAS) was created to help organisations make use of the vast quantities of satellite data becoming available from public and private satellite operators. Through a premium web-based interface, end-users can learn about, discover and analyse Earth observation (EO) data, download news and educational content, and participate in discussion forums. SEDAS will serve expert and non-expert users alike, enabling organisations with all levels of experience to access, use and benefit from EO data.
Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult, said: ?SEDAS is a new tool for anyone interested in using satellite data, reducing the barriers associated with access. By helping users understand what data is available, and how to access and use it, we aim to enable far wider use of satellites for evidence-based decision making, information gathering and environment monitoring.
?For example, Sentinel-2 data is already proving its value in land monitoring. Its high revisit frequency, ability to distinguish between different crop types and deliver timely data on plant indices has the potential to transform precision farming?
In the SEDAS tool, radar data from Sentinel-1 can be searched by location, by drawing a shape or uploading a shape file to define an area of interest. You can also specify a period of interest. Results for existing data can be downloaded, and details of data scheduled to be collected over the next fortnight will also be provided.
Sentinel-2, which will be available on SEDAS from late October, provides wide-area, high-resolution, multispectral imagery in optical bands, which will benefit efforts to tackle deforestation, food security, disaster monitoring and coastal pollution. The satellite provides global coverage of the Earth’s land surface every ten days, making the data of great value in ongoing studies.
Initially, SEDAS provides immediate access to a 30-day rolling archive of data.ΓΏ As a future enhancement, it will be possible to include requests for data outside of the archive period.
