Bytes to insights1 Revolutionizing real-time climate intelligence for disaster response and management with advanced EO technologies. Satellites with high-resolution and diverse sensing capabilities are more capable of accurately detecting and monitoring climate-related disasters. For example, in wildfire scenarios, being able to detect new fires and hot spots with satellites every few hours (or less) at a high resolution greatly enhances disaster response and provides better operational guidance to first responders. Technology pipeline: New developments in satellite EO sensor technology Driven by the rapidly expanding market opportunity and increasing number of potential customers and applications, the potential economic value of EO is expected to exceed $700 billion by 2030.4 This increasing demand for data has driven advancements in satellite technology (e.g. increasing temporal, spatial and spectral resolution of EO satellite sensors), allowing for better monitoring and analysis of environmental changes, as well as the detection and recording of disasters such as wildfires, floods and droughts. In 2024, satellite start-up Albedo raised a total of $97 million in early investments (series A-1 funding) to build and launch its first fleet of 24 high-resolution Earth imaging satellites into very low Earth orbit. The company intends to offer high-resolution electro-optical satellite imagery (10cm) and thermal imagery (2 metres). This means that each pixel in the electro-optical imagery represents an area of 10x10 cm on the ground, providing a level of detail previously only available from aeroplanes or classified reconnaissance satellites.5 South Africa and Belgium- based EO optical imaging solution company Simera Sense raised $15 million in 2024 to accelerate the development of higher resolution and advanced short-wave infrared camera products to match the rising demand from EO satellite manufacturers.6 Building on the success of the Landsat program, NASA is also expanding its array of sensors for EO satellites. The Landsat Next mission, slated for launch in 2030, is designed to collect all 26 “superspectral” bands, compared to the 11 “multispectral” bands of previous Landsat missions. Multispectral satellite imagery typically captures 4-12 bands of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging from visible to non-visible light. Superspectral imagery will capture even more bands, enabling more detailed and refined data. LandsatNext’s superspectral bands will produce 2-3 times the temporal, spatial and spectral resolution.71.1 Enhanced resolution and diversification in sensing capabilitiesReal-time data tools that track climate-related events can monitor changes in weather conditions and help predict a disaster’s path. In a disaster response situation, where accurate and fast data analysis is crucial for timely decision-making, EO data decreases in value as it ages. However, emerging technology innovations are driving new opportunities to provide EO-enabled near-real-time climate-related disaster insights. Charting the Future of Earth Observation: Technology Innovation for Climate Intelligence 6

Charting the Future of Earth Observation 2024