These are lower resolution but powerful tools that can be combined to create powerful and scalable services that include both open-source and commercial offerings. The progression beyond basic feature detection further enhances the value of EO data. Crossing a threshold of accuracy transforms the data from being informative to also being actionable. For example, constellr’s high-resolution thermal imagery can capture detailed temperature variations across urban environments, agricultural fields and natural landscapes, providing insights that are crucial for applications such as urban heat island assessment, crop health monitoring and disaster management. Often when testing a new Earth observation use case, the best way is to start small with a pilot project, ideally with external partners or vendors. Many use cases might not be a good fit for an organization, so it may only make sense to invest in building something in-house at scale after it has already been tested and validated. Rohini Swaminathan, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) The following image compares constellr’s thermal imagery with open-source data from lower- resolution sources. highlighting the enhanced granularity of commercial data.Organizations can test an EO solution with open-source data and opt for commercial data when higher resolution is needed. Additionally, it is important to consider how small satellites and newer sensors often use open data from Landsat and other satellites for calibration and validation to improve quality control. Often, when deciding on an EO solution, a blend of publicly available and commercially available data and tools may enable an organization to maximize its return on investment. Furthermore, regardless of the data sources and tools chosen, organizations will often still require EO expertise to analyse and interpret the insights from EO and have unique considerations when deciding how to best build, buy or partner to acquire their needed EO capabilities.Example of precision variability by data source FIGURE 6 OPEN SOURCE COMMERCIAL Source: Constellr The Executive’s Playbook on Earth Observation: Strategic Insights for a Changing Planet 26

The Executive%E2%80%99s Playbook on Earth Observation