Exciting realities behind Earth observation satellites

For those who are unfamiliar, Earth observation satellites are used to gather information on global environmental conditions and are essential to understanding various geographical and weather-related phenomena. The need to identify potential environmental disasters before they strike and to manage Earth’s natural resources optimally have been important factors driving the use of these satellites. 

According to Technavio Research, there are currently 374 satellites in orbit across the globe for Earth observation. 

Data from satellites provides information to understand the processes and interactions between land, the atmosphere, and the oceans. Different data sets can be derived for applications as varied as forestry, agriculture, geology, risk management, and defense. For data communication, the satellites are uplinked and downlinked with the help of transponders, which will drive the market for satellite transponders, says Jujhar Singh, a lead embedded systems research analyst from Technavio.