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A framework has been established to provide a repeatable process for evaluating remote sensing imagery and data that supports NASA's Earth science research and application activities. While the evaluations of Pilot and additional Spire products have been completed with details listed below, evaluation of products is an ongoing effort with sets of products in different phases of the process. On-ramp #2 and #3 include sets of products that are currently under evaluation. NASA has funded a set of Principal Investigators (PIs) that are experts in the specific imagery products and applications for utilizing the products being evaluated.

A final report will be developed and made available for each vendor and after review.

On-ramp #3 Evaluation

To support On-ramp #3 NASA has awarded blanket purchase agreements to GHGSat, Inc., GeoOptics, Inc., Capella Space, and ICEYE U.S., Inc. to acquire commercial SmallSat data for evaluation to determine the utility for advancing NASA's science and applications development goals.

GHGSat is providing a comprehensive catalog of High Resolution Gas Detection Commercial Earth Observation Data products. GHGSat currently has a constellation of platforms in orbit that are capable of measuring methane emissions from point sources as small as individual oil and gas wells.

GeoOptics has operated a constellation of nanosatellites in low Earth orbit equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System/Global Positioning System Radio Occultation sensors. These sensors collect data for calculating temperature, pressure, and other qualities of the atmosphere. The data have a range of uses, including Earth and space weather forecasting and studying the effects of climate change.

Capella Space Corporation of San Francisco is providing high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (0.5 meter to 1.2 meters) commercial Earth observation data products.

ICEYE U.S., Inc., of Irvine, California is providing high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (1 meter to 15 meters) commercial Earth observation data products.

On-ramp #2 Evaluation

Airbus U.S. and BlackSky Commercial SmallSat Data Acquired by NASA. The data are part of ongoing efforts by NASA's Commercial SmallSat Data Acquisition (CSDA) program to add commercial SmallSat data to NASA's Earth science data collection.

To support On-ramp #2 NASA has awarded blanket purchase agreements to Airbus Defense and Space GEO Inc (Airbus U.S.) and BlackSky Geospatial Solutions, Inc., (BlackSky) to acquire commercial SmallSat data for evaluation to determine the utility for advancing NASA's science and applications development goals.

Airbus provides a comprehensive catalog of SAR Earth observation products from their TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X, and PAZ X-band radar platforms along with their suite of elevation data products derived from radar data. The completed Airbus U.S. SAR Evaluation Report and the Quality Assessment Summary are available for review.

BlackSky data are from its constellation of 12 platforms that provide imagery in four reflective bands: red, green, blue, and panchromatic. These platforms are part of BlackSky’s second-generation, or Gen-2, platforms, which are deployed in both Sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits to provide global coverage. The high spatial and temporal dawn-to-dusk imagery from BlackSky is applicable to a wide range of pattern-of-life and anomaly detection research.

Spire Additional Products Evaluation

As part of the CSDA sustained purchase agreement, additional Spire products were made available that were not part of the original Pilot. A product description of the raw intermediate frequency is included:

In addition, research was performed on other products, high level summaries are included:

Pilot Evaluation

The first set of evaluations done by CSDA was the Pilot effort that included data products from Planet, Maxar, and Spire. The Pilot formed the basis of further evaluations the program is continuing to evolve and build on the lessons learned during the pilot. A detailed description of the Pilot is available.