The Future of Satellite Data: Leveraging SaaS Infrastructure for Scalable Mission Operations

Satellite operators build and deliver some of the most complex systems into orbit that the world has ever seen. The problem here is the idea of vertical integration, where satellite operators and EO mission organizers believe that their whole stack for the entire product chain can be built in house. If you look at every other industry on earth, typically you can be an excellent hardware company or you can choose to be an excellent software company but it’s difficult to pull off both.

Software as a service (SaaS) applications have revolutionized the way that businesses operate. As a cloud-based software, SaaS has provided businesses with greater reach and flexibility when it comes to accessing and sharing data. SaaS programs offer tools to businesses without the business having to design, develop, and maintain their own program in house. Because of these advantages, SaaS is emerging as an invaluable tool for satellite operations. 

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, brilliant companies were building amazing websites and internet programs and running them on their own servers. These servers cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain and operate just to keep a website up. Then, all of a sudden cloud took over, and these companies were able to scale globally because the cloud became the backbone infrastructure for the web. We’re seeing a similar change in the earth observation industry now.

With the commercialization of satellite data, there are trillions of terabytes of data available to industries. Rather than having to build and develop their own user-facing ground infrastructure, SaaS platforms are revolutionizing satellite operations by providing scalable, user-friendly and cost effective solutions. 

Due to the nature of cloud-based SaaS platforms, when compared to traditional software, SaaS options enable more scalability. Cloud-based software is accessible by anyone from anywhere in the world, connecting teams and individuals within and outside of your operation. The flexibility of SaaS enables users to easily scale up, accommodating workload to meet their individual needs.

 It can cost satellite operators up to $5 million USD a year to build and maintain their own dedicated infrastructure. Implementing SaaS solutions to satellite operations, eliminates these resource and time costs. This not only makes the software accessible to both small and large satellite operations, but it streamlines their ability to go to market.

SaaS provides an easy to use platform for your entire organization and customer base to use. With automated updates, any maintenance or enhancements are handled by the software provider and users always have access to the latest version. The cloud-based nature of SaaS enables better collaboration within the organization and with outside customers and stakeholders, by making data available from anywhere in the world. Additionally, most SaaS programs are capable of integrating with a business’s current workflow and existing programs. This seamless connection supports businesses operations by accommodating data sources and systems and offering complimentary services.

One of the key value points of SaaS for satellite operations is the ability to facilitate near real-time access and distribution of satellite data. As mentioned above, SaaS platforms enable satellite data to be accessed from anywhere, regardless of geographic location. This empowers users whether in the field or in the office, to make informed decisions. Integrating your satellite operation with a SaaS platform automates data processing and delivery. By reducing the effort of manual tasks you can get your data from space to the ground, within minutes. Near-real time access ensures that users have the most up to date information at their fingertips. When it comes to access and distribution of satellite data, a common concern is security. Reputable solutions such as Geostack, have advanced security features designed specifically for satellite imagery protection, ensuring your data is safe and secure.

In today’s data-driven world, SaaS plays a critical role in addressing global challenges such as environmental monitoring, defence operations, and precision agriculture. SaaS platforms provide the tools to facilitate efficient management and distribution of data to deliver actionable insights. 

For example, environmental monitoring leverages a variety of different data types. From remote sensing to field surveys, archive satellite imagery to active ground sensors, data has been essential in mapping changing environmental conditions around the world. SaaS platforms have proven useful in effectively storing and sharing this vast amount of data so researchers and governments can analyze and derive plans to respond to environmental changes. 

Similarly, management of geospatial intelligence has become a challenging endeavour hindered by complex satellite data distribution systems, and inefficient integration into existing defence operation workflows. This inefficiency is an expensive challenge, impacting user ability to make effective defence decisions. SaaS platforms provide a single access point to gather, analyze, and visualize satellite data to facilitate coordination between different military branches and operations. 

Finally, Satellite data has provided invaluable insights to agriculture operations, particularly in precision agriculture. The culmination of data used to address crop, weather, pest, and soil factors is immense. To make the most of this data and resulting analytics, a centralised storage and reporting platform is essential. Paired with other technological advances, these data solutions help to maximize profitability, efficiency, sustainability and safety within agriculture operations.

With other industries benefiting from SaaS applications within their workflows, it is easy to see how similar software could improve ground infrastructure for satellite missions.

Looking forward, there are new innovations and applications of SaaS for satellite operations. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as a transformative tool to satellite data. Data is the backbone of any AI and ML application. In order to harness the potential of AI and ML for geospatial applications, data needs to be available in a consistent format and stored appropriately. That is where SaaS platforms come in. SaaS platforms such as Arlula’s Geostack provide the infrastructure and tools necessary to manage, process, and analyze massive datasets at scale.This not only enhances the AI and ML model’s performance but also opens up new possibilities for training and testing across diverse datasets.

The future of satellite mission operations lies in the adoption of SaaS infrastructure as a scalable, cost-effective and user-friendly solution for managing and distributing satellite data. By enabling near real-time access and supporting innovations such as AI and ML, SaaS empowers satellite operators to continue delivering quality satellite data while maintaining focus on their core missions.

How can you maximize your satellite constellation? Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Satellite Operator series to find out!

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