Satellite VS Drone Imagery: Knowing the Difference and Effectiveness of SuperVision Earth’s Complementary Synergy
Gathering information about Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems is called Earth Observation (EO). It is used to track and assess the state of the natural and manmade environments, as well as the changes thereof. The most common way to carry out EO is by using Remote Sensing technologies. Optical Remote Sensing (ORS) systems detect solar energy reflected from targets on the ground using visible, near infrared, and short-wave infrared sensors to create images of the earth’s surface. At different wavelengths, different materials reflect and absorb differently. The objects can thus be distinguished in remotely sensed photographs based on their spectral reflectance characteristics.
Remote Sensing uses special cameras that collect remotely sensed images. Some of them are:
- Cameras on satellites and airplanes that capture images of large areas on the Earth’s surface
- Sonar systems on ships that are used to create images of the ocean floor without needing to travel to the bottom of the ocean.
- Cameras on satellites are used to generate images of temperature changes in the oceans.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) such as Drones and Satellite constellations are essential (EO) systems for monitoring land surface dynamics remotely. While drones have acquisition flexibility and the capacity to deliver imagery with extremely high spatial resolution, satellites can provide time-series data across broad areas. Despite the fact that they are complementary and have strong and exciting potential synergies, each of these data sources is often employed independently.
This article will explain the differences in Drone and Satellite usage as well as SuperVision Earth’s combined usage and effort to provide the best and topmost solution to its customers.
Drones
Drones are made of light composite materials that improve manoeuvrability and enable them to travel at exceptionally high altitudes. Drones are equipped with cutting-edge technology such as infrared cameras, GPS, and lasers. Remote ground control stations(GCS), often known as a ground cockpit, are used to control drones.
A drone is constructed with all its sensors and navigational systems in the front and other drone technological systems filling the rest of the body. Apart from being light, the materials used to construct drones are designed to absorb vibration, which decreases the sound produced.
Drones used for surveying land capture aerial data with downward-facing sensors, such as RGB or multispectral cameras, and LIDAR payloads. Having the ability to fly at optimal altitudes, drones are used to capture high-resolution images for survey and analysis. Some benefits of drones are that they reduce field time and survey costs, provide accurate data and map otherwise inaccessible areas.
Satellites
An Earth-imaging satellite is the most common type of Earth Observation Satellite which captures satellite images, analogous to aerial photographs. Earth observation satellites operate in a variety of orbits, providing distinct views of the Earth. Due to power and memory constraints, acquisition schedules exist to determine the frequency at which satellites may collect data. Some provide consistent and dependable data collection, while others collect modest amounts over time. Data is held onboard the satellite until it comes into contact with a ground station, at which point it is downlinked.
The downlinked satellite data is then analysed by computers and applied to various fields such as global environmental changes, typhoons, volcano, floating ice, etc. to various environmental changes with human activities. The major advantages of satellite observations are that they are systematic and recurrent and can be made uniformly over large areas.
Drones VS Satellites
Drones and satellites can be considered as different mapping technologies on a spectrum and the superiority of each depends on different applications.
Satellites operate further away from Earth than drones and provide a wider coverage it can provide. However, this wider coverage comes with a shortcoming in the form of a much lower level of detail and a view that can often be blocked by clouds or other obstacles.
The images gathered using satellite technology are typically very low in resolution, and so may not be useful for projects that require a very high level of detail and accuracy.
Drone is a relatively new surveying technology. Drones can operate at a much higher altitude than traditional land-based surveying techniques, while of course operating on a much lower level than satellites. Drones provide images of higher resolution as compared to satellites, but on a large scale it is more challenging to store such images.
Advantages of satellites over drones
1. Autonomy
While drones often need to be guided by an operator, satellites are fully autonomous. Once satellites are in orbit, they rotate around the Earth and use advanced lenses and sensors to image the planet and send data back to the ground station. Historical satellite data is available free of cost, thus enabling a time series to study the area of interest through images. However, if someone is looking to collect specific commercial images, then all it takes to place an order is to specify the area of interest (AOI), frequency of image collection, date range, and resolution.
2. Accessibility
Even though drones can be used to survey areas that are inaccessible by foot, its range is limited as it has to be directed by an operator. Moreover, operating drones in forests or mountainous locations is risky as it can add more complexity to the operation, resulting in the risk of losing the equipment. In addition to this inaccessibility. Drone operators have to abide by no-fly zones from place to place.
In comparison, satellites have no such restrictions.
3. Consistency
Drones can be hindered by their limited flight time and battery life. Depending on the model, most drones have a flight time of about half an hour before requiring a recharge. This results in loss of continuous mapping footage. Applications such as geospatial analysis take into account different elevations and sun angles while processing images and drones are not the best solution. A major advantage of using satellites over drones is consistency.
4. Scalability
Given that satellite images are easier to obtain due to no operational costs, even from remote locations and are more consistent, it is no surprise that they’re often the preferred solution for imaging large areas. Satellites are also better suited for applications involving change detection, which requires the ongoing capture of images for comparison.
5. Price
Drone images are charged according to the time required for operations, which is much higher in comparison to that of satellites. Satellite imagery pricing is based on area size, resolution, and when the data is captured. For the price, a satellite can take high-resolution images of the same area covered by a drone, with the benefit of also collecting processed data.
Moreover, the price of commercial satellite images has been dropping because the cost of sending satellites into space is lower than ever, prompting more space companies to build their own constellations. The increased availability of satellites has reduced costs.
Advantages of drones over satellites
- Quality Imaging
Drones can capture high-quality aerial videos and photographs due to their proximity to the ground. High-resolution images can be used to create accurate 3D maps and detailed 3D models of areas to study the surface. Moreover, drone images, unlike those satellites, are not hindered by weather conditions such as cloud cover.
2. Precision
Drones use the global positioning system (GPS) to be deployed in precise locations, thus enabling the capture of images from smaller areas of land. Drones can be used for aerial surveys over places that cannot be easily accessed by people, such as swaps or dense forests.
3. Ease of deployment
Drones can be deployed and operated with ease given the advances in control technology. Since most drone models are low on cost, they have become accessible to a wide range of operators. Drones can be operated at heights very close to land and can be maneuvered in all directions.
4. Security
With appropriate licenses, drones can be used to provide security and surveillance to areas that require it, such as along pipeline routes and critical pipeline infrastructure. Drones can also gather valuable data during and after natural disasters to aid in security and recovery efforts.
Satellite Monitoring for Pipeline Infrastructure Safety
Pipeline infrastructure safety is at the heart of SuperVision Earth’s AI based innovation. SuperVision combines various monitoring technologies and has partnered with different major satellite image data providers to deliver the best quality and frequency of images for our service while ensuring safe and real-time monitoring of pipeline infrastructure. SuperVision is cognisant of the benefits of complimenting the uses of satellites and drones. To provide impeccable services to its customers, SuperVision utilises both satellite and drone data to analyse and detect threats along pipeline routes. SuperVision’s supreme product provides the best possible conditions to ensure the safety of pipeline systems and operations. SuperVision’s innovation is beneficial in the following ways:
- To identify unknown geohazards and areas of displacement along pipeline networks
- Monitoring known geohazards over time and signal accelerations / progressive behaviour
- Assistance in prioritizing locations for field inspections
- Determine the extent of displacement areas; ground instrumentation can only identify movement at the instrument
- Identify construction sites and human activities around the pipeline to avert incidents
SuperVision’s AI innovation then analyses the detected risks and immediately reports risks to the relevant pipeline operators.
The SuperVision Space (SVS) app uses earth observation and remote sensing technology to monitor threats along pipeline routes and immediately reports risks to the relevant pipeline operators, thus enabling the creation of resilient infrastructure networks.
References:
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research-topic/earth-observation
https://crisp.nus.edu.sg/~research/tutorial/optical.htm
https://wingtra.com/drone-mapping-applications/surveying-gis/
https://www.restec.or.jp/en/knowledge/sensing/sensing-2.html
https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/en/hatoyama/satellite/satellite_mechanizm_e.html
https://www.skywatch.com/blog/5-benefits-of-using-satellite-imagery-over-drones
https://3vgeomatics.com/portfolio-items/remote-pipeline/#case-study
