Earth Online
The ESA's Earth Online product offers a portal for accessing satellite imagery and environmental data, supporting a range of applications from climate monitoring to natural disaster assessment.
URL
https://earth.esa.int/eogateway/tools
Description
The European Space Agency's Earth Online (ESA-EO) is a portal dedicated to providing a wealth of information on ESA's Earth observation activities and datasets. It serves as a comprehensive platform for Earth science and environmental monitoring. Users can retrieve up-to-date satellite imagery, open data from specific Earth observation missions, and a range of tools for analysis and interpretation of raw environmental data. Earth Online also shines when it comes to news, visuals and infographics plus detailed mission information and 3D models of the satellites, making it a useful resource for anyone looking to understand the planet's dynamics and changes.
ESA’s EO universe holds something for everyone. It's not only for experts - there’s enough to explore if you’re new to the field.
ESA’s Earth Observation ecosystem is evolving from a collection of isolated, specialised tools toward integrated, cloud-based platforms that combine complete workflows of data discovery, access, processing and analysis in one single environment.
The main components of the ESA Earth Observation platform are:
Mission documentation and data feeding into:
Cloudplatforms Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) and Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP)
Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) and other standalone (mostly mission-specific) tools
Tool documentation, learning and community knowledge exchange
European Space Agency vs Copernicus - ESA is an intergovernmental European space agency and implementing partner for EU space programmes, and a key-partner in Copernicus. Copernicus is the EU programme providing open satellite data and operational services. ESA designs and operates the satellites that generate the data, both for the EU Copernicus programme and for ESA’s own (research-focused) missions.
ESA Earth Online (ESA EO) vs Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) - The data platforms overlap. The core of (cloud-based) CDSE consists of the Sentinel Data. ESA EO links to CDSE but also offers ESA mission-specific data and tools, plus all mission documentation.
Copernicus Browser vs Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem - The Copernicus Browser is the main visual exploration tool within the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem and has its own tool description in the Bellingcat Toolguide. They use the same Sentinel data, but CDSE serves different users with advanced features as cloud-based processing, access via API’s and support for batch analysis. The browser remains the main web-based visual interface for exploring imagery, while CDSE enables more complex and automated workflows.
SNAP vs CDSE - Both make use of the same Copernicus Sentinel data. The difference lies in the workflow: SNAP is designed for local download and processing, while the Data Space Ecosystem enables cloud-based access and analysis without requiring local storage.
Missions
ESA EO offers detailed information on the mission programmes and separate missions:
Earth Explorers: dedicated to specific domains, as the cryosphere, athmosphere etc. See visuals
Heritage Missions: data from over 45 missions, dating back to 1977
Third Party Missions: by other space agencies or commercial providers, sometimes restricted access
Copernicus Sentinel Missions (also in CDSE)
All mission pages link to extensive mission documentation, datasets and notebooks, research environment or webservices. Data from older, inactive missions is included in the platform to be reused in different contexts. The available datasets can also be filtered by domain and scientific instruments. ESA data and tools may gradually be integrated in one of the cloudplatforms mentioned below.
Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem
The CDSE provides wide range of data and services from the Copernicus Sentinel missions and some complementary data. The user-friendly Copernicus browser (see Bellingcat toolguide) is a part of the wider ecosystem. The cloud-based data and processing platform provides data and documentation, with advanced features that include cloud computing, integrated jupyter notebooks, APIs, batch operations, and building workflows with openEO.
Sentinel Online is the ESA/Copernicus Sentinal reference site for a broad audience, with interactive views (Sentivista), visual explainers (Sentinel Succes Stories) and technical satellite documentation (SentiWiki). Feeling lost? The Copernicus AI assistant (in beta) may lead you to the right sources.
Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP)
Where CDSE is more focused on browsing, processing and analysing, ESA MAAP is oriented toward scientific collaboration, with more focus on computing and advanced research and experimental workflows. The ESA Exploring Earth Catalogue and Thematic Exploitation Platforms (TEPs), previously separate entities in the EO platform and useful in OSINT research, are moving to MAAP.
SNAP
Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) is a desktop software application for analysing and processing Sentinel data. It contains the same Sentinel data as the CDSE and they are often used together. SNAP is available as a local download and designed for working with raw and semi-processed data. A strong point is its radar (SAR) analysis. SNAP has a GUI and can be used without any technical coding skills, but does require some technical understanding of satellite data. The STEP platform (Science Toolbox Exploitation Platform) offers help in the form of practical guides and tutorials and an active user community forum.
Tools per user need
Orientation in Earth Observation, mission and satellite goals
ESA EO 3D Visuals, news, infographics; Sentinel Online visuals
Easy
Read about research outcomes and use cases
ESA EO Learn&Discover interactive stories, ESA data applications, Sentinel online succes stories, Sentivista data applications
Easy
Follow online courses about Earth Observation domains, satellites, techniques
EO college ESA EO Training Academy (some past courses are free, also without login); GDA (Global Development Assistance) Knowledge Hub. See also: MOOCS (also for beginners)
Advanced
Use Cases for European Space Agency's Earth Online
The European Space Agency's Earth Online portal offers a broad array of use cases. Individual tools can be used for multiple use cases. Some of these use cases focus on environment monitoring (tracking changes in climate, land use, and natural habitats over time) others could be used for monitoring more human focused activity. Use cases for both the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) and specific tools include:
(Environmental) changes over time: To analyse environmental shift or urban growth over decades, combine satellite imagery from third party mission Landsat (NASA/USGS, since 1972), ERS-1/ERS-2 (SAR, 1990s), Envisat (2002-2012) and more recent Sentinel data (since 2014).
Maritime and vessel detection: Sentinel-1; SAR (radar) imagery detection enables identifying dark vessels or movements without AIS; Sentinel-2 for optical data. Φsat-2/Phisat-2 uses AI for cloud filtering and vessel detection.
Water: SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity): Monitor threats by soil moisture, drought, salinity and fresh water availability.
Ice: CryoSat-2 data and tools for analyzing ice thickness, changes in sea levels.
Agricultural Analysis: Assisting in the monitoring of crop health, forecasting yields, and managing agricultural resources. For instance the IRS-P5 (Cartosat-1) Sample Data provides high resolution 2.5 m resolution crop inventory and monitoring agricultural productivity.
Deforestation, carbon: SMOS or Biomass for monitoring vegetation and carbon. The BIOMASS Product Algorithm Laboratory (BioPAL) tool offers processing scripts and Jupyter Notebooks for monitoring Above Ground Biomass, Forest Height and Forest Disturbance.
Oceanography and Marine Sciences: Supporting the study of ocean currents, sea surface temperatures, and marine ecosystems. Tools like the Cryo2ice tool can monitor ocean ice cover which can impact shipping routes (limited to data between February 2021 up to 2022) and the Ocean and Coastal Topography Thematic Data Product (TDP) dataset which contains improved sea surface height anomaly data. The screenshot below shows the Cryo2ice tool with a search for Arctic sea ice 2022-02-06:
The atmosphere: The Atmosphere Virtual Lab (AVL) tool provides Jupyter Notebooks that can be used to analyze and visualize atmospheric earth observation data and the GHGSat archive contains data that monitors greenhouse gas emissions (currently CH4, but eventually CO2).
Human Activity: The Urban Thematic Exploitation Platform tool requires registration but provides data and visualisation of the Global Urban Footprint and population density. The Geohazards TEP is a glacier and landslide monitoring tool that has data processed over the eastern Alps Ground Motion Service.
Disaster Monitoring: Earth Online provides a number of tools that can be used for disaster monitoring, like the SMOS Tropical Cyclone Wind Radii Fixes (Registration required) and provides Near Real Time tropical cyclones forecasts. Within the CDSE: Sentinel-1 (SAR) for floods, Sentinel-2 (optical) for fires, landslides.
These use cases highlight the versatility of the Earth Online portal in supporting a wide range of scientific research, educational, and applied environmental management activities.
Complement ESA raw data with thematic platforms such as Global Forest Watch (deforestation), Aqueduct (water stress, flood risks), Global Fishing Watch (fishing activity) or Deep Sea Mining Watch (seabed mining); those tools can be used to find patterns or hot spots. Then use the ESA Earth Online data and tools for raw satellite imagery to verify or analyse changes over time.
Cost
Level of difficulty
Requirements
EO Sign-In: the majority of tools and platforms use one and the same SSO (single sign on) account. Registering is free and only requires an email adress and basic profile information, and is open to independent journalists and researchers. Documentation and local installed tools (such as SNAP) are accessible without login. Some of the advanced tools (MAAP) may need an additional request to access workspaces.
Cloud access does not require more than a modern web browser and a solid connection. Locally installed tools will need sufficient memory and storage for processing the generally very large Earth Observation files. See the individual tools for further details.
Advanced skills: Some of the tools require Jupyter Notebook and Python programming experience or higher level expertise in methodology, remote sensing and satellite imagery.
Limitations
Data Availability: While ESA's Earth Online offers extensive datasets, certain historical data or high-resolution imagery may not be readily available due to the limitations of past missions, data retention policies or registration requirements.
Update Frequency: The update intervals for some datasets may not meet the needs of users requiring real-time or near-real-time information. Different datasets will have different update frequency. Some older or sample datasets may not be up to date. See the individual dataset's documentation.
Tool Functionality: Older tools may not be maintained and working.
Guide
See the specific tools for documentation and guides. The ESA EO platform directs to all platforms and tools. Filters for the different tool types (Analysis, Processing and Visualisation) can be applied, but note that most of those steps are now combined in growing cloud platforms.
The Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem offers introductory videos and tutorials on Youtube.
Tool provider
European Space Agency https://www.esa.int/
Advertising Trackers
Bellingcat Volunteer Team / Lavache
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