EOS Data Analytics and Max Polyakov have announced plans for a new satellite constellation to enable leading agricultural geospatial monitoring services. With a launch set for 2024, the interest in the project’s possible applications is considerable.

Max Polyakov and EOS Data Analytics Announce New Satellite Constellation for 2024

California-based geospatial monitoring firm EOS Data Analytics has announced plans for the launch of a new satellite constellation platform for its agricultural monitoring services. Scheduled for 2024, the launch aims to bring a full satellite data production vertical online, in what could be the company’s most ambitious venture to date. It will be the first satellite constellation array of this type launched specifically for agriculture monitoring purposes.

Satellite Constellation to Offer Cutting Edge Imaging

The project will comprise three launches starting in 2022 and culminating in 2024. A total of seven EOS SAT satellite units launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) will form the satellite constellation to bring industry-leading geospatial monitoring services to the agricultural industry. Farmers who use the service will be able to monitor major crop health markers in close to real-time with a degree of accuracy hitherto unseen in satellite crop monitoring. Key specifications of the SAT satellites include:

•      1.4m panchromatic and 2.8m multispectral resolution
        
•      11 band channels
        
•      Up to 40km swath width
        
•      Global 3 day revisit time
        
•      Five-year operating life
  
  

As a result, the satellite constellation will allow EOS Data Analytics to widen its suite of geospatial monitoring services to include:

• Close to real-time data with a higher frequency of weekly satellite fly-overs
        
• 2-8x higher image resolutions than the current industry average for agricultural geospatial monitoring services
   
• Proprietary interfacing for in-house crop modelling for faster processing
        
• Exclusive image rights for specific land parcels
  
  

EOS Data Analytics Founder Cites Conservation Possibilities

Additionally, the technology may also be a tool for tracking ecological concerns like climate change impact, land degradation, and threats to the environment. EOS Data Analytics founder Max Polyakov, who counts the firm among his Noosphere Ventures investment portfolio, believes the technology could help improve agricultural sustainability worldwide. He argues that increasing food production in the face of ongoing climate change can only be successful when informed by accurate data and analytics. 

Geospatial Monitoring in Agricultural Industries

The SAT constellation marks a shift for EOS Data Analytics as the company attempts to introduce full vertical integration of its geospatial monitoring platform. Till now, the company has mostly partnered with third-party satellite operators to source its image data, which it then runs through its own proprietary analytics software. Services include:

•      
        Crop health indices measurement
        
•      Crop classification
        
•      Soil moisture analysis
        
•      Crop growth comparison
        
•      Weather forecasting
  
  

Conclusion: EOS Data Analytics Continues Expansion

EOS Data Analytics is already at work on another satellite constellation to be comprised of six Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. The company has over five years of experience with geospatial imaging technology, and seems set on an ambitious expansion plan in the near future. Altogether, their plans could make them a big player in their field, and another Noosphere Ventures company just announced a partnership with NASA earlier this year. In the effort to ensure worldwide food supply security, the agricultural industry may have just scratched the surface of what geospatial monitoring services can achieve.