Tackling bottlenecks in Earth observation data delivery
Satellites offer huge amounts of data that can serve environmental monitoring, defence and security, logistics, food production, insurance, and many other sectors. But delivering this to end users poses a challenge. “Earth observation missions are generating increasing amounts of data, while users expect information to be available much faster,” notes Paloma Fonseca, a software architect at GMV Aerospace and Defence(opens in new window) in Spain. “One of the main challenges is to deliver timely information without overwhelming communication networks or compromising interoperability between different systems.”
Distributed and interoperable EO ecosystems
Reducing the response time required to deliver information to users is a major challenge, as is the ability to add value to the available data by combining information from different missions, while maintaining security and data sovereignty. The MESEO(opens in new window) project was launched to meet demand for faster and more responsive Earth observation (EO) services, and to better integrate data from different sources. This will also open new commercial opportunities for EO providers in delivering more usable and accurate information. The project set out to develop a more distributed and interoperable EO ecosystem. A key aim was to reduce unnecessary data transfers, and to achieve data processing as close to the data gathering technology as possible. For this, enhanced on-board processing functions, including artificial intelligence-based image analysis, were developed for satellites. “Processing information closer to where data are generated allows only the most relevant data to be transmitted,” explains Fonseca.
Methane emissions monitoring and crop classification
At the core of the MESEO framework is the EO Coordination Centre. This digital platform orchestrates distributed processing functions across satellites, ground infrastructures and external data providers. Targeted and timely data is then delivered to users, such as farmers or emergency services, accessible on a standardised computer interface. In addition to the EO Coordination Centre, common interfaces and security mechanisms were developed to ensure interoperability among different EO systems. To demonstrate its capabilities, two relevant use cases were selected to validate the end-to-end processing chain and demonstrate how individual components operate together within the MESEO framework. The first was methane emissions monitoring, where improvements would allow environmental agencies to process methane emissions data more rapidly, supporting more responsive climate monitoring and regulatory activities. The second was crop classification, enabling agricultural authorities to generate crop maps over large areas to support environmental monitoring, food security and policymaking. “For methane emission detection, newly acquired images are compared with previously stored images to identify methane emissions,” adds Fonseca. “For crop classification, large-scale processing of archived multitemporal satellite imagery is carried out.”
Environmental agencies and commercial service providers
The team is confident that the project, due for completion at the end of November 2026, will bring benefits to a range of EO users including public authorities, environmental agencies, research organisations, EO operators, and commercial service providers. “Although demonstrated through two representative use cases, the MESEO framework has been designed as a flexible foundation that can support many additional Earth observation services,” says Fonseca. “New processing capabilities and services can be integrated through the same standardised interfaces, enabling the ecosystem to evolve as future missions and user needs emerge.” In the meantime, the next phase of MESEO focuses on further developing individual components, and supporting their adoption through additional validation, dissemination and collaboration with industrial and institutional stakeholders.
