Objectives of the Product

A digital platform that combines GEOSAT’s Very High-Resolution Earth Observation satellites with other data sources to provide up-to-date visualisations and insights for local government city management. It offers two main product levels:

• City digital models: High-resolution (40 cm) imagery from GEOSAT-2 is used to create detailed and accurate urban representations for GIS-based operations. Depending on subscription, users can access varying coverage areas and update frequencies, potentially reaching intra-daily updates. A 3D version is also available by integrating satellite imagery with in-situ data and stereo imaging techniques.
• Tailored management insights: Delivered as a value-added service on the same platform, this level uses AI/ML and automated processing to provide advanced applications. These include land use classification and change detection, route optimisation for large vehicles and emergency scenarios, and monitoring the health of green urban areas.

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Customers and their Needs

The platform primarily serves municipal authorities, supporting urban planning, cadastre, mobility, civil protection, and green area management. It has been already used in collaboration with multiple municipalities in Portugal and Spain.

It also targets intermunicipal and regional authorities, including regional coordination and development bodies, autonomous governments, and cartographic institutes, as well as administrations in island and southern regions. National mapping agencies are key users, such as geographic institutes, land and territory management directorates, and national statistics and geography organisations. Engagement is also beginning with national public administration entities.

The platform enables continuous land use monitoring, including tracking urban expansion, detecting changes in residential, industrial, and service areas, and mapping green spaces for distribution, preservation, and carbon capture potential. It also provides detailed road infrastructure characterisation, including route classification and critical point identification, while supporting cadastre management and assessing urban intervention impacts.

Key challenges addressed include maintaining up-to-date urban classification, optimising routes for heavy and non-standard vehicles, automating green space health assessment and monitoring sustainability through carbon capture evaluation, supporting more efficient and sustainable urban management.

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Targeted customer/users countries

The approach is to first demonstrate the value proposition and project outcomes through a pilot project with Portuguese municipalities, followed by engagement with the private sector. In a subsequent phase, the target audience will expand to the Iberian Peninsula, including Portuguese regional and national authorities, as well as Spanish regional and national authorities. In the next step, the geographical scope will extend to Europe and Latin America, targeting regional and national governments. Finally, international expansion is foreseen, enabling engagement with regional authorities worldwide.

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Product description

GEOSAT is developing a dynamic urban operations management tool delivered via a digital platform that integrates its Very-High-Resolution (VHR) Earth Observation satellites with other data sources, providing up-to-date visualisations and actionable insights for city management. Its first phase focuses on short-term priority needs of municipal services.

The platform has two main components:

• City digital models: Using GEOSAT-2’s 40 cm resolution imagery, it generates detailed, accurate urban representations for GIS operations. Subscription options offer variable coverage and update frequency, with potential intra-daily updates via the full Atlantic constellation. 3D models are available by combining satellite imagery with in-situ data through stereo-pair techniques.
• Tailored management insights: Delivered as a value-added service, these AI/ML-powered applications cover land use classification, change detection, pathway optimisation for large vehicles and non-standard scenarios, and green space health assessment.

Building on existing VHR imagery and processing methods, the platform will evolve to integrate new satellite data, automate visualisation, use satellite and in-situ data, and adapt models to municipal-specific needs, including customised land use categorisation and quantification of green areas. It addresses critical problems: inconsistent or outdated information, lack of easily accessible tailored insights, inability to model scenarios, and scattered data from multiple sources.

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Added Value

The GEOSAT platform is a single, integrated solution combining multiple data sources with advanced tools to analyse information and generate actionable insights. It addresses customer-specific needs through a new product focused on visualisation and insight generation, with short-term capabilities like land use classification, change detection, pathway optimisation, and green space assessment, and medium- to long-term developments such as 3D model generation, scenario simulation, and pollution monitoring.

The platform directly tackles the challenges of urban data analytics, the requirements for connected urban data, and the operational needs of local governance. Unlike traditional GIS tools or static mapping services, it provides recurrent monitoring of urban environments, enabling real-time detection of changes in land use, infrastructure, and green spaces.

Its flexibility and scalability through subscription-based coverage and update frequencies, including potential intra-daily updates, ensure municipalities have the most current and precise data. The integration of 3D city models and fusion of satellite with in-situ data allows simulation of interventions, optimised routing for large vehicles, and assessment of non-standard scenarios.

By centralising fragmented data and delivering tailored, automated insights, the platform reduces operational workload, accelerates decision-making, and supports sustainable urban management, offering a level of precision, timeliness, and operational relevance unmatched by existing solutions.

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Current Status

The activity has just kicked-off.