National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency incorporates small satellite commercial imagery

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has incorporated small satellite commercial imagery into its outlay, providing users thousands of images and geospatial data to aid mission objectives.

Before the development, the G-EGD system consisted of only MAXAR/Digital Globe imagery. However, the addition of Planet Federal and BlackSky Global data represents the first time small satellite imagery has been integrated into the delivery system.

“By incorporating this new plethora of commercial data from small satellites into the G-EGD system, our users have access to thousands of new images and terabits of additional geospatial data to aid them in their respective mission objectives,” Juan Sainz, NGA chief of commercial mission integration, said.

The innovation enables access to map-ready, unclassified imagery supporting a wide range of Department of Defense initiatives, as well as those of the intelligence community, federal civilian agencies, and over 55 foreign partners.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in new users and over 100 percent increase in usage during the COVID-19 pandemic by CDC and other international health groups,” Sainz said. “It’s more important than ever to provide commercial geospatial data to those who need it, and making small satellite data available is helping us do that.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are among the entities using geospatial information to aid COVID-19 response efforts, officials indicated.