Uneven Eyes in the Sky: Investigating Who Benefits from High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
Satellite imagery has revolutionized how scientists, policymakers, and humanitarian workers observe the Earth. It supports everything from tracking environmental changes to improving urban planning and disaster response. But as this technology becomes more central to global decision-making, it’s worth asking: does every region on Earth benefit equally from it? In their recent study, Vadim Musienko and colleagues explore this issue by analyzing whether there are biases in which areas are imaged more often and more clearly by modern, high-resolution satellite constellations.
Two Ways to Look at Bias: Future Potential vs. Past Reality
The authors approach the problem in two parts. First, they simulate future opportunities to image different regions based on the orbits of several satellite constellations. This "forward-looking" analysis reveals that satellites tend to revisit areas farther from the equator more frequently, due to the nature of their orbits. Then, they look backward at actual image archives to see which areas were most frequently captured. This “backward-looking” view shows that not all areas are represented equally—some regions have far fewer images available, regardless of potential coverage.
What the Data Reveals About Global Inequality
To understand these patterns, the authors analyze metadata from satellite image providers like Maxar, Planet, and Airbus. They find that image availability is skewed: urban, economically developed areas have more high-resolution images, while rural and low-income regions—especially those near the equator—have less. This suggests that business considerations and user demand may be driving coverage decisions more than geographic accessibility alone.
Digging Deeper with Statistical Modeling
The team uses a statistical method called regression analysis to uncover which factors most influence whether a region has many historical satellite images. The size of the region is the most important predictor, but other factors matter too. Areas with more households (indicating population density) and higher human development index (HDI) scores also tend to have more satellite coverage. Surprisingly, regions with higher cloud cover also have more images, likely because many economically important coastal cities fall into this category.
Conflict Zones: A Special Case
The researchers also examine how conflicts influence image availability. In case studies of Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, they observe sharp increases in satellite imagery during times of war or crisis. These spikes often correspond to key locations like capitals, ports, or battle zones. This suggests that geopolitical interest can override usual market dynamics, increasing coverage in areas that might otherwise be neglected.
Why This Matters: The Unequal Digital Dividend
Despite the promise of satellite technology, the authors show that not all regions receive equal benefits. The term “digital dividend” refers to the value that countries and communities can gain from digital technologies like Earth observation. When image availability is influenced by wealth, population, or political interest, this dividend becomes unevenly distributed—leaving less-developed areas behind. The study concludes with a call for more equitable data-sharing practices and support for regions currently underserved by commercial satellite operators.
Conclusion: Seeing the Whole World, Fairly
Musienko and his co-authors demonstrate that even in a high-tech field like satellite remote sensing, old inequalities can persist. While some areas are imaged frequently and in high resolution, others are almost invisible in these datasets. This matters not only for fairness but also for science, policy, and aid work that depend on accurate, timely satellite data. Ensuring that all regions have a chance to benefit from Earth observation is a step toward closing the global information gap.
Source: Musienko
