Spot Image
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Remote sensing, Aerospace |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | French Space Agency (CNES), IGN, Matra, Alcatel, SSC |
| Headquarters | Toulouse , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | SPOT satellite imagery, Formosat-2 data, Kompsat-2 data, TerraSAR-X data, ERS data, Envisat data, Radarsat data, Pleiades satellite imagery, ortho-images, orthorectified mosaics, 3D products |
| Owner | Airbus Defence and Space (99%) |
| Parent | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Website | www |
Spot Image, founded in 1982 by the French Space Agency (CNES), IGN, and aerospace manufacturers including Matra, Alcatel, and SSC, operates as a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space (holding 99% ownership). It functions as the commercial entity managing the SPOT Earth observation satellite program.
Network and partners
Spot Image maintains a worldwide presence through its subsidiaries and regional offices located in Australia, Brazil, China, the United States, Japan, Peru, and Singapore to ensure rapid delivery of services globally. The company oversees a network comprising more than 30 direct ground receiving stations dedicated to acquiring SPOT satellite imagery.
In collaboration with the European Union’s GMES/Copernicus initiative, Spot Image supports geographic data exchange via the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and works to improve interoperability among web services. Additionally, through a partnership with Infoterra Global, it provides specialized precision agriculture solutions.
Satellites
The current operational fleet includes SPOT satellites 5, 6, and 7, which capture images at spatial resolutions ranging from 2.5 meters to 10 meters. Spot Image holds exclusive distribution rights for multiresolution optical satellite data from platforms such as Formosat-2 (Taiwan) and Kompsat-2 (South Korea), along with radar satellite data from sources including TerraSAR-X, ERS, Envisat, and Radarsat. It also serves as the sole distributor of very-high-resolution imagery from the Pleiades satellites, with Pléiades-1 launched in December 2011 and Pléiades-2 following in mid-2012. The company provides comprehensive infrastructure for data reception, processing workflows, and value-added service offerings.
Products
In addition to raw imagery, Spot Image delivers a range of enhanced products designed to meet specific user requirements:
- Ortho-images (SPOTView ortho) featuring positional accuracy better than 10 meters RMS
- Uniform orthorectified territorial mosaics (SPOTMaps) in natural color at a resolution of 2.5 meters
- Three-dimensional products (SPOT DEM) derived from stereoscopic image pairs acquired by SPOT 5’s High Resolution Stereoscopic instrument
Its service portfolio includes:
- Satellite tasking: allowing direct scheduling access and routine revisit capabilities for targeted image capture
- SPOT archives: an extensive collection exceeding 18 million images dating back to 1986, accessible online for both recent and historical geographic information
Online platforms:
- SPOTGallery, which offers public access to selected images highlighting cultural or thematic subjects
- In cooperation with Google Earth, the 'One World, One Year' project provides up-to-date SPOT imagery covering nearly the entire globe
Planet Action, an initiative launched by Spot Image
Planet Action is an initiative designed to involve professionals from Earth observation and geographic information sectors in supporting local projects that develop adaptive strategies for climate change challenges. It supplies essential resources such as satellite imagery, geographic information systems, and image processing tools that facilitate detailed examination of global warming effects on both local and global scales. The program emphasizes projects focusing on:
- Effects on human populations and natural habitats
- Drought conditions, desertification processes, and water resource management
- Vegetation health, biodiversity preservation, and ecosystem monitoring
- Oceanographic studies
- Ice cover dynamics including glaciers and snowfields
Important dates
- 1982: Spot Image established in Toulouse, France
- 1983: Formation of Spot Image Corporation in the United States
- 1986: Deployment of the SPOT 1 satellite
- 1990: Launch of SPOT 2 satellite; foundation of Spot Imaging Services in Australia
- 1991: Spot Asia founded in Singapore
- 1998: Establishment of Beijing Spot Image; introduction of SPOT 4 satellite
- 2002: SPOT 5 satellite launched; creation of Tokyo Spot Image
- 2004: New offices inaugurated in Brazil and Mexico; agreement secured with NSPO for distributing Formosat-2 data
- 2005: Distribution contract signed with KARI for Kompsat-2 data
- 2006: Opening of office in Peru
- 2008: Astrium Services (EADS) acquires majority stake (81%); Spot Image Brasil replaces former Brazilian office
- 2012: Launch of the SPOT 6 satellite
- 2014: Deployment of the SPOT 7 satellite