Thermal data
What is thermal data?
Thermal satellite data refers to the data collected by satellites that measure the thermal (infrared) radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface. Thermal satellite data helps users identify, monitor and understand thermal activity. It is used for a variety of applications, including national security, climate resilience and water management.
Geoserve provides thermal data from various satellites, including Landsat and HotSat. HotSat acquires data with the highest resolution currently available, 3.5 meters.
Surface temperature map (in degrees Celsius), derived from a daytime Landsat acquisition on April 19, 2023. This map provides valuable insights into soil moisture (dry sand heats up more quickly than moist clay) as well as urban heat islands.
HotSat data is available from the archive but can also be tasked for new collections after successful launch of HotSat-2 (starting in 2026). New images can then be captured within a specific date range (Standard Tasking) or on a specified date (Assured Tasking). The user can choose to acquire daytime or nighttime images. HotSat can capture thermal data from any location worldwide.
We are pleased to explore with you the diverse possibilities of thermal data for your applications.
HotSat-1 of Rome, Italy, captured in the late evening on 17-Jul-2023 (© SatVu 2023). Urban elements such as dark roads and parking lots continue to emit heat well after sunset. The contrast between unpaved open spaces, like sports courts and parks, which cool rapidly and paved areas, which retain heat longer, is also clearly visible. For visualisation purposes the HotSat-1 image is made semi-transparant, revealing the underlying optical imagery layer).