Satellite imagery for macro planning and project development is not new and has been actively used for over 40 years. But in the past, it has been very expensive.

How can we use satellite imagery in Sri Lanka and how can it help us?

We can use satellite imagery for a number of activities from town planning to road building to maritime mapping and surveillance.

Satellite imagery gives us a very accurate birds-eye view of everything on the earth as small as 15cm in length.

This accurate snapshot can be further dissected to give us an array of important data for project planners and engineers.

Taking multiple images over a period of time allows us to analyze patterns and changes of a particular area and even provide a macro perspective to the health of crops and the soil.

For maritime surveillance, a radar satellite image enables you to detect vessels as small as 10 meters in length in the ocean.

For large-scale projects such as techno-parks, high-ways, irrigation, and water projects, satellite imagery can be very useful in feasibility studies, pre and on-going planning, and ongoing observations. for example, identifying water tanks for rehabilitation, and forest areas for preservation.

Who has used satellite imagery before?

Many countries have successfully utilised satellite imagery services. India, for example, has already taken initiatives to integrate satellite imagery into their planning, in sectors like agriculture, forestry, e-governance, water, tourism, urban and rural development.

In Greece, satellite images are even used by the tax department to catch tax-evaders by analyzing new constructions against building alterations.

Satellite imagery coupled with GPS has become the primary and most effective solution for vessel monitoring and fisheries, policing smuggling, and illegal migrations.

The budget of 2020 sought to uplift the Sri Lanka economy via ambitious but much required large-scale infrastructure developments in roads irrigation power and water sectors. All these areas would be greatly benefited by the use of satellite imagery for accurate pre-planning and monitoring and most importantly by minimising miss-calculations and wastage.

Sri Lanka is currently facing immense overfishing issues with its neighbors and international fishing fleets. As witnessed throughout the world, these issues can be reduced by using tried and tested radar satellite surveillance to track illegal fishing against vessels with proper licensing and GPS trackers.

Currently, we have seen a public outcry for Forrest conservation and arguments over the provision of forest buffer lands for economic development. These issues can be monitored to pinpoint accuracy using satellite technology.

Genesiis Software is the leading satellite imagery vendor in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Genesiis and Maxar offer a multitude of products for the Sri Lanka market, from a simple cost-effective snapshot of large areas of land to in-depth analysis of vegetation, soil and street lines using sophisticated software to disassemble and deliver the vast information satellite imagery carry's in a readable format for any layperson. For any queries and more information please visit www.genesiis.com or call Nishshanka on 0117765644.

Image : Different applications of satellite images

Satellites taking accurate pictures of the earth have been around since 1972 when the LandSat1 satellite was launched. Satellite Technology has been used by big governments, but now thanks to the rapid advancements in technology Maxar’s Worldview Satellite Technology gives any company or research academic the best project management and sustainability tools to manage today’s rapidly changing landscapes – whether it be in infrastructure development, agriculture, or even finance.

What can we see and do with Satellite Imagery?

Combined with existing ground services, high resolution satellite imagery provides broad spectrum ranges that the naked eye is unable to measure. Therefore satellite information can help with pinpoint accuracy (a) Infrastructure design such as roads and townships and (b) even provide a birds eye view of the health of vegetation in large commercial agricultural lands. Especially if we continue to use organic fertilisers, having a macro snapshot of the health of commercial farms becomes very important.

WorldView3/4 with 30cm/15cm resolution can enable you to see details such as the roof types and shapes of individual homes – (for potential rooftop solar projects). Also the types, colors and shapes of vehicles and infrastructures such as power lines, light poles, etc – (for road project tracing and mapping).

When your project decisions require you to accurately identify features on the ground, satellite imagery provides the best visual experience.

The Maxar 15cm HD imagery is the best visual experience commercially available on the market today for accurately feature identification and detailed mapping.

What is HD?

HD – Commonly referred to as “High Definition” in most commercial products such as our TV sets – has a similar meaning with Satellite images. Maxar have their own unique proprietary HD image technology that greatly improves the visual clarity of an image. The image is aesthetically refined with precise edges and well-reconstructed details.

Who uses Maxar HD imagery today?

Almost all large scale western world projects and products use Maxar HD or other HD imagery. Use-cases in industries such as automotive, civil government, industry, technology, defense, are exhaustive. Below are some examples.

1. In automotive navigation it will let analysts more easily detect street markings and street furniture. As a result of the increased global coverage of very high-resolution satellite images, HD also helps to rapidly update road networks and enhance infotainment systems.
2. If used in civil government, HD images may be used to better perform key tasks including planning infrastructure, tax assessment, traffic engineering and emergency management planning as well as compliance regulation audits.
3. In the logistics industry, asset management, equipment monitoring, logistic planning, smaller feature identification, etc., will be more reliable with HD images.

There are many other applications that can benefit from improved precision of AI/ML information extraction, feature extraction, and enhanced clarity provided by HD satellite imagery.

In Sri Lanka, the protection of our coastline can be greatly assisted by a suite of Maxar HD satellite imagery and surveillance services that – along with existing fishing vessel tracking systems – would be able to better monitor and police our coastal waters so that illegal fishermen would not be able to exploit our territorial waters as they have done before.

The improved clarity can be seen in the road lines and automobile detailing at Colombo Fort. The 15-cm HD WorldView-3 image used here was captured on January 14, 2020. Image credit: Maxar Technologies

Does HD imagery compliment drone imagery?

Yes -Satellite imagery can compliment drone imagery. But if your project covers a large area of interest, anything larger than 2 square kilometers, HD satellite imagery is more ideal than drone imagery because its faster, more efficient, cost-competitive, reduces mobilization, risk, and supports collections over hard to fly regions.

Please contact Genesiis Software (Pvt) Ltd., the premier satellite imagery provider in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, for all Maxar (USA) and HEAD (China) satellite imagery products. For more information and queries, please visit

www.genesiis.com, www.maxar.com or contact GIS specialist Nishshanka on 0776784883 or email to nishshanka@genesiis.com .

Different types of objects at Colombo Fort become more defined with the help of Maxar’s 15cm HD imagery. Image credit: Maxar Technologies