EO Product
Earth observation data products at a stated processing level, with sensor, coverage and quality.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 3 layers · 4 findings · 9 questions
Acquisition Where the data came from.
Platform, sensor and time
The acquisition context of the product.
Acquisition record
Platform, sensor, mode and time of acquisition.
- Which platform and sensor acquired the data, in which mode?
- When was the data acquired, and over which footprint?
Processing and quality What was done to the data and how good it is.
Processing lineage
Processing level, algorithm and auxiliary inputs.
Processing level
The level and processor version that produced the product.
- Which processing level does this product have, and which processor version made it?
- Which auxiliary data or models were used, such as elevation or atmospheric data?
Quality indicators
Masks, flags and quality figures delivered with the product.
- What spatial resolution and geolocation accuracy does the product state?
- What share of the footprint is cloud covered or flagged as invalid?
Distribution and use How the product is found, licensed and used.
Access and licence
Catalogue identity, format and conditions of use.
Access conditions
Licence, format and catalogue listing.
- Under which licence and access conditions is this product distributed?
- In which format and coordinate reference system is it delivered?
- Does this product supersede an earlier version, for example after reprocessing?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.PHY.EAR.OBS
- Domain
- PHY.EAR.OBS
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- eoproductphy.ear.obs
What it is Filled
An Earth observation product is a data product derived from satellite, airborne or in-situ remote sensing of the Earth, delivered at a defined processing level with its acquisition, processing and quality metadata. It covers single scenes and derived layers such as indices or classifications; the sensors, platforms and the phenomena observed are described in other models.
Why it exists Filled
Earth observation data products at a stated processing level, with sensor, coverage and quality.
Distinguishing features Filled
- A product is the processed data at a stated processing level, not the sensor, the platform or the observed phenomenon.
- Processing level and processor version are part of what the product is; reprocessing creates a new product version.
- Narrower than a map product, which is designed for presentation, and than a general dataset.
- Distinct from in-situ measurements at a monitoring station, which observe a point rather than an area from a distance.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present a derived classification as ground truth without stating its accuracy.
- Strip licence or attribution metadata when redistributing a product.
- Mix products of different processing levels or versions without recording it.
- Use very high resolution imagery to track identifiable people without a lawful basis.
Only with a human decision
- Releasing derived products for decisions on aid, land rights or insurance.
- Distributing restricted high resolution imagery.
May
- Search catalogues and retrieve products within their licence.
- Report acquisition, processing level and quality metadata for a product.
- Derive new layers while recording the source products and processing used.
- Flag products whose quality flags make them unfit for a stated use.
Moral aspects Filled
- Very high resolution imagery can expose private property and people's movements.
- Decisions on disaster aid, land rights or crop insurance may rest on products with unstated error.
- Open products support public interest uses and should keep their attribution.
Who is affected
- Communities and landholders in the imaged area
- Data providers and space agencies
- Decision makers and users who rely on the products
Owners Filled
Steward
The data provider or ground segment that answers for a product's processing and distribution.
Master systems
- Earth observation product catalogue
- Data archive of the ground segment
Links to other meta-models Filled
references
- wm-dat-001-dataset - An EO product is published and catalogued as a dataset.
neighbor
- wm-dat-003-map-product - Map products are often derived from EO products.
related
- wm-ear-011-land-cover-land-use - Land cover layers are typical derived EO products.
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A product is identified by the provider's product identifier, often encoding mission, sensor, level and time.
- Catalogued products may also carry a DOI or a collection and item identifier in a catalogue.
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
An EO product is data, not a physical object; resolution, accuracy and cloud cover are product metadata recorded in the structure.
Recognition optional Filled
- Recognised by mission, sensor, processing level and acquisition time in its metadata.
- Often confused with a basemap or with a scene of a different processing level of the same acquisition.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Products can be searched by footprint, time, sensor and quality.
- Products can be combined into time series or mosaics when levels match.
- Products can be reprocessed into new versions as algorithms improve.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Undetected cloud or shadow leads to false change detection.
- Geolocation error misplaces features at parcel scale.
- Mixed processor versions create artificial trends in time series.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) for product catalogues.
- OGC API family and OGC Web Coverage Service for access.
- ISO 19115 and ISO 19115-2 metadata for geographic and imagery data.
- CEOS Analysis Ready Data specifications.
Context of use required Filled
- Used in agriculture, environment monitoring, mapping, disaster response and climate research.
- Some high resolution data is subject to national remote sensing licensing rules.
Sources Filled
- ISO 19115-2 Geographic information - Metadata - Extensions for acquisition and processing, ISO
- SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) specification, STAC community
- CEOS Analysis Ready Data framework, Committee on Earth Observation Satellites
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-ear-009-eo-product.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.