Satellite Images
What Are Satellite Images?
Satellite images are remotely sensed photographs of Earth captured by orbiting satellites. These images provide detailed, continuous, and up-to-date observations of the planet’s surface, enabling users to monitor land, sea, and atmosphere at various spatial and temporal resolutions. With rapid advances in satellite technology, these images have become an essential tool for decision-making in environmental protection, resource management, infrastructure planning, and more.
Oikon’s Expertise
With over 20 years of experience in remote sensing and applied ecology, Oikon provides advanced environmental analysis and consulting based on satellite data. We offer access to high-resolution and multi-temporal imagery, expert interpretation, tailored reports, and integration with GIS and spatial planning tools. Our team supports clients throughout the full data lifecycle, from tasking to analysis and actionable insights, enabling informed, evidence-based decisions in both public and private sectors.
Our partners
Copernicus Sentinel Missions
Sentinel satellites, developed by the European Space Agency under the Copernicus Programme, provide free Earth observation data for environmental and climate monitoring. Sentinel-2 offers multispectral imagery for land and vegetation analysis, while Sentinel-1 provides radar imaging in all weather. Oikon combines Sentinel with commercial data to deliver cost-effective, large-scale assessments.
Planet Labs
A global leader in daily Earth Observation, Planet operates the world’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. As a Value Added Reseller, Oikon offers access to PlanetScope and SkySat imagery for frequent monitoring of land, forests, and urban environments.
European Space Imaging (EUSI)
As part of the WorldView Global Alliance, EUSI provides very high-resolution imagery from Maxar’s satellite constellation (up to 15 cm resolution). Oikon delivers direct access to this data through EUSI’s ground station in Munich for near real-time image tasking.
Axelspace
A pioneer in microsatellite technology from Japan, Axelspace operates the GRUS satellite constellation. With a 2.5 m resolution and wide-area coverage, Axelspace imagery is ideal for agriculture, forestry, land use, and coastal monitoring. Oikon is an official regional reseller of Axelspace data.
Applications of Satellite Imagery
Satellite data supports a wide range of environmental and planning activities, including:
- Land cover and land use mapping
- Agricultural monitoring and yield estimation
- Forestry and biodiversity management
- Coastal zone and marine ecosystem observation
- Urban growth analysis and spatial planning
- Disaster response and climate resilience
- Environmental impact assessments (EIA)
Types of Satellite Images
- Panchromatic – Black-and-white, high-detail images useful for structure and boundary detection
- Multispectral – Images captured in visible and near-infrared bands; used for vegetation, water, and soil analysis
- Surface Reflectance (SR) – Corrected for atmospheric effects for high-accuracy land surface studies
- True Color (TCI) – Natural-looking images similar to what the human eye sees
- Coastal Blue – Specialized band for underwater and nearshore observations (available in 2026)
Visual by Axelspace Globe
Key differences between the products:
- Sentinel provides freely accessible, scientifically robust imagery with moderate spatial resolution (10–60 m) and wide coverage, making it ideal for large-scale environmental monitoring, public sector research, and long-term trend analysis where cost-efficiency is a priority and ultra-fine detail is not required.
- Planet Labs offers unmatched temporal frequency, delivering daily global coverage and deep historical archives. This makes it essential for near real-time change detection, crop monitoring, disaster response, and any use case requiring frequent updates and minimal cloud gaps – far beyond what Sentinel can offer.
- EUSI / Maxar specializes in very high-resolution data (up to 15 cm), allowing for detailed mapping of infrastructure, buildings, roads, and precise environmental features. With local tasking from Munich and fast delivery, it is ideal when accuracy, detail, and speed are mission-critical – for example, in urban planning, engineering, and emergency management.
- Axelspace provides cost-effective imagery at ~2.5 m resolution, with wide-area coverage and regular revisits. Its spectral enhancements (e.g. Coastal Blue from 2026) are tailored for coastal zone, agriculture, forestry, and land use applications. It strikes a balance between affordability and performance, with the added benefit of modern APIs for easy integration into analytics platforms.
Whether you’re monitoring forest health, mapping coastal habitats, or assessing land use change, our role is to help you harness high-quality satellite imagery tailored to your environmental and planning needs.
Feel free to contact us at oikon@oikon.hr for consultations or an offer.
Related content
Oikon becomes official reseller of Axelspace satellite data
In September 2025 Oikon became an official reseller of Axelspace Corporation, a pioneer that develops and operates microsatellites to promote a society where space is accessible to people around the world. Axelspace specialises in Earth observation through its proprietary GRUS microsatellite constellation.
Oikon and EUSI partner to expand satellite imagery access in Europe
In February 2025, Oikon expanded its partnership with European Space Imaging (EUSI) and Maxar Intelligence through the WorldView Global Alliance Reseller Agreement.
Oikon partners with Planet Labs for advanced environmental monitoring
Oikon Ltd. has partnered with Planet Labs PBC (NYSE:PL), a global leader in satellite imaging, to become a Value Added Reseller in the Planet Partner Programme. This partnership enables Oikon to deliver advanced Earth observation and monitoring services, offering new levels of data-driven insights for environmental and ecological projects.
Oikon wins the prestigious EARSC Company Award for Earth Observation services
Oikon won the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) Company Award for 2024 for its significant contribution to the development of the Earth Observation (EO) services sector in Europe.
Acquisition of VHR satellite images – imaging on demand
The goal of this project was to acquire very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery for an area of minimum 20.000 km² within the precisely defined area, delivered in SHP format by the Client (23,000 km²).
Oikon’s project selected by EARSC and ESA as an example of the use of satellite data in nature protection
Oikon’s invasive species detection activities in the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park have been selected as a showcase study of the innovative use of data from the European Copernicus program. The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC), under the auspices of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Copernicus program, has highlighted Oikon’s project among only a few in Europe, underscoring its significance in environmental monitoring and conservation efforts.
Procurement of satellite images for the needs of the Physical Planning Information System
The result of this agreement will be the procurement of a multi-resolution multi-year set of satellite imagery that will benefit the citizens of the Republic of Croatia, as well as its environment and nature. The project includes the procurement of low, medium, high and very high-resolution imagery, and covers the period from 2017 to 2026.