Earth Observation in the frame of EO-MINERS - Overview of remote sensing methods, sensors and applications
Airborne - Spaceborne remote sensing comparison for optical electromagnetic sensors
The following table presents a summarized comparison of the core topics related to airborne and spaceborne remote sensing. Please note that this only a summary. Specific sensor systems might not comply with this table.
Comparison between airborne and space borne remote sensing
| Parameter | Airborne | Spaceborne |
|---|---|---|
| Time of overpass | Flexible | Mostly fixed |
| Temporal resolution (Revisit time) | Minutes | Days |
| Spatial resolution | GSD<5m | GSD up to 0.5m for panchromatic images. For multi-band images, it ranges from a few meters(low altitude sensors) up to a few kilometres for high altitude sensors. |
| Spectral resolution | Panchromatic to hyperspectral | Mostly panchromatic (one band) to multispectral |
| Calibration | Before launch + possible on-board | Precalibration before launch, then on-board characterisation (usually yearly) |
| Cost | 10,000 € and up for a campaign | Free (non-commercial), up to 25 € per sq km (commercial) |
| Stability | Low, due to turbulence | High |
| FOV (swath width) | Small (up to 10 km per flight line) | High (up to 2500 km for low altitude sensors, a full hemisphere for high altitude sensors) |
