And the results are in! Sadly, 0% got this right.

According to NSR, Information Products will be the largest revenue opportunity for satellite-based EO. #NSRInsights

Let's talk about why: https://twitter.com/NSRKasaboski/status/1276085016473350150

First, we define IP as the fusion of satellite EO data with other forms to create a product/solution. Think GIS, or your typical geointelligence solution.

Google Earth would be IP, but statistical analysis would be Big Data.

Next, most of the industry is most excited about Data and Big Data. The former bringing supply and new monitoring opportunities, the latter for providing greater insight and a wider diversity of solutions and customers.

But, IP is more established, and benefits from both.

IP is the middle ground, the first solution on the pipeline between data source and analytical solution. It also represents the most established segment on the market after data, with a multitude of contracts and offerings available on the market.

For example:

One of the most straightforward solutions to make with constellations of imagery would be a monitoring service. Here, you're combining maps of the Earth with image processing to tell what's happening.

If the customer is buying the monitoring and not the data, this is IP.

If you wish to provide a more useful product, maybe combine with other information, or provide an app that coordinates the event (e.g. forest fire detection) with contacting local authorities, this is also IP.

In general, Big Data requires a few more steps:

If your monitoring tool was able to compare with a time series of that same area, that could be Big Data.

If your tool is able to extract the changing environment and apply financial/insurance info to obtain a cost/risk analysis, that's likely Big Data.

EO Big Data goes beyond imagery, beyond data, and beyond IP. It involves turning imagery into insights, pixels into stats, and usually involves specific industry expertise. IP requires much of the same, but is a fusion of info, rather than extraction.

Data and Big Data are the most talked about because they are exciting, and growing quickly. Big Data is the fastest growing and has the greatest potential for market expansion.

But, IP will benefit from both (more Data = more information, Big Data efficiencies can be used in IP)

And while Big Data has the potential to surpass IP, it's also starting small, and suffering a lack of standardization in both tech, data, and market offering. It will grow, fast, but IP will continue to lead, for now.

For more reading on the satellite-based EO market, be sure to follow me, and check out the Supporting Articles, found here: https://www.nsr.com/research/satellite-based-earth-observation-eo-11th-edition/