REPORT SCOPE
INTRODUCTION
Remote Sensing Technologies and Global Markets describes the fundamentals of remote sensing technology and provides 2012 through 2017 forecasts for what BCC Research envisions developing into a $12.4 billion industry. The report is divided into 27 chapters, 20 of which individually focus on the 20 largest and most robust technologies.
STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Substantial technological and economic changes have taken place in the remote sensing market since BCC Research most recently explored the topic in its 2009 Market Research Report titled Remote Sensing Technologies and Global Markets. This study describes the current state of the industry in light of those developments. It specifically examines and provides 2012 through 2017 forecasts for:
- four major remote sensing platforms
- 10 key remote sensing instruments
- 20 applications that account for the bulk of the industry.
REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY
Remote sensing continues to evolve as one of the most powerful, dynamic, and useful analytic tools of modern science. Since BCC Research last visited the topic in 2009, remote sensing has moved further from its technological roots as instrumentation for space exploration and Earth observation into the commercial mainstream. Customers of remote sensing products today include not only the discipline’s core constituency in the defense and geophysical communities, but also hundreds of millions of individuals who rely upon the technology for personal and business decision making. While the global financial crisis triggered by the 2008 recession reduced the demand for remote sensing products in 16 of 20 application areas, that setback proved to be short lived. One reason is the migration of numerous remote sensing products to portable access devices, such as smart phones and tablet computers. Another reason is the enormous productivity increases that remote sensing products bring to municipal and county government operations. The net result of those industry-wide shifts leads BCC Research to conclude that the global market for products created with remotely sensed data will reach $12.4 billion by the end of the 2012 to 2017 forecast period.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
This study will be of interest to executives and investors in industries serving the 20 application areas that define the remote sensing market, and manufacturers and marketers of remote sensing instrument and platforms. It will be equally useful for decision-makers for national and state governments, multinational organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
SCOPE OF REPORT
This report focuses exclusively on products created from platform-mounted remote sensors. Thus, it excludes instruments that:
- Require physical contact with a substance, such as chromatographs,
- Handheld devices and field instruments,
- Airport screening systems,
- Products developed using national defense and intelligence instruments or platforms, and
- Geographic information system software.
This report is divided into three parts. The first part, comprising eight chapters, provides the following:
- An overview of the remote sensing industry
- An explanation of basic remote sensing operating concept
- A description of the 10 basic types of remote sensing instruments
- A description of the four types of remote sensing platforms
- Regional, instrument by application and platform by application estimates of 2011 demand for remote sensing products
- Regional, instrument-by-application and platform-by-application forecasts for the 5 years beginning in 2012
- A basic explanation of remote sensing image analysis techniques
The second part, chapters nine through 28, describes each of the market-driven applications for remote sensing. Tables present application-specific information about market drivers. Forecasts span 2012 through 2017, using 2011 as the reference year. For each of the 20 market-driven applications, separate tables show forecasts by region, with the U.S. shown separately. Global demand forecasts are also shown for remote sensing platforms and for remote sensing instruments are also included.
The third part of the study, consisting of the last two chapters, offers a review of remote sensing patents, including patent abstracts and the names of the inventors and original patent assignees. Chapter 30 concludes the study with brief descriptions of the major organizations that form and support the global remote sensing community.
METHODOLOGY
Both primary and secondary research methodologies were used in preparing this study. To undertake this forecast, we analyzed remote sensing products currently on the market, announced products, interviews with industry leaders, U.S. patents, and products referenced in forward-looking financial statements filed with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). The value of imagery has been calculated on the basis of published prices, and in the case of government agencies, by extrapolating from published program budgets.
This report specifically omits handheld instruments and instruments that obtain data only by coming in physical contact with substances. It excludes remote sensing products generated within the government exclusively for noncommercial purposes. An example of an excluded product would be a high-resolution image taken by intelligence agency satellite and used to plan, execute, and evaluate a military operation. However, the report includes imagery acquired from the private sector by defense and intelligence agencies, such as imaging purchases made under the Department of Defense’s (DOD) NextView program.
INFORMATION SOURCES
BCC reviewed more than 600 companies to obtain data for this study. We also reviewed reports and studies prepared for peer-reviewed professional literature, and reports by the technical staffs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the SEC, as well as presidential directive and policy statements. In addition, we compiled data from scientific and technical conferences, presentations prepared for financial analysts, the United Nations, European Union, European Commission, European Space Agency, and the World Bank.
ANALYST'S CREDENTIALS
James Wilson is a noted technology analyst and author of more than 300 articles and several books dealing with science, medicine, technology, and business. Formerly the editor of the Princeton Business Journal and a senior science and technology editor for Hearst Magazines, he is a past member of the National Association of Science Writers and American Medical Writers Association. He has served on the adjunct faculty of Temple University and on the staffs of Drexel University and the Academy of Natural Sciences. He is also the author of both the 2007 and 2009 editions of Remote Sensing Technologies and Global Markets. In connection with his earlier works on remote sensing, Wilson has made site visits to headquarters and operational facilities of the major corporate, government, and military facilities involved in the industry.
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DISCLAIMER
The information developed in this report is intended to be as reliable as possible at the time of publication and of a professional nature. This information does not constitute managerial, legal, or accounting advice, nor should it serve as a corporate policy guide, laboratory manual, or an endorsement of any product, as much of the information is speculative in nature. The author assumes no responsibility for any loss or damage that might result from reliance on the reported information or from its use.
