The USGS offer a platform providing access to a range of geospatial data. Use Cases include Land cover change detection, forestry, agriculture, hydrology.

Prerequisites:

• Capability to process EO data

• Procurement pathway

• Partner support as needed

• Data policy (open by default preferred)

• Cybersecurity, data protection, and continuity planning

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 10k–100k/yr

• Includes: data storage, IT/cloud infrastructure, data analytics

Timeframe:

• Overall: 6–12 mo

• Phase: scoping & identification of relevant datasets (1–3 mo), technical integration & access setup (2–4 mo), training & operationalisation (3–6 mo)

Pros:

• Cost Effectiveness - Improves allocation of financial resources, maximizing impact while minimizing waste

• Leveraging Open Resources - Provides comprehensive coverage useful for monitoring large-scale phenomena like climate change

• Fomenting Development - Fosters innovation by providing resources without financial constraints

Considerations:

• Limited customization - free data may not always meet user needs in terms of resolution, frequency or type of data

• Dependency - Reliant on external providers Security - Not suitable for uses requiring high security standards