The Digital Earth South Africa (DESA) is a cutting‑edge geospatial data platform launched by the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) leveraging emerging technologies to manage and distribute over 30 years of Earth observation data. DESA aims to provide standardized, easily accessible satellite data for immediate analysis, supporting decision-making in areas such as land planning, agriculture, water management, and climate change adaptation.

Prerequisites:

• Identify potential users of the centre

• Technical Infrastructure (Such as High-Performance Computing System, Data Storage System and Network)

• Technical expertise for system integration and operations

• Partnerships with EO data providers and technical vendors

• Secure site with reliable power and communications infrastructure

• Cybersecurity, data protection, and continuity planning

• Legal/regulatory framework for managing and sharing EO data

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 0.5–50M (program setup; varies widely)

• Includes: physical facility setup and IT infrastructure, servers and cloud platforms, data storage and security, ETL pipelines and APIs for data integration, licensing and software, staffing and training, maintenance and upgrades

Timeframe:

• Overall: 24–48 mo

• Phase: scoping & mandate definition (6–12 mo), infrastructure and system design (6–12 mo), build & integration (9–18 mo), operationalisation & data services rollout (6–12 mo)

Pros:

• Non-Dependence - Sovereign EO data management

• Tailoring - Offers high customisation possibility

Considerations:

• Investment Intensive - Requires significant investment and maintenance costs

• Environmental Impact - Can have high environmental impact due to energy consumption