Sentinel

Our first operational data uses images captured by the European Commission Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites. We provide a time-series of Sentinel-2 data from 2017 onwards, making available 1.5 million scenes of data over Africa. Images captured by Sentinel-2 satellites are available at a high resolution of ten metres and captured every five days. The data is routinely updated into its analysis ready format, so anyone across Africa can use it to actively monitor changes to the environment and manage food and water resources.

• Data type: Surface reflectance
• Data timespan: January 2017 – present
• Available regions: Entire African continent
• Spatial resolution: 10 × 10 m, 20 × 20 m, 60 × 60 m (depending on band)
• Temporal resolution: 5 days
• Spectral resolution: 12 spectral bands — Coastal/Aerosol, Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge 1, Red Edge 2, Red Edge 3, Near-Infrared 1, Near-Infrared 2, Water Vapour, Short Wavelength Infrared 1, Short Wavelength Infrared 2

We’re working to make Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellite data available by the end of 2020. We will provide a time-series of Sentinel-1 radar data from 2017 onwards, which is captured every 12 days, totalling approximately 50,000 scenes every year.

Radar satellite imagery is important for Africa as it is not affected by cloud cover. Countries that experience frequent clouds often find other satellite imagery less effective, but the use of radar data can overcome this challenge.