satellite-monitor 1.0.0

Multi-provider satellite imagery monitoring and weather-aware recommendation tool

Satellite Monitor

This tool will tell you what satellite imagery is available for a location of your choice. It checks multiple satellite operators, and lists recent and upcoming image captures. If configured with a weather API key, it will also check current cloud cover and visibility conditions, and provide smart recommendations on which satellites to use based on the weather -- for example, optical imagery will not be useful if there is heavy cloud cover!

Key Features

• Weather-Aware Recommendations: Automatically checks cloud cover and recommends suitable satellites
• Cost Optimization: From FREE (Sentinel) to $10,000+ (commercial SAR) per image
• Multi-Provider Support: ESA, Maxar, Planet Labs, Airbus, BlackSky, ICEYE, Capella
• Real-time Availability: Shows when the next satellite pass will occur
• Any Location: Works for any coordinates, not just Brussels
• Smart Weather Integration: Knows when optical won't work and suggests SAR alternatives

Installation

From PyPI

pip install satellite-monitor

From Source

git clone https://github.com/will-fawcett/satellite-monitor.git
cd satellite-monitor
pip install -e .

Optional Dependencies

# For Sentinel data download
pip install satellite-monitor[sentinel]

# For orbit calculations
pip install satellite-monitor[orbit]

# All optional features
pip install satellite-monitor[all]

Quick Start

Command Line

# Check satellite availability (default: Brussels)
satellite-monitor check

# Use a named location (60+ presets available)
satellite-monitor --location London check
satellite-monitor -l "New York" check
satellite-monitor -l Tokyo recommend

# Or use exact coordinates
satellite-monitor --lat 48.8566 --lon 2.3522 check

# List all preset locations
satellite-monitor locations

# Get weather-aware recommendations with constraints
satellite-monitor recommend --budget 1000 --resolution 1.0

# Download Sentinel data (requires Copernicus account)
satellite-monitor download --days 14 --dry-run

# Configure weather APIs for real cloud data
satellite-monitor setup

# Run interactive demo
satellite-monitor demo

Python API

from satellite_monitor import (
    Location,
    SatelliteChecker,
    SmartSatelliteAdvisor,
    resolve_location,
)

# Use default location (Brussels)
checker = SatelliteChecker()
checker.run()

# Use a preset location by name
london = resolve_location("London")
checker = SatelliteChecker(location=london, area_sqkm=150)
checker.run()

# Or create custom location with coordinates
paris = Location(name="Paris", latitude=48.8566, longitude=2.3522)
checker = SatelliteChecker(location=paris, area_sqkm=150)
checker.run()

# Geocode any location via OpenStreetMap
remote = resolve_location("Reykjavik, Iceland")  # Works for any place!
checker = SatelliteChecker(location=remote)
checker.run()

# Get programmatic recommendations
advisor = SmartSatelliteAdvisor(location=paris)
weather = advisor.weather_service.get_weather()
recommendations = advisor.get_recommendations(
    weather,
    max_budget=1000,
    min_resolution=5.0
)

for rec in recommendations[:3]:
    print(f"{rec.satellite_name}: {rec.score:.0f} score, {rec.cost}")

Example Output

Satellite Image Availability for Brussels | Cloud Cover: 75%

Satellite     Provider        Type     Resolution  Weather OK  Next Image  Cost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sentinel-1    ESA Copernicus  SAR      5m          yes         in 2d       FREE
Sentinel-2    ESA Copernicus  Optical  10m         no          in 3d       FREE
PlanetScope   Planet Labs     Optical  3m          no          in 20h      $250
ICEYE         ICEYE           SAR      0.25m       yes         in 14h      $10,000

Smart Recommendations
Current cloud cover: 75% (Mostly cloudy)

POOR CONDITIONS for optical satellites
   Optical satellites will not work well
   MUST use SAR satellites:
   Sentinel-1 (FREE) - 5m SAR
   Capella ($8,000) - 0.5m SAR

CLI Commands

Command	Description
satellite-monitor check	Check current satellite availability
satellite-monitor recommend	Get weather-aware recommendations
satellite-monitor download	Download Sentinel imagery
satellite-monitor setup	Configure weather API keys
satellite-monitor locations	List available preset locations
satellite-monitor demo	Run interactive demonstration

Global Options

Option	Description
-l, --location TEXT	Named location (e.g., "London", "Paris", "Tokyo")
--lat FLOAT	Latitude of target location
--lon FLOAT	Longitude of target location
--area-km FLOAT	Coverage area in km² (default: 100)

Location Resolution

Locations are resolved in this priority order:

1. Explicit coordinates (--lat/--lon) - Use exact coordinates
2. Named location (--location) - Tries preset first, then geocoding
3. Default - Brussels

The --location option supports:

• 60+ preset cities - Instant lookup, no network needed (e.g., London, Paris, Tokyo, New York)
• Any place name - Falls back to OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocoding (e.g., "Reykjavik", "Auckland Airport")

Satellite Options

Free Satellites

• Sentinel-1 (ESA): 5m SAR, works through clouds, 6-day revisit
• Sentinel-2 (ESA): 10m optical, requires clear weather, 5-day revisit
• Landsat-9 (USGS): 30m optical, 16-day revisit

Commercial Satellites

Budget Options ($250-500/image)

• PlanetScope: 3m optical, daily
• BlackSky: 1m optical, sub-daily

Premium Options ($1,000-3,000/image)

• SkySat: 0.5m optical
• WorldView-3: 0.31m optical
• Pleiades-Neo: 0.3m optical

SAR - All Weather ($8,000-10,000/image)

• Capella: 0.5m SAR
• ICEYE: 0.25m SAR

Weather Decision Logic

Cloud Cover	Daylight	Recommendation	Best Choice
< 30%	Yes	Excellent for optical	FREE Sentinel-2 or PlanetScope
30-60%	Yes	Moderate for optical	Consider SAR or high-quality optical
> 60%	Yes	Poor for optical	Must use SAR (Sentinel-1 FREE)
Any	No	Impossible for optical	Only SAR satellites work

Weather API Setup

For accurate cloud cover data, configure a free weather API:

satellite-monitor setup

Supported APIs:

• OpenWeatherMap: 1,000 calls/day free - https://openweathermap.org/api
• WeatherAPI.com: 1M calls/month free - https://www.weatherapi.com/

Without API keys, the system uses simulated weather data.

Downloading Sentinel Data

To download actual satellite images (FREE):

1. Register at Copernicus Hub

2. Set credentials:

export COPERNICUS_USERNAME="your_username"
export COPERNICUS_PASSWORD="your_password"

3. Download:

# Search only (dry run)
satellite-monitor download --dry-run

# Download with custom parameters
satellite-monitor download --days 14 --cloud-max 15 --max-products 5

Advanced Usage

Watch Mode

Continuous monitoring with updates every minute:

satellite-monitor check --watch

JSON Output

For automation and scripting:

satellite-monitor check --json
satellite-monitor recommend --json

Custom Location with Constraints

# Using named location
satellite-monitor -l London recommend \
    --budget 500 \
    --resolution 1.0 \
    --urgent 24

# Using coordinates
satellite-monitor --lat 51.5074 --lon -0.1278 recommend \
    --budget 500 \
    --resolution 1.0 \
    --urgent 24

Cost Savings Example

Weather awareness can save thousands:

• Without weather info: Order $2,500 optical imagery on cloudy day = Wasted money
• With weather info: System says "Use FREE Sentinel-1 SAR instead" = $2,500 saved

Development

# Install with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Type checking
mypy src/satellite_monitor

License

MIT License. Sentinel data is provided free by ESA under the Copernicus programme.

Resources

• Copernicus Hub: https://scihub.copernicus.eu/
• OpenWeatherMap API: https://openweathermap.org/api
• Sentinel Documentation: https://sentinel.esa.int/