Every day, upwards of 100 terabytes (TB) of satellite images are captured worldwide–more than 100,000,000 photos a day. These images—captured by satellites, planes, drones, and other technology—hold a wealth of useful insights informing actions across nearly every industry, but raw images alone aren’t enough to support tangible decision-making or drive results. Instead, satellite images must first be converted into more meaningful, structured data.
Don Murray, CEO of Safe Software, highlighted the challenges of data accuracy and the potential for misinformation, reflecting on the company’s origins in 1993 and its focus on spatial data. He expressed enthusiasm for the evolving opportunities to extract value from data, likening its significance to that of oil in the modern technological landscape.
He also elaborated on the exponential growth of data collection and its applications in addressing global issues, such as using satellite imagery for real-time monitoring of illegal activities and disaster response. He provided examples of how data informs firefighting strategies during wildfires and discussed the importance of long-term data in analyzing climate change trends. The conversation also touched on the necessity of clean, organized data for AI applications.
