Can Lay Users Directly Utilize Satellite-image Information in the near Future?

Why are today’s TV users able to receive different programs in their homes using different channels with a remote control? Why have lay users of satellite images not been able to receive satellite information directly for their applications until today? What is the future of earth observing satellite systems? These questions make us contemplate whether or not future Earth observing satellite systems can become so intelligent, that a lay user can directly receive the satellite image information that they specify for their applications. We believe that the Earth observation satellite has passed the threshold of maturity as a commercial space activity, and the next generation of satellites will be highly intelligent. This paper reviews the development of Earth observing satellites, and presents a vision of future intelligent systems. This system is a space-based configuration for the dynamic and comprehensive onboard integration of earth observing sensors, data processors and communication systems. It will enable simultaneous, global measurement and timely analysis of the Earth’s environment in real-time by mobile, professional, and lay users for meeting their demands, which have migrated from basic imagery to temporal, site specific, update image-based information. Data and information revisions will be requested more frequently, that is, analogous in many ways to today's weather updates. Lay users may soon be able to directly access data in a manner similar to selecting a TV channel.