The socio-economic value of satellite earth observations: huge, yet to be measured

Abstract

Earth-observing satellites provide regular and accurate data that can support evidence-based decisions and public policies in a wide range of domains, potentially bringing huge socio-economic benefits. However, obstacles to effective data exploitation and poor awareness about their impacts risk hindering this potentiality and threaten the investments. Leveraging on the case of the Copernicus Programme, we review the challenges related to the full exploitation of free environmental space data and to the measurement of the related impacts. We then discuss the need for empirical approaches based on value-chain analysis with the objective to stimulate further societal and economic research.