Usage Experience and Capabilities of the VEGA-Science System

Abstract

Currently, when satellite data volumes grow rapidly and exceed petabyte values and their quality provides reliable analysis of long-term time series, traditional data handling methods assuming local storage and processing may be impossible to implement for small or distributed research teams. Thus, new methods based on modern web technologies providing access to very large distributed data archives are gaining increasing importance. Furthermore, these new data handling solutions should provide not just access but also analysis and processing features, similar to desktop solutions. This paper describes the VEGA-Science web GIS—an open-access novel tool for satellite data processing and analysis. The overview of its architecture and basic technical components is given, but most attention is paid to examples of actual system application for various applied and research tasks. In addition, an overview of projects using the system is given to illustrate its versatility and further development directions are considered.