GEOSPATIAL FRONTIERS
A Publication by Project Geospatial
LOOKING BEYOND
THE MAP
Geospatial Frontiers, a new publication from Project Geospatial, brings together leading voices and experts from across the geospatial ecosystem to tackle the industry's most pressing challenges. Through in-depth articles and discussions, Geospatial Frontiers aims to explore innovative solutions and spark critical conversations that will shape the future of geospatial technology and its applications.
Contributing Authors
The Landsat Commercial Transition: The Hard Part Is Making the Economics Work
NASA and the USGS are preparing for a historic shift: transitioning the Landsat program to rely on commercial Earth observation data by 2035. But as the Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) Commercial Transition Initiative moves forward, it revives a decades-old question: what happens when a foundational public science mission is forced to operate under commercial economics? Explore the complex history of Landsat commercialization, the downstream economic value of free and open-access imagery, and the geopolitical risks of relying on the "New Space" market to sustain a 50-year scientific record.
The Evolution of Commercial Satellite Imagery in the U.S. Government
Commercial satellite imagery has evolved from a tightly controlled national-security capability into a foundational layer of the modern U.S. geospatial intelligence architecture. This historical overview traces that transformation from Landsat, EOSAT, Eagle Vision, and the early commercialization experiments through ClearView, NextView, EnhancedView, EOCL, and today’s expanding commercial sensing ecosystem of optical imagery, SAR, hyperspectral, radio frequency, AI, and analytics. It also examines the policymakers, intelligence leaders, scientists, companies, and acquisition strategies that helped build the government-commercial partnership—and the emerging 2026 debate over access, managed distribution, national security, and how the United States governs an increasingly global and commercially driven GEOINT environment.
One Large Step Back for Science, One Giant Leap Backward for Earth Observation. An Analysis of NASA's FY 2027 Budget Request and Market Impacts
As federal priorities pivot from terrestrial observation to the Artemis lunar missions and Martian exploration, the geospatial and aerospace industries face a defining inflection point. This analysis explores how the proposed NASA FY 2027 budget’s "deep space first" strategy is dismantling traditional Earth Science funding models, forcing a rapid transition toward commercialized data solutions and decentralized satellite constellations. Discover how these strategic shifts in Earth Observation appropriations are reshaping the future of climate modeling, domestic infrastructure, and the global competitive landscape for aerospace manufacturing.
A Visionary's Legacy: Celebrating Landsat 7 (1999-2025)
Today marks the final, quiet farewell to Landsat 7, a satellite that has tirelessly served as humanity's eye on Earth for over a quarter-century. Its incredible 2.5 million images have not only documented our planet's vital pulse – from receding glaciers to changing forests – but have also empowered countless discoveries and deepened our understanding of our world. As it drifts into its final, silent orbit, we honor its unparalleled service and the dedication of the countless individuals who guided its mission, ensuring its legacy of environmental insight endures.