It seems that Nimbo is trying to offer a more analysis-ready alternative with some pre-processing like cloud removal done beforehand, which can be done yourself with some coding and with greater control on GEE. The lack of mention of the exact spatial or temporal resolution and surface coverage is an odd choice to me. These parameters are what I look for first and foremost when considering alternative data sources. With multiple data products, I think the website should atleast give a range (Minutes, days? Centimeter, meters?) of what resolutions are available. The comparison with Google Earth seen on the website is also bizarre to me as GEE is a more apt comparison because it is specifically meant for manipulating and sourcing satellite imagery. It would be more compelling to see a comparison of that instead.
I previously used GEE at university for flood mapping and mapping forest fire damage. This tool is also actively being used in peer reviewed journals with a large community around it. And yes, you can use it to see the effects of climate change and human impact on nature, I will leave it as an exercise for you to search for examples.
On a related note: I think it's kind of puzzling that all this data is freely available but seems to be rather complicated to access. One would assume building/operating satellites is more complex than making that data available in formats the average startup web developer can use almost instantly. IMHO you can see a similar pattern in weather data: it seems like there are a bunch of platforms which are basically wrapping public weather service's domain specific formats in a 'nicer' REST API. One could argue there's documentation on these formats, just read the docs, duh. However, I think lowering the barrier to entry by providing easy access and documentation could enable way more people to work with this data.
IMHO if you know some basic python and know your way around the requests library, it should be trivial for you to get started working with these datasets. That's just my personal opinion based on my experiences from a few years ago. Maybe it's way easier by now and there's a bunch of great free open APIs for this stuff. It always feels like they fulfill all the basic requirements to open the dataset and write some documentation but the last (small) step of writing the basic 'getting started' docs/blog posts and maybe some REST API for access is missing. Instead, confronted with lower than expected usage, a bunch of industry-transfer projects are spun-up to increase adoption. I guess DX also matters for open data hosted by public entities. /rant
[2] https://dataspace.copernicus.eu/
[3] https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu
That sounds intentional to me.
They provide the data as a public service without getting their servers hammered by people who don't understand "free" isn't costless.
Unfortunately they haven't quite been able to stitch up the world properly.
Eg: the International Date Line: https://imgur.com/a/ZGNTIsd
Like the good or bad intentioned person that tries to use current weather as proof of their climate conclusion.
I'm in that sort of position, I have research projects that I've even paid for custom satellite tasking for (not as expensive as you would think these days!), but I don't have the budget for a costly subscription. It's only in recent years that there are services that appeal to these lower-dollar user types though. The free for the basics, fee for analytics and tasking model is pretty common for newer remote sensing companies and I think the trend will continue.
That's not to take anything away from what they're doing. They've done a very very nice job. But there's a precedent for folks expecting open data and paying for additional services/etc.
Nimbo features and satellite layers open for everyone
We have indeed chosen to let everyone explore our whole dataset of satellite images for free, so that more people, even not specialized in the field, can give a go at navigating geospatial imagery.
That is why all our features are entirely available for all geography enthusiasts to enjoy : split view, swipe and our amazing timelapse animation tool. Also free are our four satellite layers, namely natural colors, infrared, NDVI (vegetation health) and radar. A fifth layer, displaying our LAI index, can be accessed under a paid plan.
Free satellite views, but not unlimited
So subscription to, and use of Nimbo Earth Online is entirely free. Free, but not unlimited. This means that any user will get an amount of browsing credits per month – we call them geocredits – to navigate our maps as they please. Once these credits run out, all services will stop until they automatically refill at the start of the following month. So, kind of like a mobile phone plan, but at no charge.
But don’t worry, Nimbo’s free geocredit allocation is amply sufficient to enjoy Earth exploration as you please. And should you need more, just get in touch with us to learn more about our paid plans !
