A Review of the Exploitation of the Operational Mission COSMO-SkyMed: Global Trends (2014-2017)

Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) is one of the most advanced and powerful assets in the Earth observation field in which Italy plays a key role at world level. CSK has been designed for dual-use purposes to fulfill both civilian and defense needs, providing useful scientific and commercial applications and strategic monitoring. Since 2008, thanks to its features, the Italian Constellation is able to provide a strong contribution in several application domains such as Geo-hazard Risk Management (seismic events, volcano eruptions, landslides monitoring, and so forth), Ocean and Marine Applications, Land Cover and Vegetation, Polar Research, Cultural Heritage Monitoring, Water Resources and Hydrology. The focus of this article is to analyze the CSK data exploitation to monitor the trend over the last 4 years (2014-2017). Specifically, statistics have been provided based on different acquisition modes, application domains, and the geographic area of interest. The article also highlights the role of the CSK system in the context of international cooperation, focusing on the ongoing partnerships and agreements signed by the Italian Space Agency to facilitate CSK data exploitation.