Our mission Putting satellite data into decisions
The Digital Earth Australia program exists to leverage the power of satellite imagery for the benefit of Australia.
Last updated:18 June 2024
Our mission
Digital Earth Australia (DEA) is a program of Geoscience Australia. It’s our mission to embed satellite imagery and data into decisions that support a sustainable Australian environment, a resilient society, and a strong economy.
Our work supports Geoscience Australia’s Strategy 2028
We make satellite imagery more accessible
DEA makes more than 30 years of landscape imagery and data from US and European satellites freely available for Australians to see on interactive maps, to download, and to access via web tools and services. We process and provide national-scale imagery that shows Australian landscapes in unprecedented detail, revealing how our lands, waters, coasts and environments have changed over time.
We equip government, industry and communities with organised, analysis ready data and high-performance computing infrastructure, unlocking the value of satellite observations for planning, monitoring and problem solving.
Our diverse activities are guided by the DEA Strategy and Roadmap (2022-2025)
We're putting satellite imagery to work
Almost every sector in the Australian economy can benefit from the use of spatial information and satellite imagery is increasingly being employed in innovative ways. Across environmental management, agriculture, emergency management, government and the mining and resources sector, satellite data products and services are increasing efficiency, improving productivity, and opening-up new ways of working with Australian lands and waters.
In providing reliable, standardised open-source satellite imagery and data that can be used to build new applications for commercial purposes, DEA supports the creation of new jobs and commercial opportunities.
We're working with industry according to the DEA Industry Strategy (2019)
Collaboration is key
We partner with organisations, governments and businesses to create new data products and to raise the national awareness of Earth observation technology and its potential.
Geoscience Australia maintains longstanding agreements with international satellite operators including the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the European Space Agency (ESA), and we work closely with the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) and Australian and global geospatial and Earth observation communities to deliver on our mission.
We support the Australian Earth Observation Community Plan 2026