Thanks to the digital revolution, we have access to many free and open source datasets. Explore the data sources given below to extract the datasets you are interested in.

Ethiopia’s first satellite. Launched on December 20, 2019, it serves as an Earth Observation Satellite operated by the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI). Here are some key details about ETRSS-1:

  • Application: Earth Observation
  • Spatial resolution: Approximately 13.7 meters
  • Number of bands: 4
  • Revisit time: Approximately 4 days
  • Orbit type: Low Earth orbit at a height of 700 kilometers
  • Weight/mass: 64 kg
  • Power source: Solar arrays and batteries

ETRSS-1 provides valuable data on changes in climate, weather-related phenomena, and other environmental factors. It contributes to Ethiopia’s efforts in agriculture, forestry, and natural resources protection initiatives.

ET Smart RSS2

Ethiopia’s second satellite was launched in December 2020. This nanosatellite, weighing 8.9 kilograms, serves a similar purpose to its predecessor, ETRSS-1. Equipped with advanced sensors and imaging technology, it captures high-quality pictures relevant to Ethiopia. These images are invaluable for studying and supporting various sectors within the nation.

The satellite’s primary applications include:

  1. Mineral Exploration: ET Smart RSS2 aids in identifying valuable mineral resources.
  2. Agriculture: It provides data for agricultural planning and management.
  3. Natural Resources Conservation: The satellite contributes to the conservation of Ethiopia’s natural resources.
  4. Disaster Predictions: By monitoring the Earth’s surface, it helps predict and mitigate natural disasters.
  5. Land Governance: ET Smart RSS2 assists in rural and urban land management.
  6. Water Resources Management: It supports sustainable water resource utilization.

Ethiopia’s commitment to space technology underscores its efforts to make informed decisions across various sectors using high-quality satellite imagery.

References

Data access: visit – http://etrss.gov.et/

  • Managed by the Water and Land Resources Center. Made various geospatial layers are accessible for download as national coverages in vector (shapefile) and raster (tiff) formats. Registered users may access them through the Water and Land Resources Information System (WALRIS) at www.wlrc-eth.org.
  • To download open geospatial data, all users must enter through the MapServer Ethiopia platform – https://www.ethiogis-mapserver.org/
  • The USGS Earth Explorer data portal is your one stop shop for obtaining geospatial datasets from our extensive collections.
  • Users can navigate via interactive map or text search to obtain Landsat imagery, Radar data, SRTM DEM, Sentinel data, some commercial satellite imagery including IKONOS and OrbView3, and many other datasets.
  • Users can search by exact location via the interactive map or input specific coordinates to view what data types are available.
  • Link: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov
  • ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite), also known as Daichi, was a Japanese Earth observation mission.
  • Global 30m v3.2. ALOS World 3D – 30m (AW3D30) is a global digital surface model (DSM) dataset with a horizontal resolution of approximately 30 meters (1 arcsec mesh).
  • The dataset is based on the DSM dataset (5-meter mesh version) of the World 3D Topographic data.
  • More details are available in the dataset documentation
  • Link – https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS
  • Is an Earth observation radar mission that consists of a SAR interferometer built by two almost identical satellites flying in close formation.
  • The global TanDEM-X Digital Elevation Model with a pixel spacing in latitude direction of 0.4 arcsecond and 1.0 arcsecond, corresponding to approximately 12 m and 30 m, has been generated over all land surfaces with a relative vertical accuracy of 2 m (slope < 20%) and an absolute vertical accuracy of 10 m.
  • Link: https://tandemx-science.dlr.de

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