Socio-economic benefits of earth observation: Insights from firms in Italy

The increasing availability of satellite imagery and Earth Observation (EO) data is generating significant advancements in the final segments of the EO value chain. As a result, a growing number of firms are penetrating the so-called “downstream” sector and providing a diverse range of innovative EO services and applications for an increasing number of final users. Such firms play a crucial role in the growth and maximization of the EO value, whose potential socio-economic impact is enormous, although mostly underexploited. In this paper, we present the results of a survey carried out with a sample of Italian firms operating in the EO downstream sector, representing around 80% of the national population. We provide an overview of these firms’ main features and characteristics; we explore their opinion and point of view about the current and potential socio-economic benefits of EO, and we try to understand what barriers should be removed, at the policy level, to release the full EO potential in the country.