Space has fundamentally transformed situational awareness in defence. The data produced by satellites makes the operating environment more transparent than ever, but it also creates a new challenge: how can the right observations be identified from vast volumes of data quickly enough to support decision-making?
Only a few years ago, the volume and accuracy of satellite data available today would have seemed exceptional. Now, space is an integral part of modern defence capability and the digital battlefield.
This shift has two dimensions. Satellites allow us to see the operating environment in greater detail than before, but they give the opposing side the same opportunity. From the perspective of comprehensive digital security, space is both an asset and a threat.
The key question is no longer how much data we can collect. What matters is how quickly and effectively that data can be turned into situational understanding and support for decision-making.
Situational awareness is created by combining data with operational observations
In defence, information is generated simultaneously from multiple sources and in many different formats. Satellite observations are one part of a broader whole that also includes data produced by different systems and observations made in the operational environment.
The challenge is integration.
Situational awareness does not emerge from the data contained in a single system, but from the ability to combine information from different sources. In defence, this is particularly important in cooperation between service branches and other actors.
This is why the capabilities needed to create a comprehensive digital view of defence cannot be built only once a crisis has begun. The key is to enable information to move and be combined both in normal conditions and in situations we cannot yet anticipate.
SARnotate supports decision-making at critical moments
A concrete example of satellite-based situational awareness is the interpretation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery. SAR imaging uses satellites to capture images of the Earth from space, introducing space-based imagery as a new source of data for situational awareness.
However, a satellite image alone is not enough to support decision-making. A commander, operations centre or other decision-maker does not need more raw data when directing an operation, but a timely answer to what is happening in the operating environment and what matters most at that moment.
This is where software becomes increasingly important.
A digital chain is needed between the satellite image and the decision to process and interpret observations and integrate them into the wider situational picture. Gofore’s SARnotate tool supports image analysis and helps place satellite observations in a broader operational context.
What matters is that the technology is designed around the needs of the actual user. A soldier, commander or specialist in an operations centre uses digital tools in an environment where the reliability, usability and speed of information matter far more than in an ordinary information system.
Data brings both new capabilities and dependencies to modern defence
As satellite-based situational awareness becomes more widespread, data sovereignty inevitably enters the discussion.
Who produces the critical data? Where is it processed? Which systems and connections does it pass through? And can we rely on it when our society’s infrastructure or international dependencies come under pressure?
This is not only a defence issue. Traditional sector boundaries are rapidly becoming blurred. Commercial actors are advancing space technology at pace, and the same technologies can be used for both civilian and defence purposes.
In the future, resilience will therefore also mean the ability to manage the entire data chain.
If information cannot move between systems or actors at a critical moment, even a technically excellent individual solution cannot provide adequate situational awareness. At the same time, organisations must deliberately assess when data can be processed in cloud services and when its management requires more local solutions.
The next race will be about the speed of situational awareness
The strategic importance of space will continue to grow. States are seeking a technological advantage, commercial actors are building new space capabilities, and satellites are becoming increasingly important for both observation and society’s critical infrastructure.
At the same time, space is becoming a more congested and contested operating environment.
For defence, this makes one point particularly important: satellite data should not be seen as a separate space capability, but as part of the wider digital defence ecosystem.
Situational awareness is built by combining information from space, the ground, and other sources into a single, understandable whole. AI and faster technology development cycles can further shorten the path from observation to analysis. Ultimately, the information must serve the person who must make a decision at a critical moment.
How can space-based solutions strengthen resilience and national security?
