Remote Sensing 2023

Sentinel Imagery Selection Tool

Selection tool enabling efficient visual inspection of Sentinel satellite imagery across specified points and dates, managing workflows to identify cloud-free images for machine learning training datasets.

Client

Digital Agriculture Services

Sentinel Imagery Selection Tool - Satellite view of Earth

Key Results

Weeks→Days

Workflow Reduction

Improved

ML Dataset Quality

Enabled

Team Collaboration

Automated

Cloud Detection

The Challenge

Selecting appropriate satellite images for ML training required manually reviewing thousands of images to find cloud-free captures—a process that took weeks per project.

Key challenges included:

  • Manual review of thousands of satellite images
  • Inconsistent cloud detection across scenes
  • Time-consuming quality assessment process
  • No standardized workflow for image selection
  • Difficulty tracking review progress across teams

ML Data Quality

Machine learning models for remote sensing require high-quality, cloud-free training data. Poor image selection directly impacts model accuracy and downstream agricultural insights.

Training Data Quality

Critical for model accuracy

Cloud Contamination

Major source of bad training data

Our Solution

Built a specialized selection interface with automated cloud detection, allowing rapid visual inspection and classification of imagery. Integrated with existing ML pipelines for seamless data preparation.

Automated Cloud Detection

Pre-filters imagery using cloud probability masks, surfacing only candidate images likely to be usable.

Visual Inspection Interface

Streamlined UI for rapid review and classification of satellite imagery tiles.

Sentinel API Integration

Direct integration with Copernicus Open Access Hub for accessing Sentinel-2 imagery.

Workflow Management

Track review progress across team members with assignment and status tracking.

D3.js Visualizations

Interactive charts showing temporal coverage and quality metrics across regions.

ML Pipeline Integration

Direct export to training data formats with proper labeling and metadata.

Technology Stack

SvelteKit
Sentinel API
Python
D3.js
PostgreSQL
GDAL
Cloud Masks
FastAPI

Project Impact

Workflow Efficiency

  • Reduced image selection from weeks to days
  • Automated pre-filtering eliminates 80% of unusable images
  • Standardized workflow across all team members
  • Clear progress tracking and assignment management

Data Quality

  • Consistent quality standards across projects
  • Improved ML model accuracy from better training data
  • Reduced rework from poor image selection
  • Comprehensive audit trail for data provenance