Context 

Since the mid-20th century, engineering has increasingly used remote sensing, once limited by scarce, costly, and hard-to-process analog data. Advances have greatly improved its accessibility, resolution, and value for engineering applications.

Today, data is sourced from a wide range of platforms, including airborne systems, satellites, UAVs, and soon, high-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS). These platforms are equipped with diverse sensors that span the electromagnetic spectrum for passive sensing, as well as LiDAR and SAR [Synthetic-aperture radar] technologies for active sensing. Such advancements have significantly expanded both the scope and accuracy of remote sensing data, enabling its use across multiple phases of infrastructure projects—from design and construction to maintenance and long-term environmental impact assessment.

However, Earth observation (EO) data is not the only valuable contribution from space. Orbital infrastructure itself is undergoing rapid innovation. NB–Narrowband Satellite constellations are enabling new applications on the Internet of Things (IoT), while Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) services are evolving beyond traditional MEO [Medium Earth orbit] and Augmented Services (EGNOS in Europe). Emerging GNSS layers in low Earth orbit (LEO) aim to improve signal resilience, response time, and redundancy. These developments, largely driven by the NewSpace movement, are enhancing the capabilities of space-based technologies and expanding their relevance to engineering.

AI and ML are transforming EO imagery analysis, enabling real-time interpretation and predictive insights. Integrating high-quality, frequent remote sensing data into geospatial IT systems and engineering workflows can accelerate design, streamline execution, and provide field engineers with timely, accurate information, reshaping how infrastructure is planned, built, and maintained.

This document explores the current applications of remote sensing in infrastructure engineering and examines its future impact, focusing on advancements in sensor technology, data integration, and sustainability.

The Next Leap in Remote Sensing

The coming years will redefine the limits of Earth observation (EO). Satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO, 250–350 km) are now delivering imagery at 10 cm resolution—detailed enough for precise engineering assessments, real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure, and the creation of high-fidelity Digital Twins. The first commercial VLEO satellite, Clarity-1, launched in March 2025, had half a dozen industry players pre-book access, from oil and gas to disaster response. China’s Chutian-001 program is targeting a 300-satellite VLEO constellation by 2026, signaling a global race in ultra-high-resolution imaging.

Sensor capabilities are also evolving. New SWIR [Short Wave Infra-Red], LWIR [Long Wave Infra-red], and thermal infrared systems are pushing material and heat detection to unprecedented levels, enabling breakthroughs in mining, engineering, and energy efficiency.  

New sensor fusion approaches combine multiple captures from various channels in a single acquisition to create data cubes spanning VNIR to SWIR to TIR. These benefit from interpolation and disambiguation techniques, complementing extreme high-resolution imagery by removing aerosol backgrounds and identifying targets through temperature signatures. Companies such as Satlantis, Constellr, and Ororatech are advancing models initially developed by Maxar’s worldview family of satellites.

Meanwhile, the rapid growth of private SAR constellations (ICEYE, Capella, Umbra, Synspective) is transforming interferometric monitoring. Building a stack of at least 30 SAR images could take months or even years before, now the same datasets can be acquired in a fraction of the time allowing the detection of millimeter-scale movement in bridges, slopes, or pipelines and with the potential to monitor such changes on a weekly basis once the image stack is in place., improving safety, and decision-making speed.

The convergence of these capabilities—VLEO ultra-resolution, advanced spectral sensing, and rapid SAR analytics—marks a paradigm shift. Industries that depend on precision, foresight, and agility will gain a decisive edge.

High-resolution (<10m) thermal sensors satellites, open a wide range of applications because they detect heat signatures rather than reflected light, allowing observations day or night, even in many obscured conditions.

A quick list of what’s possible with high resolution in some strategic fields are:  Civil & Environmental Applications [ Wildfire detection & monitoring; Urban heat islands; Infrastructure health]; Agriculture & Land Management; Energy & Industrial Monitoring [Pipeline leak detection; Refinery & plant monitoring; Power line inspection]; Maritime & Transportation [Port monitoring]; Security & Defense.

Video from satellites is already a reality with a reasonable number of frames per second, in high resolution. 

The recent commercial use of polarimetric visible imaging is a milestone. In March, a European satellite launched the only private telescope capturing high-resolution polarimetric data in the visible spectrum. Still in R&D, this technique reveals surface textures, material types, and objects visible only under filtered light, complementing traditional optical and multispectral imaging for civilian and defense applications.

As said at the introduction, the use of SatCom (NB) satellite constellations for IoT applications, that collect readings from sensors distributed across the monitored territory / infrastructure, such as strain gauges, accelerometers, displacement, temperature sensors, etc., transmitting their data through those constellations to be aggregated in a control center and fused with data from other sources, is becoming increasingly common.

Conclusions

Remote sensing is entering a transformative era. The convergence of VLEO ultra-high-resolution imagery, advanced spectral and thermal sensors, rapid SAR analytics, and emerging modalities like polarimetric visible imaging are pushing the technology far beyond passive observation. It is evolving into a dynamic, multi-dimensional instrument for measurement, monitoring, and prediction—capable of detecting subtle changes, revealing hidden features, and delivering actionable intelligence in near real time.

For infrastructure, engineering, environmental management, and countless other sectors, these advances will not just improve decision-making—they will fundamentally change how we design, build, and sustain the systems that support modern life. The next decade will bring not only better images, but deeper insight, faster responses, and a new level of situational awareness from space. 

Those who adapt early will be best positioned to turn this unprecedented data access into a decisive advantage.