Small satellite solutions for land transport monitoring

Transportation is an area where significant development is expected in the coming decades. The biggest change is brought by connected and automated vehicles, but also by the smart digital infrastructure to support the development and to improve operation and efficiency. Vast areas and extensive infrastructures, e.g., road and rail networks, will require a more comprehensive up-to-date situational picture of the transport network and infrastructure as well as connectivity. One possibility is to extend the sensor and support network to space where small satellites can provide unprecedented observation frequency with a price much lower than that of traditional satellite solutions and complement existing terrestrial sensor networks, particularly in rural areas where the availability of data from infrastructure and vehicles is poor, occasional and costly. Various industry needs and desirable use cases for small satellites in land transport monitoring were identified in this paper and classified into three categories: operability and reliability of transport systems, proactive long-term transport system asset management, and digitalization of transport and mobility.