Trade-offs between commercial and public satellite data in water mapping accuracy revealed‎

A new study finds that commercial satellite imagery data often outperforms public data sets when identifying surface water, but that public data sets may be better at detecting water hidden by forest cover. Satellite imagery is a powerful tool for mapping surface water, from the movement of rivers and streams to water levels and even water temperatures. The effectiveness of those satellites depends on their ability to identify water in the images they capture.