Objectives of the service
The satellite Earth observation (SatEO) industry generates data at an unprecedented rate, yet its potential remains largely untapped because commercial users often lack the skills to integrate it into daily operations. Research by thriveGEO among 74 geospatial professionals found that data professionals spend up to 26 days a year searching fragmented free resources for training, advanced users lose 20–25% of their time answering ad-hoc colleague requests, and new employees without a geospatial background typically need 6–12 months to reach adequate data literacy through informal self-study.
Upskill with SatEO (USE) addresses this gap with a digital learning platform that delivers SatEO data literacy training tailored to specific job roles and industries. The project's objectives were to validate product-market fit with pilot customers, develop two pilot courses for technical and non-technical audiences, deploy a Minimum Viable Product learning platform, and establish a scalable, commercially sustainable business model.
Users and their needs
USE serves two end-user profiles within corporate organisations:
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Advanced users: data scientists, Python developers and ground segment engineers who need upskilling in cloud-native geospatial technologies such as STAC-based data discovery, COG and Zarr formats, and processing frameworks like Dask and DuckDB.
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Beginner users: non-technical professionals such as sales professionals, product managers and domain specialists who need a foundational understanding of SatEO data to communicate with technical colleagues and make informed decisions.
Purchasing decisions are made by organisations rather than individuals, typically Learning & Development managers, HR directors, CTOs and technical team leads in mid-to-large enterprises (50–500 employees). During the project, USE was piloted with three customers: BASF Digital Farming GmbH (Germany, digital farming/agritech), Centre National d'Études Spatiales — CNES (France, space agency) and the Australian Ocean Data Network — AODN (Australia, environmental data), plus an open cohort with participants from six further companies.
Service/ system concept
The USE platform delivers role-specific learning paths combined with hands-on, practice-based learning on real satellite data, and industry-customised content developed together with pilot customers using real-world workflows and company datasets. The Minimum Viable Product is hosted on the Articulate 360 learning management system, paired with a separate JupyterLab environment pre-configured with cloud-native geospatial libraries and satellite data access, so learners need no local software installation. Course content is authored as SCORM-compliant packages with videos, interactive graphics, quizzes and practical coding assignments.
Two pilot courses were developed: Cloud-Native Geospatial 101, a blended (online + live) course for advanced technical users, and Geospatial Fundamentals, a blended course for domain specialists who are SatEO beginner users.
Space Added Value
USE gives learners direct, hands-on access to real satellite Earth observation data within the platform, including Copernicus data accessed via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem. Rather than teaching SatEO concepts in the abstract, courses use practical examples from company-specific use cases.
This hands-on approach differentiates USE from existing training offerings, which are largely research-oriented, passive/video-based and undifferentiated by technical level.
Current Status
The USE project ran from October 2025 to June 2026 and has been completed. thriveGEO conducted Training Needs Assessments with three pilot customers (BASF Digital Farming, CNES, AODN) and surveyed 13 additional users from 9 further companies to validate demand. Four pilot training cohorts were then delivered between January and May 2026, including in-person workshops at CNES headquarters in Toulouse and at BASF Digital Farming headquarters in Cologne. In total 57 learners were added to the platform and 41 participants attended live sessions.
Prime Contractor(s)
