This paper presents the unique capabilities of the DMC constellation of optical sensors, and examples of how a number of organisations around the world are exploiting this powerful data source for applications in precision farming.

The DMC consists of five satellites built in the UK by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, each carrying a wide swath (650km) optical sensor. It is an international programme of satellite ownership and groundstations, with joint campaigns being coordinated centrally by DMC International Imaging (DMCii), based in the UK.  All sensors in the constellation are rigorously calibrated to enable them to be used interchangeably throughout the season within any given country, and to enable quantitative biophysical information to be estimated from the data.

The constellation provides a daily global imaging capability at 22m-32m resolution in three Vis/NIR spectral bands. The capability to cover large areas on a regular basis enables a different approach a number of applications that are either difficult or impossible with other data sources, with precision agriculture being a prime example. The DMC user community includes numerous service providers in more than 10 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. These service providers are delivering guidance to many thousands of farmers based on timely satellite imagery, coupled with other information layers and models. Examples will be presented.

In August 2011 two new satellites were launched into the DMC constellation and will be commissioned and fully operational by January 2012. NigeriaSat-2 adds a 2.5m resolution capability to the constellation, opening a new range of applications where very high spatial resolution is needed. NigeriaSat-X adds another wide swath 22m sensor to the constellation, enhancing capacity and providing data continuity for the future. In 2014 DMCii will launch a constellation of three 1m resolution satellites with a daily revisit.