Overview

Users may occasionally encounter issues such as severe overexposure, large shadows, or poor radiometric quality in SkySat imagery. These visual artifacts are frequently misinterpreted as capture defects but are typically related to the specific asset type being viewed and the interaction between terrain and sun positioning.

Common Causes

Perceived overexposure is often a characteristic of the 16-bit analytic asset rather than a flaw in the image capture itself. These analytic assets are designed for data processing and may exaggerate lighting effects, appearing washed out compared to standard images.

Regarding shadows, large dark areas are usually the result of highly sloped landscapes combined with a sun elevation that was not optimal for that specific terrain at the time of capture. Analytic assets tend to exaggerate these effects, making shadows appear more significant than they are in reality.

Resolution and Best Practices

To resolve these issues, users should first cross-reference their data with the downloaded visual asset, where details often appear clearer and the exposure is balanced. For future tasking orders involving steep or complex terrain, sun elevation is a critical parameter to optimize; ensuring a higher sun angle can help illuminate slopes and minimize shadow coverage.

Please let us know if you have further questions after reviewing the visual asset.