Astrium, Europe's leading space technology company, and CNES, have achieved a major improvement in Pleiades image quality, including sharper products and enhanced geometry.

A new algorithm, developed by the French Space Agency, provides images with better-drawn, neater contours, with a better understanding of the surface texture.

These improvements greatly facilitate the analysis of the image (photo-interpretation) and also improve the accuracy of 3D models resulting from stereo taken images.

These gains encompass:

+ Better pan-sharpening (see examples below)

+ More accurate RPCs (Rational Polynomial Coefficient) improving ortho-rectification and stereoscopic quality

+ An almost perfect focal plane characterization

These modifications have been achieved by upgrading the Pleiades Ground Segment. All Pleiades 1A and 1B images processed now will be of better quality including archived data that is reprocessed.

Astrium Services and CNES work in a continuous partnership to improve the quality of images available. This collaborative approach will continue in order to track possible further improvements, throughout the life of the satellites.