NASA Earth Observatory image modified by SkyTruth

SkyTruth Questions

Questions about SkyTruth

SkyTruth does not own satellites, and we don’t have the ability to point a satellite at a specific location on a certain day and time. As technology improves, governments and private companies around the world are launching increasing numbers of satellites. SkyTruth relies heavily on government satellites that provide data for free. We also have established partnerships with private companies to use their satellite data for free or at a reduced cost. You can learn more about the technology we use to do our work here and a list of imagery we regularly use here. If you are interested in developing a partnership with SkyTruth to share your data, please contact us.

Yes. As a nonprofit conservation technology organization, all of SkyTruth’s analysis, tools, databases, images, and maps are free. SkyTruth was founded to level the playing field, and provide citizen’s groups, small conservation organizations, researchers, policymakers, journalists and others access to the same sophisticated tools and technology available to extractive industries. You can learn more about our story here.

SkyTruth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This means we are approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charitable organization dedicated to fulfilling our mission to use the view from space to inspire people to protect the environment. As a nonprofit, we receive most of our funding from charitable foundations and individual donors who believe in our mission. We occasionally perform work for other nonprofits and academic partners on a fee-for-service basis, but that’s a very small part of our funding.