Data Sovereignty in Earth Observation Ecosystems Ft. SkyWatch

The Question of Data Sovereignty

The Earth Observation (EO) industry is expanding rapidly. With thousands of satellites in orbit and the market projected to grow into the tens of billions over the next decade, spatial data has become a strategic asset for governments and enterprises alike. But as data volumes surge, a  new question is gaining urgency: who controls that data, and where?

In a recent episode of The Ellipsis Drive podcast, Rosalie van der Maas spoke with Joel Cumming, CTO at SkyWatch, about how data sovereignty is reshaping the EO ecosystem. From enterprises adopting private cloud deployments to governments demanding fully air-gapped systems, sovereignty is no longer a policy footnote, it is an architectural constraint.

“There are customers that simply don’t care where the data is stored,” said Joel. “Then there are enterprises that prefer private cloud or on-prem deployments. And then there are governments and military use cases that require protected, sometimes air-gapped environments.”

As the industry transitions from cloud-first convenience to regulated reality, the question “where is your spatial data hosted?” has taken on new weight. Decision-makers have always cared about this, but today, the consequences of that choice are far more tangible.

So the question isn’t new, but the context is. 

Why the Earth Observation Market Is Pivoting Toward Sovereignty

For much of the last decade, EO was driven by a cloud-first, globalized mindset. Data flowed freely across borders, new commercial use cases were being explored, and infrastructure decisions were optimized for speed and scalability, not jurisdiction.

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That landscape has changed dramatically.

According to Joel, part of the shift is economic. Venture funding dynamics changed after 2022, pushing companies toward sustainable revenue models. “We’ve seen quite a shift,” he noted. “The venture capital world changed, growth at all costs gave way to sustainable businesses.”

Speculative commercial use cases have cooled off. Government and enterprise buyers have become more dominant. This has reshaped product roadmaps, infrastructure choices, and compliance strategies across the industry.

But the shift is also geopolitical. National security concerns, regulatory frameworks like GDPR, and broader digital sovereignty initiatives are forcing organizations to reconsider where data is stored, processed, and accessed. “There is a lot more focus on each individual country having data sovereignty and the ability to control their own destiny,” Joel explained.

In other words, sovereignty is no longer a niche requirement. It is increasingly the default expectation for high-value geospatial deployments.

Building for Sovereignty: Platforms in the Real World

Data sovereignty in EO is a regulatory checkbox, an infrastructure challenge and an operational nightmare. Platforms must navigate rules about where imagery can be captured, processed, and delivered, often across multiple jurisdictions.

Joel highlighted the complexity on both the supply and delivery sides:

Automatic rule enforcement – Platforms must block imagery capture or delivery in regions restricted by satellite operator laws or geopolitical considerations (e.g., Gaza or Venezuela).

Flexible delivery pipelines – Data may need to flow directly to a client’s cloud or on-prem deployment without leaving their jurisdiction.

Multi-cloud and hybrid architectures – To satisfy different customer environments, platforms are adapting serverless cloud systems for deployment in private clouds or across multiple cloud providers.

Security and certification – Dual-use requirements for government and commercial customers demand robust compliance with SOC2 Type II, NIST 800-171, ISO27001 and/or GDPR frameworks.

Cumming explained: “We’ve heard from customers that they want the entire platform to be deployed in a private cloud. That was a shift for us because nine years ago, the platform was built serverless and cloud-first.”

These huge adaptations demonstrate that sovereignty policies have to be enforced through code, architecture, and operational workflows. For platforms, supporting the spectrum of sovereignty requirements has become a defining technical challenge in the industry.

Conclusion: Navigating a Sovereign Future

The EO ecosystem is evolving rapidly. What was once a cloud-first, globalized industry is now also shaped by sovereignty, security, and compliance. “Finding that balance of sharing data easily while remaining compliant with security requirements is a constant challenge.” said Joel.

For many end-users, sovereignty is no longer optional. It is embedded in infrastructure, operational workflows, and strategic decision-making. As the industry looks ahead, platforms that can adapt to diverse customer needs, enforce jurisdictional rules automatically, and maintain robust security standards will define the next generation of EO services.

So, do you have the infrastructural foundation to turn data sovereignty into your competitive advantage?