At the end of October 2023, ESA’s technical platform for the Copernicus Sentinels launched a new version of its website, quadruplicating its traffic to help user uptake of Sentinel missions data.
Number of daily accesses to Sentinel Online, before and after the website renewal
Sentinel Online was first created before the launch of Sentinel-1 in 2014, as a jointly funded ESA-Copernicus website, meant to serve all users of Sentinel satellite data with technical guides and data access.
In our digitally intensive society, the visual appeal of a website plays an important role in guiding a user through the process of finding information.
The new Sentinel Online makes information more accessible with its modern, minimalistic presentation that is optimised for mobile device access.
Everything you need to know about the Sentinel Missions is now available in wiki-style repository called SentiWiki. Instead of a confusing myriad of technical and user guides, with often obsolete information, the SentiWiki now presents relevant and up-to-date information in an appealing, synthesised form.
With a less-is-more approach, the information is easily accessible. Already 1400 users have accessed the SentiWiki pages daily, a four-fold increase on the previous Sentinel Online website.
The SentiWiki pages are open to the public for viewing and are kept updated by ESA mission specialists.
A fresh look for the brand new Sentinel Online website
In 2016, the website launched the Sentinel Success Stories: featuring regular testimonials of how researchers, scientists or even companies use Sentinel data for their daily work, in various fields of applications.
Although still featuring such stories, the website has implemented the story-scrolling version of some of them, enabling readers to engage in an interactive way while appreciating beautiful images and undergoing a more stimulating experience.
All information on how to access open and free Earth observation data from the Sentinel missions can be found by navigating to the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem.
Sentinel data access: the Copernicus Ecosystem
Through a link to SentiBoard (also referred to as Dashboard), the Sentinel Online website guides you to real-time information about Copernicus operations.
Last but not least, readers can find the new Dunia feature: an all-in-one, easy to use platform for processing and disseminating Earth observation data over Africa, that also works on mobile phones.
The Dunia data platform for Africa
Since the new look was launched, the Sentinel Online website has increased its traffic substantially, with some 4000 users daily seeking information about Copernicus Sentinels.
Most importantly, the new website is optimised for mobile devices—making it literally accessible to everyone, anytime, anywhere.
Welcome to our new Sentinel Online—welcome to innovation.