Introduction

Remote sensing is becoming foundational to how countries and industries understand, manage, and respond to global change. Climate volatility, wildfire seasons, flooding, methane emissions, and loss of biodiversity have made continuous environmental intelligence a national and economic priority. At the same time, demand for Arctic situational awareness, resilient supply chains, and maritime security is reshaping national defense and sovereignty strategies for countries like Canada. Rapid advancements in satellite constellations, onboard processing, AI analytics, and multi-sensor fusion have transformed remote sensing from a scientific tool into a real-time operational system embedded in policy, finance, insurance, and infrastructure. The global remote sensing landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation, shaped by technological innovation, shifting policies, and increasing commercial momentum. However, patent filings heavily skewed by patent filings in China in the sector depict a different story.

Sections

• Key Takeaways
  • Geographic Filing Trends
  • Optical remote sensing dominates patent filings in the sector
  • Key Players
  • Highlights in Canada
• Value Chain
• IP Risk & Strategy for SMEs

IAC’s report explores the evolving remote sensing ecosystem

IAC’s Remote Sensing IP Intelligence Report explores this evolving ecosystem, offering a deep dive into the competitive landscape and innovation trends across various remote sensing technologies such as active and passive microwave sensing, LiDAR sensing, acoustic and near acoustic, high energy spectral radiation and optical remote sensing with a focus on applications and platforms used for sensing. The report also includes an analysis of key players in various categories of the remote sensing value chain – Components Manufacturing, Launch & Ground, Remote Sensing Operators, Data Analytics & Applications. This comprehensive study brings together two core pillars of analysis: patent intelligence and market research to present a clear picture of where the field stands today and where it’s headed. It is designed to provide actionable intelligence for industry stakeholders, investors, and policymakers, combining depth, clarity, and evidence-based perspectives to support strategic decision-making in the Remote Sensing space.

16,756 patent families (19,951 patents) were analyzed for this report. These patents were categorized into various technologies using a technology taxonomy as seen below.

Remote Sensing Technologies

Optical Remote Sensing (9,038)	LiDAR Remote Sensing (2,075)

Panchromatic Imaging (154) Stereo Optical Imaging (176) Thermal Infrared Sensors (1,456) Near and Mid Infrared (NIR & MIR) (791) Ultraviolet Remote Sensing (UV, Fluorescence, Spectroscopy) (170) Hyperspectral Remote Sensing (2,257) • Imaging Spectroscopy • Ultraspectral Remote Sensing • Other Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Multispectral Remote Sensing (2,638) • Broadband Multispectral Imaging • Narrowband Multispectral Imaging •Other Multispectral Imaging Visible light Imaging (3,721) Other Remote Sensing (4,243)

• Bathymetric LiDAR • ToF LiDAR • Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) LiDAR • Flash LiDAR • Full-waveform LiDAR • General LiDAR

Active Microwave Remote Sensing (1,662)	Passive Microwave Remote Sensing (1,080)

Active MiRadar Remote Sensing (1,316) • Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) • Ground Penetrating Radar • Over-the-Horizon Radar • Moving Target Indication (MTI) • Doppler Radar • General Radars Microwave Scatterometry (69) Other Microwave Remote Sensing (290)

• Microwave Radiometry • Passive Microwave Imaging • Other Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Acoustic and Near Acoustic (429)	High Energy Astrophysical Radiation (23)

• Single beam Sonar • Side-Scan Sonar • Multibeam Sonar • Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) • Seismic Remote Sensing • General Sonar

• Gamma Ray Spectroscopy • Cosmic Ray Sensing

Applications (16,754)	Platform (14,591)

Clean Natural Resource Management (2,914) Energy Management (1,534) • Other Energy Management • Solar & Wind Energy Potential Mapping • Power Grid Optimization Environmental & Ecological Monitoring (7,333) Sustainable Agriculture & Hydrology (3,090) • Precision Agriculture • Sustainable Farming Climate Change & Adaptation (1,587) Smart cities, Urban & Green Infrastructure (590) Circular Economy & Waste Management (133) Oceanography (2,379) Disaster Management (2,478) National Security (168)

• Airborne • Spaceborne • Terrestrial (Ground-based) • Surface Waterborne • Underwater (Subsurface Platforms)

Key Takeaways

Geographic Filing Trends

For geographical patent filing analysis, a total of 19,591 patents in the expanded dataset were considered. Global patent filings in remote sensing are driven primarily by China and have risen sharply since 2017, marking a clear acceleration after a decade of modest growth. With ~89% out of a total of 19,591 patent filings in the sector being filed in China, filing trends in the sector are heavily influenced by Chinese entities filing for patent protection. By comparison, there were 1,066 patent filings in the U.S., 416 in India, 357 in Europe and 599 patent applications through the PCT route. Only 189 patent applications were filed in Canada within the scope of the study. Overall, China’s significant contribution to the patent filings in remote sensing highlights its pivotal role in shaping innovation trends in this space.

Canada: 189 Granted: 54 Apps: 70	USA: 1,066 Granted: 330 Apps: 119	Brazil: 113*	EP: 357*	India: 416*
Russia: 130* Utility Models: 24	China: 15,432 Granted:  6,262 Apps: 7,513 Utility Models: 820	Japan: 199 Granted: 34 Apps: 26 Utility Models: 39	Republic of Korea: 283 Granted: 184 Apps: 1 Utility Models: 1	Australia: 185*

Fig. 1.2 Geographic distribution of patent filings in Remote Sensing

Note: The chart is prepared based on the number of patent publications (not patent families) in each of the countries highlighted.
*Detailed Legal Status not available

Optical remote sensing dominates patent filings in the sector

Optical remote sensing has the lion’s share in the remote sensing sector, accounting for nearly 54% of the total patent families. More specifically, high-resolution visible light imaging contributes 3,721, multispectral 2,638, and hyperspectral sensing technologies contribute 2,257 patent families respectively. Aggressive patent filing in these sub-categories emanates from a strong demand for environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, and urban planning applications.

Apart from optical remote sensing, active sensing technologies like LiDAR and Radar show sustained and accelerating patent filing growth contributing nearly 12.4% and 7.8% patent families in the sector. LiDAR has been noted to be widely used for forestry, topographic mapping, and disaster risk assessment. Within LiDAR Bathymetric LiDAR stands out for coastal mapping and floodplain modeling. Radar sensing supports all-weather, day/night monitoring for soil moisture, flood mapping, and climate resilience planning. IAC’s full report dives deeper into technological analysis while reflecting on various other remote sensing technologies such as acoustic and near acoustic, high energy astrophysical radiation, active and passive microwave remote sensing technologies along with their focus on specific applications (clean natural resource management, energy management, oceanography, environment and ecological monitoring, etc.) and the platforms (such as airborne, spaceborne, surface borne) used.

Key players

Patent ownership in remote sensing is highly concentrated among Chinese academic and governmental research institutions. Wuhan University, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Aerospace Information Research Institute of CAS, and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources of CAS dominate filings across multiple technologies such as optical, LiDAR, microwave, and applications. Outside China, global leaders include IFP Energies Nouvelles (France), Siemens (Germany), BASF, NASA, IBM, and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology.

Highlights for Canada 

Similar to global trends, patent filings in Canada are dominated by visible light imaging technologies in optical remote sensing. However, the number of filings is meager compared to the global count. Only 189 patents have been filed in Canada, out of which 54 are granted patents and 70 pending applications.

Over the past two decades patent filing activity in Canada has been sporadic indicating episodic rather than systematic innovation protection, highlighting Canada’s weaker IP focus, especially within Canada.

As illustrated in Fig. 1.3, foreign ownership also dominates Canadian patent filings. Companies such as IFP Energies Nouvelles, Bayer AG, Mineral Earth Sciences LLC, Exelis Inc. and Weyerhaeuser Co. represent a significant share of filings inside Canada. Only a small number of Canadian organizations, including Schlumberger Canada and Golder Associates Ltd., each with two patent families related to marine and air emissions, and Farmers Edge, which holds patents in crop and harvest mapping show any meaningful activity. Most remaining Canadian applicants hold just a single patent family. In terms of global protection coverage, Canadian assignees have a total of 108 patent filings across the world with the United States as the preferred jurisdiction.

In contrast, Canada’s remote sensing ecosystem is anchored by a long-standing leadership in radar, climate monitoring, and wildfire intelligence. A coordinated approach involving the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) integrates Earth observation (EO) into its broader goals of climate resilience, Arctic sovereignty, sustainable resource management, and national security. The Canadian ecosystem is bolstered by companies such as MDA Space, ABB and GHGSat and global partnership across the sector. However, without strong IP portfolios, companies miss out on valuable revenue streams such as licensing and royalties and face challenges in accessing markets, often falling behind competitors with more robust patent holdings. A weak IP strategy can also make businesses vulnerable to infringement lawsuits and market exclusion.

Fig. 1.3 Top filers in Canada – Remote Sensing

IP Risk & Strategy for SMEs

SMEs face structural risks as the remote sensing landscape consolidates, and major incumbents expand portfolios across sensing, analytics, and carbon management. Companies like Siemens, IBM, BASF, and IFP Energies Nouvelles hold deep patent portfolios that can limit market entry and create exposure to infringement claims.

Patent Portfolio Development – Strive to build a robust patent portfolio that protects your innovations and deters competitors. Without a significant portfolio of patents, a smaller company involved in an IP dispute with a large company typically lacks the leverage that the ability to counter assert provides. The primary purpose of IAC’s Portfolio is to provide patents that can be counter asserted against companies with large portfolios that could pose a risk to member companies. Read more about IAC’s Patent Portfolio here. 

Geographical Considerations – Assess patent rights on a country-by-country basis, as patent laws and enforcement practices vary across jurisdictions. A product or service that may be covered by a patent in one country may not be in another because a similar patent may not exist or be active elsewhere, and the claims may have different scopes. 

IP Strategy & Ownership: Prioritize the protection of your intellectual property and put in place strategies to increase its value. These steps are a good start towards increasing your Freedom-To-Operate. IAC’s IP Upskilling program empowers companies to develop and maintain solid, scalable, forward-thinking IP and data strategies. 

For a comprehensive overview of these and additional IP strategies, including detailed patent and market data on key players, trends, and jurisdictional considerations, refer to the full report.