Spatial Resolution

Spatial resolution is often simplified to “pixel size” (for example 10 m). Higher spatial resolution means finer detail, but it does not automatically mean better information for every task.

Resolution has practical tradeoffs: file size, processing cost, noise sensitivity, and revisit availability. Some sensors provide frequent coverage at moderate resolution, while very high resolution sensors may revisit less often or cost more.

When comparing datasets, you should check whether the product has been resampled. A 10 m output can be created from coarser native data, which looks sharper but does not add real detail.