Category: Foundations
Temporal Resolution
Temporal resolution describes how often a location is observed, such as a 5-day revisit.
Also known as: revisit, revisit frequency
Expanded definition
Temporal resolution (or revisit) is the time between observations over the same area. It can be described as a nominal revisit time, but real availability depends on latitude, acquisition strategy, clouds, and processing.
For monitoring and alerting, temporal resolution often matters more than spatial resolution. A slightly coarser image that arrives reliably can be more useful than a sharper image that arrives too late.
When working with time series, it helps to distinguish between observation frequency (how often raw scenes exist) and product cadence (how often a processed output is delivered).
Related terms
Revisit Time
Revisit time is the typical time between observations of the same location by a sensor or constellation.
Time Series
A time series is a sequence of observations over time for the same location, used for monitoring and change detection.
Cadence
Cadence is how often a processed product is delivered, which can differ from sensor revisit time.