# Spot World Heritage
**Wikidata**: [Q107303070](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107303070)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/spot-world-heritage

## Summary
Spot World Heritage (SWH) is a French database and digital collection dedicated to satellite imagery, owned and maintained by the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). Launched on June 23, 2015, the archive provides access to a vast repository of 19,340,944 satellite imagery units. As of June 2021, the collection operates under an Open Licence, facilitating public access to its historical Earth observation data.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** The Spot World Heritage database was officially launched on June 23, 2015.
- **Collection Size:** The archive contains 19,340,944 units of satellite imagery.
- **Ownership:** The entity is owned, published, and maintained by CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales).
- **Country of Origin:** France.
- **License:** The content is released under an Open Licence, a status that became effective on June 17, 2021.
- **Access:** The collection is accessible via the website `https://regards.cnes.fr/user/swh/modules/60`, which supports both French and English.
- **Classification:** It is classified as a database, a website, and a collection.
- **Copyright Status:** Despite the open license, the underlying content retains a copyrighted status.

## FAQs
### Q: Who owns and maintains the Spot World Heritage database?
A: Spot World Heritage is fully owned, published, and maintained by the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES), the French government space agency.

### Q: Is the satellite imagery in Spot World Heritage free to use?
A: Yes, as of June 17, 2021, the database operates under an Open Licence, granting open access to its data, though the content remains formally copyrighted.

### Q: How much data is contained in the Spot World Heritage collection?
A: The collection is extensive, comprising 19,340,944 individual units of satellite imagery.

## Why It Matters
Spot World Heritage serves as a critical infrastructure project for the preservation and dissemination of Earth observation history. By consolidating over 19 million units of satellite imagery into a single, accessible database, SWH provides researchers, geographers, and policymakers with the ability to analyze long-term changes in the Earth's surface. The sheer volume of the collection—nearly 20 million distinct imagery units—makes it a substantial resource for historical climate analysis and urban development tracking.

The initiative is particularly significant because it transitions high-value spatial data from a restricted state to an open ecosystem. The shift to an Open Licence in June 2021 lowered barriers to entry, democratizing access to data that was previously difficult or expensive to obtain. As a project of CNES, France's national space agency, it represents a commitment to transparency and scientific collaboration, ensuring that decades of satellite observation are preserved for future generations rather than being lost to technological obsolescence or proprietary silos.

## Notable For
- **Scale:** Hosting a massive collection of 19,340,944 satellite imagery units.
- **Accessibility:** Transitioning to an Open Licence framework in 2021, distinguishing it as a public resource.
- **Institutional Authority:** Being directly managed and maintained by CNES, a leading global space agency.
- **Multilingual Support:** Offering user interface support in both French and English.

## Body
### Inception and Ownership
Spot World Heritage (SWH) was established on June 23, 2015. The project is a national initiative attributed to France, specifically operating under the purview of the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). CNES serves as the owner, publisher, and primary maintainer of the resource.

### Collection and Content
The entity is defined as a hybrid of a database, a website, and a collection. Its primary content consists of satellite imagery. The collection is notable for its high volume, holding exactly 19,340,944 units of imagery. While the content is copyrighted, the operational license for the database shifted to an Open Licence on June 17, 2021.

### Online Presence
The SWH platform is accessible to the public via a dedicated web portal. The official website is located at `https://regards.cnes.fr/user/swh/modules/60`. The interface is designed to serve a diverse user base by supporting content in both French and English. The project maintains a presence on Wikimedia Commons under the category "Spot World Heritage."

## References

1. [Source](https://www.theia-land.fr/ouverture-de-la-base-de-donnees-spot-world-heritage/)