PlanetiQ mentioned all about future and money to be made from small satellites and BIG DATA.

Link to full article:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/9-earthimaging-startups-to-watch

9 Earth-Imaging Start-ups to Watch

A tech boom will shake up commercial satellite imaging

• Image: GeoOptics

  GeoOptics

  Pasadena, Calif.

  What: Atmospheric imaging for weather forecasts, climate modeling, and space weather prediction using a sounding technique known as GPS-radio occultation.

  How: A planned 24-satellite constellation by end of 2018, with the launch of the first test spacecraft set in the second half of 2015. Through use of low-cost instruments, low-cost satellites, and low-cost launch vehicles, the company says it can achieve a reduction of at least an order of magnitude in overall mission costs with no loss in data quality.

  Verdict so far: Convincing government agencies to outsource the collection of remote-sensing data is, at the moment, a tough sell. But if these commercial satellites are launched and start returning data at a fraction of today’s costs, it should be a no-brainer. GeoOptics’ main barrier to success is competitor PlanetiQ.

This article was updated on 1 April 2014. Dauria Aerospace is not jointly developing spacecraft with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited