Ground Site Catalog
The Ground Site Catalog is a global screening dataset for locating satellite ground infrastructure. It combines candidate search areas and retained site alternatives with terrain, buildability, exclusion and source-provenance fields.
The current public release is 2026-08-21-global-terrain-v2. These records are screening evidence. They are not a substitute for a site survey, permitting review, land access confirmation or engineering due diligence.
Access
- Browse every published file and download the complete dataset
- Open the streaming map in GeoLibre
- Download the complete release as TAR
- Request 175 recommendations as GeoParquet
The selection API accepts a count from 1 to 1,000, a release identifier or latest, and format=parquet, csv, or geojson.
GET https://data.dynamikorbits.com/v1/selections?count=175&release=latest&format=parquetContents
The Contents browser above is the authoritative inventory for the current release. Its main entries are:
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
candidates_res5.parquet | One screening record for each global H3 resolution-5 search area. |
alternatives_res9/ | Retained fine-grained alternatives, partitioned for analytical access. |
data_dictionary.csv | Field names, types and definitions. |
ATTRIBUTION.md | Upstream sources, rights and attribution requirements. |
manifest.json | Artifact sizes, SHA-256 digests and release provenance. |
geolibre/ground-site-catalog.pmtiles | Range-streamable vector-tile view for interactive maps. |
geolibre/ground-site-catalog.geolibre.json | Ready-to-open GeoLibre project. |
downloads/ | Complete offline release archive. |
Every file has a direct public URL and supports GET and HEAD. Large streaming assets support HTTP byte ranges.
Choosing a distribution
Use GeoParquet for analysis and bulk processing. It preserves the complete analytical records and is the canonical numerical distribution.
Use PMTiles through the GeoLibre project for interactive viewing. PMTiles is a visualization derivative designed to be streamed by HTTP range requests; it does not replace the analytical GeoParquet files.
Use the selection API when an application needs a bounded number of published recommendations rather than the whole dataset. Use the TAR archive for an offline copy of the complete release.
Provenance and integrity
The release is immutable. manifest.json records every artifact's path, byte size and SHA-256 digest. Publication is considered successful only after the objects have been read back from Cloudflare R2 and verified against those digests.
The source code and data-contract documentation live in the optical-ground-siting repository. This README is maintained in that repository and published as a versioned snapshot with the dataset page.
License, sources and attribution
Redistribution conditions can differ between upstream source families. Consult the release's ATTRIBUTION.md and manifest before redistributing derived extracts. Publishing a combined screening record does not remove upstream licence or attribution obligations.
Limitations
- The catalogue prioritizes global, repeatable screening; it is not a locally calibrated site assessment.
- Missing or coarse source evidence remains a limitation and must not be interpreted as proof of suitability.
- Candidate coordinates do not establish ownership, access, permitting status or constructability.
- The streaming tiles simplify the analytical release for display and should not be used as the source for exact analysis.