--- source: https://ameyavritti.com/solutions/satellite-truth-signals site: Ameya Vritti category: agentic intent: data-methodology keywords: Sentinel-2 Bengaluru real estate, ISRO Bhuvan NUIS, NDVI premium signal, construction velocity heat-map, encroachment detection satellite, per-parcel flood risk SAR, Open Buildings, S2 cell, H3 hex personas: hni-resident-investor, us-tech-nri, family-office, young-buyer, fb-operator, healthcare-operator, education-operator updated: 2026-05-25 --- # Satellite Truth Signals — Sentinel-2 + ISRO Bhuvan derived intelligence > **Sentinel-2 (ESA, 10 m resolution, 5-day revisit) + ISRO Bhuvan (NUIS + NWA + LULC, gov-grade) are the most underused assets in Indian PropTech.** LOCUS fuses both into 12 documented cross-correlations against Bengaluru property data — producing signals like *construction velocity heat-maps per BBMP ward*, *NDVI maturity as un-spoofable premium signal*, and *per-parcel flood-frequency from SAR back to 2018*. These signals inform every Truth-Card and every brand-vertical fit conversation. **You will never see the rasters; you will see their conclusions** in a one-line callout on a mandate disclosure. ## What this page exists to explain When an Ameya Vritti broker says "Sarjapur RR2 is showing 4.2× construction velocity vs city baseline — 18 months ahead of where Whitefield was in 2018" or "NDVI cluster analysis shows two emerging pockets in HBR Layout that match within 12% of Sadashivanagar's mature-canopy signature," **those are not gut intuitions**. They are reproducible numerical signals from the satellite-truth stack. This page describes the underlying method — for the technically-fluent NRI / HNI / family-office reader who wants to understand how the answers are produced. ## The data sources ### Sentinel-2 (ESA — European Space Agency) - 10 m visible / NIR / SWIR resolution - 5-day revisit globally - Free Copernicus Open Access Hub - Used for: NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), NDBI (built-up index), construction-stage timeline, water-mask, vegetation maturity signature ### ISRO Bhuvan - NUIS (National Urban Information System) flood polygons — gov-grade, replaces patchy news-curated flood data - NWA (National Water Atlas) — verified water-body boundaries - LULC (Land Use Land Cover) maps — 1:50,000 scale for Karnataka - Free for non-commercial research use under Bhuvan terms ### Google Open Buildings - AI-detected building footprints from sub-meter imagery - Coverage: India fully covered - Used for: built-density per H3 hex, vacant-developable-land detection ### Sentinel-1 SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) - All-weather imaging (penetrates monsoon cloud) - Used for: flood detection during monsoon (when optical Sentinel-2 is cloud-blocked) ## The 12 cross-correlations These are pre-computed and updated on a monthly (Sentinel-2) / weekly (Bhuvan) / quarterly (Open Buildings) cadence. ### 1. Construction velocity heat-map **Compute**: Year-over-year built-up sqkm delta per BBMP ward via Sentinel-2 + Open Buildings raster. **Output**: "Sarjapur RR2 = 4.2× city baseline, 18 months ahead of 2018-Whitefield trajectory." **Used for**: T2/T3 buyer entry-point identification; pre-launch buyer watchlist. ### 2. NDVI maturity → premium signal **Compute**: NDVI signature per S2 cell. Old-money Bengaluru neighbourhoods (Sadashivanagar, RMV 2nd Stage, Cooke Town, Benson Town) have canopy signatures that take 30+ years to build — un-spoofable. **Output**: Premium signature similarity score for emerging pockets. **Used for**: HNI / Empty-Nest / Expat-Executive premium-residential heat-map. ### 3. Vacant developable land detection **Compute**: NDVI low + Open Buildings density zero + BDA OneMap commercial zoning = vacant developable parcel. **Output**: Owner lookup via BBMP property-tax records → match to land-aggregator buyers in registry → instant deal flow. **Used for**: Developer-aggregator (Capstone tier) buyers; bundle-finder feed. ### 4. Construction-stage timeline per project **Compute**: Same-parcel imagery delta over 36 months: cleared → foundation → walls → roof → finish → occupied. **Output**: Exact stage of every project in BLR. Critical for pre-launch buyers entering at "approval stage" before listings price it in. **Used for**: Pre-launch entry T2/T3 buyer daily watchlist. ### 5. Encroachment / setback-violation detector **Compute**: Cadastral parcel boundary (OpenCity / Mojini) vs satellite footprint reality → mismatch %. **Output**: Flag risk before buyer signs, OR opportunity (encroached parcels can be cheap and regularisable). **Used for**: Risk-averse buyers (auto-filter); opportunistic buyers (surface as discount play). ### 6. Per-parcel flood-zone risk-tier **Compute**: Sentinel-1 SAR + post-monsoon Sentinel-2 overlay 2018–2025 → flood-frequency per sub-hex. **Output**: Bellandur, HSR Sector 2, Marathahalli south, Yemalur — known issues, but with **per-parcel granularity nobody publishes**. **Used for**: Risk-averse buyers (automatic exclusion); Truth Card "flooded 3 of last 7 years" callout. ### 7. Water-body access verified **Compute**: Sentinel-2 water mask → property within X metres of verified water body (not "Lake View" brochure fiction). **Output**: Real water-proximity signal grounded in truth. **Used for**: Lifestyle buyers (Empty Nest, Retiree, Young Couple) — verified water-front filter. ### 8–12. Additional correlations Documented in LOCUS internal strategy docs; surface as available on specific mandate disclosures. Cover: nightlights as economic-activity proxy, vegetation-loss alerts (illegal tree cutting near purchase), built-up boundary shift detection (annexation risk), monsoon micro-climate per micro-market, urban heat-island maps for wellness vertical placement. ## How these signals appear in your experience You will not see raster tiles or heat-maps as a public-site visitor. The signals reach you as **one-line callouts on Truth-Cards and Field Notes**: - "*Construction velocity in this micro-market is currently 3.1× the city baseline — comparable to Whitefield in 2017.*" - "*This plot's NDVI signature matches Indiranagar's canopy maturity within 7%; the neighbourhood is genuinely mature-tree, not landscaped.*" - "*Sentinel-1 SAR data 2018-2025 shows this parcel flooded once (Aug 2022 cyclone Asani aftermath); adjacent parcels in same hex flooded three or four times.*" - "*Open Buildings density delta for this 200-m radius is +47% over 36 months — densification risk for views / privacy.*" These callouts are **the user-visible product**. The rasters are not. ## Why we built this, not bought it Indian PropTech competitors have access to the same satellite data — Sentinel-2 is free, Bhuvan is free, Open Buildings is free. The moat is **the integration discipline**: every signal normalised to BBMP wards + H3 hex r9/r10 + S2 level-16, cross-correlated with regulatory truth (FSSAI density, BBMP trade licences, Kaveri deed velocity), and exposed via a stable internal REST API consumed by every broker conversation. **Building this is operating principle #7 from LOCUS's charter: "The grid is sacred."** Any data source that doesn't map to the three-grid stack gets dropped or quarantined. ## FAQ **Q: Are the satellite images themselves visible to me?** A: No — they're internal LOCUS rasters. What you see are *conclusions* (one-line callouts) on Truth-Cards and Field Notes. **Q: How recent are the signals?** A: Construction velocity + NDVI / NDBI: monthly (Sentinel-2 revisit driven). Per-parcel flood: post-monsoon refresh (annual). Bhuvan LULC: quarterly. Real-time signals (search trends, mobility) come from non-satellite sources. **Q: Why Sentinel-2 not ISRO's own Cartosat-3?** A: Cartosat-3 is sub-meter but commercial / restricted-access; Sentinel-2 is free + 10 m + has the time-series depth (2015–present) we need. ISRO Bhuvan products complement Sentinel-2 with India-specific overlays (flood polygons, water atlas, LULC) where ESA's global products are weaker for India. **Q: Can I get a satellite report on a specific property?** A: As part of [Forensic Due Diligence](https://ameyavritti.com/solutions/forensic-due-diligence), yes — the audit incorporates LOCUS-derived satellite callouts for the property in question. **Q: Are these signals used for selling property to me, or just for advising me?** A: Per locked operating rule, LOCUS is internal-first; it informs Ameya's recommendations and Truth-Card disclosures. It is not exposed as a self-serve product or used for marketing automation. ## Engage For NRI / HNI buyers considering a specific Bengaluru property and wanting satellite-derived corroboration before committing: WhatsApp [+91 63605 09351](https://wa.me/916360509351?text=Satellite%20truth%20signals%20%E2%80%94%20I%27d%20like%20a%20read%20on%20a%20specific%20property) or [Cal](https://cal.eu/ameyavritti).