SPOT offers a rapid, economical solution by providing detailed maps of large areas. These "satellite imagemaps" have become the benchmark for small and medium-scale mapping applications, and cater to an extended range of cartographic applications. For example, they are ideal for producing and updating topographic databases.

Moreover, 3D images, derived from stereopairs, make it possible to acquire detailed knowledge of relief. This visual information, combined with data on land use, enables cell phone operators to more clearly determine any obstacles to radio waves. Stereoscopic images are also a key asset for oil and mineral exploration to achieve a synoptic view of a site and its geographic features.

SPOT serves as a monitoring and decision-support tool for for crisis mitigation and management. Satellite imagery, combined with other information sources, enables experts to produce risk maps while integrating physical, meteorological, demographic, economic and other factors.

The SPOT satellites were kept very busy after the tsunami that hit Asia at the end of 2004 and during the series of hurricanes that tore the United States in 2005.

In June 2000, ESA and CNES founded the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Under this charter, the signatory partners allocate their satellite systems, including SPOT, to acquire imagery for the purposes of natural disaster management.

Satellites provide vital support to establish inventories of crop acreage, forecast crop yields, manage farming practices and monitor agricultural aid measures.

In the context of the MARS-PAC programme (Monitoring Agriculture by Remote Sensing-Politique Agricole Commune) carried out by the European Union, Spot Image provides several hundred images per year, covering 120 tp 150 sites selected by the 15 member countries. This agricultural monitoring results in rapid estimation of surface areas and potential yields in Europe.

Protecting the environment is one of the major concerns of our times. Pollution, erosion and deforestation are among the dangers threatening our planet.

The SPOT programme, by enabling scientists to monitor the globe, is making it easier to understand and control these phenomena. Satellites can provide an inventory of land use, and determine water resources or the impact of a given activity on the environment.

SPOT imagery can also be used for preliminary land planning studies. The images provide a tool to evaluate the initial state of a zone, to compare it with proposed projects, and to monitor work in progress. Some examples are the use of SPOT imagery to monitor the growth of  the 50 biggest cities in China, and the implementation of Manila's development plan in the Philippines.

CNES subsidiary Spot Image markets and distributes data collected by the SPOT satellites worldwide. Its numerous clients include private or public professionals, and the education sector.

In accordance with a United Nations resolution, anyone can purchase an image anywhere on the planet without discrimination. Some special requests may require a feasibility study by the programming department, which handles 2,500 requests daily.

Spot Image currently has an archive of over 20 million images, which constitute a living record of the planet.