# SatDM: Synthesizing Realistic Satellite Image with Semantic Layout Conditioning using Diffusion Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.16812 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.16812/

## Key facts

- Cited by 11 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Inverse problems and image restoration, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models.
- Builds on 35 of its 44 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 28 Sep 2023.

## Placed in

- Diffusion models / [Inverse problems and image restoration](https://mlsanity.com/diffusion/inverse-problems-and-image-restoration/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 35)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05233/) (2021)
- [Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1503.03585/) (2015)
- [A Style-Based Generator Architecture for Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.04948/) (2018)
- [Classifier-Free Diffusion Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12598/) (2022)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00667/) (2022)
- [Adding Conditional Control to Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.05543/) (2023)
- [Image-to-Image Translation with Conditional Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.07004/) (2016)
- [Generative Modeling by Estimating Gradients of the Data Distribution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.05600/) (2019)
- [Improved Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.09672/) (2021)
- [Progressive Growing of GANs for Improved Quality, Stability, and Variation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.10196/) (2017)
- [Improved Techniques for Training GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.03498/) (2016)
- [Large Scale GAN Training for High Fidelity Natural Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.11096/) (2018)
- [Non-local Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.07971/) (2017)
- [Conditional Generative Adversarial Nets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.1784/) (2014)
- [Semantic Image Synthesis with Spatially-Adaptive Normalization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.07291/) (2019)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis and Semantic Manipulation with Conditional GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.11585/) (2017)
- [Cascaded Diffusion Models for High Fidelity Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.15282/) (2021)
- [Wasserstein GAN](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1701.07875/) (2017)
- [A note on the evaluation of generative models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.01844/) (2015)
- [cGANs with Projection Discriminator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.05637/) (2018)
- [Semantic Image Synthesis via Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.00050/) (2022)
- [RarePlanes: Synthetic Data Takes Flight](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.02963/) (2020)
- [Generate Your Own Scotland: Satellite Image Generation Conditioned on Maps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.16648/) (2023)
- [A Large-Scale Study on Regularization and Normalization in GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.04720/) (2018)
- [GeoGAN: A Conditional GAN with Reconstruction and Style Loss to Generate Standard Layer of Maps from Satellite Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.05611/) (2019)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks for Realistic Synthesis of Hyperspectral Samples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.02583/) (2018)
- [Realistic River Image Synthesis using Deep Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.00826/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 11 of 11)

- [CRS-Diff: Controllable Remote Sensing Image Generation with Diffusion Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.11614/) (2024)
- [MetaEarth: A Generative Foundation Model for Global-Scale Remote Sensing Image Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.13570/) (2024)
- [Diffusion Models Meet Remote Sensing: Principles, Methods, and Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.08926/) (2024)
- [Detecting Out-Of-Distribution Earth Observation Images with Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.12667/) (2024)
- [Generative Artificial Intelligence Meets Synthetic Aperture Radar: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.05027/) (2024)
- [DiffRIS: Enhancing Referring Remote Sensing Image Segmentation with Pre-trained Text-to-Image Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.18946/) (2025)
- [Diffusion Models for Hyperspectral Image Analysis: A Comprehensive Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.11158/) (2025)
- [AnyBand-Diff: A Unified Remote Sensing Image Generation and Band Repair Framework with Spectral Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.14341/) (2026)
- [LC4-DViT: Land-cover Creation for Land-cover Classification with Deformable Vision Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.22812/) (2025)
- [Mitigating Long-Tail Bias via Prompt-Controlled Diffusion Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.04749/) (2026)
- [D2-CDIG: Controlled Diffusion Remote Sensing Image Generation with Dual Priors of DEM and Cloud-Fog](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.14326/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Deep learning models in the Earth Observation domain heavily rely on the availability of large-scale accurately labeled satellite imagery. However, obtaining and labeling satellite imagery is a resource-intensive endeavor. While generative models offer a promising solution to address data scarcity, their potential remains underexplored. Recently, Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models (DDPMs) have demonstrated significant promise in synthesizing realistic images from semantic layouts. In this paper, a conditional DDPM model capable of taking a semantic map and generating high-quality, diverse, and correspondingly accurate satellite images is implemented. Additionally, a comprehensive illustration of the optimization dynamics is provided. The proposed methodology integrates cutting-edge techniques such as variance learning, classifier-free guidance, and improved noise scheduling. The denoising network architecture is further complemented by the incorporation of adaptive normalization and self-attention mechanisms, enhancing the model's capabilities. The effectiveness of our proposed model is validated using a meticulously labeled dataset introduced within the context of this study. Validation encompasses both algorithmic methods such as Frechet Inception Distance (FID) and Intersection over Union (IoU), as well as a human opinion study. Our findings indicate that the generated samples exhibit minimal deviation from real ones, opening doors for practical applications such as data augmentation. We look forward to further explorations of DDPMs in a wider variety of settings and data modalities. An open-source reference implementation of the algorithm and a link to the benchmarked dataset are provided at https://github.com/obaghirli/syn10-diffusion.