DigitalGlobe, provider of imagery for Google Incorporated's interactive mapping program Google Earth, plans to launch a new high-resolution satellite, dubbed WorldView I, on Tuesday. Together with the company's existing Quickbird satellite, it will offer half-meter resolution and will be able to collect over 600,000 square kilometers of imagery each day, up from the current collection of that amount each week, according to Chief Executive Jill Smith. Privately held DigitalGlobe is still working toward an initial public offering in the next few years, Smith said.
Smith also noted that WorldView I would allow far faster collection of imagery, and add more quickly to the company's archive containing 300 million square kilometers of satellite and aerial imagery, already the world's largest commercial archive of satellite images. The new satellite will also provide far more accurate data, including the ability to pinpoint objects on the Earth at three to 7.5 meters, or 10 to 25 feet. Using known reference points on the ground, the accuracy would rise to about two meters. DigitalGlobe built the satellite in part with $500 million in funding from the Pentagon's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, but it can sell the images commercially as long as their resolution is no sharper than a half-meter.
View: WorldView I Launch
News source: MSNBC
Smith also noted that WorldView I would allow far faster collection of imagery, and add more quickly to the company's archive containing 300 million square kilometers of satellite and aerial imagery, already the world's largest commercial archive of satellite images. The new satellite will also provide far more accurate data, including the ability to pinpoint objects on the Earth at three to 7.5 meters, or 10 to 25 feet. Using known reference points on the ground, the accuracy would rise to about two meters. DigitalGlobe built the satellite in part with $500 million in funding from the Pentagon's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, but it can sell the images commercially as long as their resolution is no sharper than a half-meter.
View: WorldView I Launch News source: MSNBC
and yeah more frequent updates would be nice, weather permitting, imho this is more important than having higher resolution
http://www.digitalglobe.com/about/worldview1.html
And the even further ahead upcoming WorldView II, for 2008:
http://www.digitalglobe.com/about/worldview2.html
WorldView I will have a 275 GB error detecting and correcting solid state online storage and 800 Mbps data downlink. Damn!
I don't like being owned so hard with a wired connection compared to that wireless one.
It'll collect 40 GB of data per orbit and use a maximum resolution of 50 cm, the maximum allowed by the US gov't for non-gov't customers. A bit sad we'll hereby not see higher resolution in Google Earth not due to technical problems, but artificial barriers like that. I would personally not be worried about my privacy if the max resolution was doubled at least. It would still look like a picture from pretty high above.
Last edited by Jugalator on 15 Sep 2007 - 02:08
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.