INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Spot Image Corp.
Q: What role does Spot Image play in the satellite and geospatial imagery fields?
A: In the fields of satellite and geospatial imagery, Spot Image ranks number one in many areas, including mid-resolution imagery, digital elevation models (DEMs), geographic reference systems (Reference3D), mosaic production, direct receiving station network and international sales.
As part of the Infoterra group, we are the number-one geographic information provider in the world.
Spot Image has more than 30 million images of the Earth available in our 20-year archive, a larger portfolio of projects and services than any other satellite imagery company, and wide-ranging experience in environment and natural hazard monitoring. For example, Spot Image has been supplying satellite images to the International Disaster Charter from its inception.
Spot Image distributes images from various sensors: the three Spot satellites (Spot 2, 4 and 5), Formosat-2, Kompsat-2 and Envisat. Within the next five years, we are projected to launch three more satellites: Pleiades 1 and 2 and Astroterra (Spot 6)
Q: Can you tell us more about the work you are doing in the fields of defense and homeland security?
A: I think our most valuable asset to the Department of Defense/intelligence community is our collection capability and the accuracy of our remote sensing instruments. We have collected and have available today more than 60 million square kilometers of DTED-2 (Digital Terrain Elevation Data) models from around the world, and will have more than 120 million square kilometers available by 2009.
DTED-2 is the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency specification for digital elevation models. Our product, known as Reference3D, exceeds that specification. Reference3D combines the digital elevation model with the metadata and an orthorectified image. A primary application of Reference3D in the defense and homeland security area is mapping for mission planning. There is no other 3D database of this extent or of this quality available on the market today.
We also leverage this product to produce our new product, called SpotMaps. SpotMaps is a mission-ready, off-the-shelf, 2.5-meter resolution, full-color, seamless mosaic. Parts of the Middle East, Europe, northern Africa and other areas are currently available. To date, Spot has produced more than 8 million square kilometers of our SpotMaps product, which is currently available. More than 25 million square kilometers will be produced within the next two years.
Q: What are some of the new and innovative products offered by your company?
A: Over the last few years, we at Spot Image have focused a great deal of time on creating new, innovative products and services for our customers.
In June 2007, we launched Spot Online Access, our online imagery solution.
In October, we launched our first layer in Google Earth, called "One World, One Year." "One World, One Year" offers a selection of 50,000 Spot scenes with the lowest available cloud cover acquired within the last year covering some 180 million square kilometers. The collection will be updated regularly as new images are acquired by the constellation of three Spot satellites (Spot 2, Spot 4 and Spot 5).
Other online services we offer include a programming relationship management tool, site-monitoring tools and the Spot Gallery, where consumers can buy stunning satellite image posters. Every day, an average 10,000 new images are listed in Spot Image's Sirius online catalog, which today contains more than 12 million scenes.
Q: What new products and services do you have coming along for the future?
A: We are currently developing a number of new online services, and we are continuing our development of Spot Online Access, to allow, among other things, access to our worldwide archive of more than 30 million images.
We are focusing our effort on disaster relief, quick response, maritime surveillance, site monitoring and high accuracy orthorectification services. Virtual telemetry services are also being developed for Formosat-2 and Kompsat-2. ♦
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