-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Update: USGS Partners with Satellite Imagery Companies for
“Space & Major Disasters”
Date:   Thu, 12 Apr 2007 10:19:58 -0400
From:   Denver Makle <[log in to unmask]>
To:     maps-l



April 12, 2007



For more information contact Brenda
Jones at 605-594-6503 or [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>.



*Commercial Satellite Imagery Companies Partner with the U.S. Geological
Survey in Support of International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”*



[12 April 2007] – For people caught in the throes of natural or
technological disasters, rapid and accurate assessments of conditions on
the ground are critical to saving lives and protecting property. Making
such assessments just got easier. Two American commercial satellite
imagery firms — DigitalGlobe and GeoEye ­— have joined forces with the
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in support of the global team of space and
satellite agencies that constitute the International Charter “Space and
Major Disasters”. The International Charter works to provide emergency
response satellite data free of charge to those affected by disasters
anywhere in the world.



According to Barbara J. Ryan, USGS’ Associate Director for Geography and
current Chair of the International Charter, “The Charter has been
activated about 125 times since its inception in November 2000,
including here in the United States for Hurricane Katrina in 2005.”



DigitalGlobe, headquartered in Longmont, Colorado, and GeoEye, based in
Dulles, Virginia, are remote sensing companies renowned for acquiring
and delivering high-quality, map-accurate, high-resolution satellite
imagery using state-of-the-art Earth-imaging technology. Their
participation in the Charter will advance its goal of getting imagery
for disaster response into the hands of the people who need it.



The International Charter currently includes as its members the British
National Space Center/Disaster Monitoring Constellation (BNSC/DMC), the
French Space Agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the
Argentine Space Agency Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales
(CONAE), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency
(ESA), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the USGS. Each member agency has
committed resources to support the provisions of the Charter and, in so
doing, is helping to mitigate the effects of disasters worldwide. These
resources include imagery collected by a variety of civilian and
commercial satellites.



Many of these satellites capture images at relatively moderate
resolutions, making them useful for large-area applications. Precise,
smaller-scale analysis of a disaster’s impact, such as assessing damage
to buildings and infrastructure following an earthquake, requires a more
detailed view. GeoEye and DigitalGlobe own and operate Earth-imaging
satellites that acquire very high-resolution images. DigitalGlobe’s
QUICKBIRD and GeoEye’s IKONOS satellites, for example, capture color or
multispectral images with a resolution of one meter or less. While there
is normally a cost associated with obtaining high-resolution commercial
satellite scenes, the two companies will donate some archived imagery
and also provide newly tasked imagery at a reduced cost to USGS and the
International Charter. First responders and end users of the Charter’s
system will then have access to these data.



Bill Wilt, GeoEye’s Vice President for North American Sales said,
“Archived, as well as newly collected imagery, can go a long way in
helping people better understand the impact of a disaster on the ground.
The International Charter has a great track record in this regard.”




This alliance of U.S. commercial satellite imagery providers and the
member agencies of the International Charter represents a unique
collaboration between governments and industry in the area of space
imaging. The USGS will act as the interface between GeoEye and
DigitalGlobe and International Charter operations. “This is a wonderful
example of a public-private partnership,” said Ryan, “that benefits
thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people worldwide.”



###

* *

*About the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters”*

The International Charter is an operational initiative based on the use
of satellite data for emergency response. The objectives of the Charter
are to strengthen international cooperation by opening membership to all
governmental satellite operators around the world and to foster the
development of a coordinated, global response to requests for assistance
from rescue and relief organizations. For more information, visit
http://www.disasterscharter.org/.



*About DigitalGlobe
*DigitalGlobe (www.digitalglobe.com) is a leader in the global
commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information market. DigitalGlobe
takes an end-to-end approach to geospatial imagery, from acquiring
proprietary high-resolution images through a leading-edge satellite and
aerial network to integrating and distributing that data through
GlobeXplorer, a proprietary web-based search and retrieval system that
makes it easy to find, purchase, and download global imagery.
DigitalGlobe's QUICKBIRD satellite currently is the world's highest
resolution commercial imaging system. The company's updated and growing
ImageLibrary contains over three hundred million square kilometers of
satellite and aerial imagery suited to countless applications for people
who map, view, navigate, and study the Earth.



*About GeoEye*
GeoEye is a leading producer of satellite, aerial, and geospatial
information. The company is the premier provider of geospatial data,
information, and value-added products for the U.S. national security
community, strategic partners, resellers, and commercial customers.
GeoEye operates Earth-imaging satellites, two mapping aircraft, and
possesses an international network of regional ground stations, a robust
image archive, and advanced geospatial imagery processing capabilities.
GeoEye plans to launch GeoEye-1 later this year. It will be the world’s
highest resolution commercial Earth-imaging satellite, able to collect
imagery at 0.41-meter (16-inch) ground resolution. For more information,
visit www.geoeye.com <http://www.geoeye.com/>.






**** www.usgs.gov ****