Frost & Sullivan Honors DigitalGlobe for Aerospace & Defense Product of the Year.Business Editors PALO ALTO Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2004 Frost & Sullivan recognized DigitalGlobe for its outstanding work toward the development of next-generation commercial remote sensing Deriving digital models of an area on the earth. Using special cameras from airplanes or satellites, either the sun's reflections or the earth's temperature is turned into digital maps of the area. satellites by presenting the company with the 2004 Aerospace & Defense Product of the Year Award. Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in developing new products and technologies within its industry. It highlights innovation efforts visible through the launch of a broad line of emerging products and technologies. With the 2001 launch of its QuickBird satellite, DigitalGlobe established a market leader position, offering the world's highest resolution panchromatic pan·chro·mat·ic adj. Sensitive to all colors: panchromatic film. pan·chro  ma·tism n. commercial satellite imagery Satellite imagery consists of photographs of Earth or other planets made from artificial satellites. HistoryThe first satellite photographs of Earth were made August 14, 1959 by the US satellite Explorer 6. , and the greatest on-board storage capacity of any satellite imagery provider. "The key factor in granting the Product of the Year Award to DigitalGlobe was the company's decision in 2001 to orbit its QuickBird satellite at a slightly lower altitude than originally planned, enabling it to collect panchromatic images with a spatial resolution (Data West Research Agency definition: see GIS glossary.) A measure of the accuracy or detail of a graphic display, expressed as dots per inch, pixels per line, lines per millimeter, etc. It is a measure of how fine an image is, usually expressed in dots per inch (dpi). of .61 meters," says Frost & Sullivan senior analyst Ron Stearns. "Unmatched by any other commercial satellite in terms of spatial resolution, QuickBird is expected to have the highest spatial panchromatic resolution until at least 2006." The U.S. Government has been considering the purchase and use of satellite-derived commercial remote sensing imagery and associated services since 1998. Its promises received traction only in early 2003 with the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA NIMA National Imagery and Mapping Agency (now National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; US government) NIMA never in mitosis gene a (molecular biology) NIMA North Idaho Mycological Association ), now called the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Noun 1. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - a combat support agency that provides geographic intelligence in support of national security NGA (NGA Noun 1. NGA - a combat support agency that provides geographic intelligence in support of national security National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency ), issuing multi-year contracts, collectively referred to as ClearView, for the purchase of U.S.-based commercial satellite imagery. In September 2003, the NGA awarded DigitalGlobe the NextView - a $500-million contract intended to ensure that the next generation of commercial remote sensing satellites will have been built and launched before the current fleet's anticipated end of life. Getting the NextView contract enables DigitalGlobe to accelerate its plans for the next-generation commercial remote sensing satellite. The satellite is expected to at least equal the performance of the QuickBird, with a likely minimum of 0.5-meter spatial resolution. The contract also makes DigitalGlobe an important participant among organizations working to ensure the avoidance of a potential commercial imagery gap and make certain that satellite imagery development is supported with subsequent launches in the years to come. Further, the Bush Administration issued a new national policy that bodes well for the satellite and overall commercial remote sensing markets. Coming on the heels of the ClearView, the policy requires federal government agencies to find areas where they can use commercial remote sensing imagery, geographic information system geographic information system (GIS) Computerized system that relates and displays data collected from a geographic entity in the form of a map. The ability of GIS to overlay existing data with new information and display it in colour on a computer screen is used primarily to (GIS) software, GIS data, and value-added services. It also calls for these agencies to find budgets for the purchase of these goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. . In short, more federal money is going to be directed into satellite and overall commercial remote sensing markets as the government works toward developing a long-term, sustainable relationship with the U.S. commercial remote sensing space industry. About DigitalGlobe, Inc. DigitalGlobe is an Earth imagery and information company in Longmont, Colorado The City of Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County and Weld County, Colorado, United States. Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the State of Colorado. The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H. , USA. With the 2001 launch of its QuickBird satellite, the company's ImageLibrary has collected the most comprehensive, up-to-date commercial satellite images available - more than 300,000 images covering more than 90 million square kilometers of the Earth. The satellite collects an additional one million square kilometers each week. The competition has no plans to launch a comparable commercial satellite before 2007. The superior technical capabilities of DigitalGlobe's WorldView world·view n. In both senses also called Weltanschauung. 1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group. system, scheduled for launch no later than 2006, is expected to lead the industry into the next generation of commercial imaging. DigitalGlobe distinguishes itself through its commitment to excellent customer service, relationships with business partners, and an open-systems philosophy. For more information, visit www.digitalglobe.com. About Frost & Sullivan Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry through diligence, commitment, and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com. |
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