High-Resolution Imagery can Aid in Damage Assessment, Change Detection, Mapping
LONGMONT, Colo., August 16, 2004 — DigitalGlobe®, provider of the world’s highest resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products, announces it has before and after satellite imagery of the Florida Gulf Coast (including Punta Gorda) area that was devastated by Hurricane Charley over the weekend. The 2-foot resolution imagery was collected on August 14, 2004 by QuickBird, the industry’s highest resolution imaging satellite owned and operated by DigitalGlobe. New imagery covering disaster areas will be provided upon request.
A category four storm, Hurricane Charley has claimed 17 lives to date and left thousands homeless. Estimated damages are nearing $11 Billion USD. It is the most destructive storm to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew passed through in 1992.
DigitalGlobe’s imagery of the area is the highest resolution coverage collected by any source immediately following the destruction of Hurricane Charley. The imagery is invaluable for federal and civil government agencies responsible for coastal and in-land damage assessment, change detection (permanent landscape/coastal alterations), watershed and floodplain mapping (update Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps), long-term environmental and reconstruction monitoring, and identifying and calculating property loss. The imagery is available immediately as 1:50,000 georeferenced products, or 1:12,000 orthorectified mapsheets matching the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Digital Ortho Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ).
DigitalGlobe’s strategic partnerships with aerial photography firms provides one-stop shopping for customer deliverables consisting of satellite (2-foot, wide-area and county-wide collections) and aerial imagery (high-resolution in targeted areas). DigitalGlobe also offers derivative products such as DGStormWater (impervious mapping) for reconstruction, stormwater management and hydrological applications.
The imagery is available for viewing at http://www.digitalglobe.com/hurricane_charley_gallery.html. To order DigitalGlobe’s before and after imagery of the Florida Gulf Coast, contact DigitalGlobe customer service at 800-496-1225, or by email at info@digitalglobe.com.
About DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe is the clear leader in the global commercial Earth imagery and geospatial information market. The company’s technical superiority and innovation, unparalleled commitment to customer service, extensive business partner network and open systems philosophy make DigitalGlobe the preferred supplier of satellite and aerial imagery and value-added products. In 2001, DigitalGlobe launched what remains the world’s highest resolution commercial satellite today, QuickBird. The company will launch its next-generation WorldView system no later than 2006, while the competition has no plans to launch a satellite comparable to either QuickBird or WorldView before 2008. QuickBird has collected and stored in its ImageLibrary hundreds of thousands of Earth image scenes covering over a million square kilometers, and collects an additional one million square kilometers each week. These new and historical images are essential for customers who map and plan for change in our world. DigitalGlobe is based in Longmont, Colo., USA. For more information visit www.digitalglobe.com.
We invite you to view this news release and a complete news release archive on DigitgalGlobe’s online Press Room at http://media.digitalglobe.com/