Do you like the imagery in Google Earth right now… wait till next year once WorldView I is operational and the data is being streamed to users. Heads-up, the DigitalGlobe WorldView I satellite launch is coming up this Tuesday… recall WorldView will provide high-res imagery as fine as .5 m resolution… actually much finer resolution data will be available to government clients who funded the project, the .5 m resolution imagery will likely be available for sale as a commercial product. About the launch… The WorldView-1 satellite is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. WorldView-1 is the first of two new next-generation satellites planned by DigitalGlobe. WorldView II will launch some time next year. To view the launch see the following link on Tuesday http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/bls/missions/worldview-1/
Some specs and details about the DigitalGlobe Satellites:
– in 2007 the company is collecting 600,000 km/2 per day
– in 2007 once WV 2 is up more than 1,000,000 km/2 per day will be collected
WorldView 1 Specs:
– operating altitude – 496 km
– weight – 2500 kg
– spectral – panchromatic
– pn res. .5 m (50 cm)
– swath 17.5 km
– avg revisit at 40 deg. north lat – 1.7 days
– onboard storage 2199 Gbits
See also DigitalGlobe for more info
Image Source: DigitalGlobe