GeoEye
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| GeoEye | |
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| Type | Public (NASDAQ: GEOY) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Dulles, Virginia, United States |
| Key people | Matthew O'Connell, CEO |
| Revenue | $121,000,000 USD |
| Employees | 295 |
| Website | GeoEye.com |
GeoEye is the world's largest commercial satellite imagery company, formed in 2006 following the acquisition of Space Imaging by ORBIMAGE. GeoEye provides 1-meter satellite imaging to the public, but it primarily supported by contracts with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Clearview program.
GeoEye also provides 253 million square kilometers of satellite map images to Microsoft and Yahoo! search engines.
GeoEye's headquarters are in Dulles, Virginia. Satellite Operations are conducted in Dulles, Virginia and in Thornton, Colorado. Locations in Saint Louis, Missouri, and Norman, Oklahoma provide additional image processing. There are multiple ground stations located worldwide.
GeoEye's primary competitors are DigitalGlobe and Spot Image.
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[edit] Satellites
GeoEye operates its own fleet of imaging satellites, which provide visible and near-infrared images of land and sea at resolutions below 1 meter.
[edit] IKONOS
Launched in 1999 by Space Imaging, IKONOS collects 1-meter panchromatic and 4-meter multispectral data at a rate of over 2,000 square kilometers per minute. IKONOS orbits the Earth every 98 minutes at an altitude of approximately 680 kilometers or 423 miles. It travels a sun-synchronous orbit, passing a given longitude at 10:30 AM local time. IKONOS is operated out of Thornton, Colorado.
[edit] ORBVIEW-3
Launched in 2003 by ORBIMAGE, OrbView-3 acquires 1-meter panchromatic and 4-meter multispectral imagery in an 8-kilometer-wide swath. The satellite collects up to 210,000 square kilometers of imagery each day. It revisits each location on Earth in less than three days with the ability to collect data up to 50 degrees off nadir. Similar to IKONOS, this satellite passes a given longitude at 10:30 AM local time. OrbView-3 is operated out of Dulles, Virginia.
[edit] ORBVIEW-2
Launched in 1997 by ORBIMAGE, OrbView-2 collects color imagery of the Earth's entire land and ocean surfaces on a daily basis. Commercial fishing vessels use OrbView-2 data for detecting oceanographic conditions used to create fishing maps. The satellite also provides broad-area coverage in 2,800 kilometer-wide swaths, which are routinely used in naval operations, environmental monitoring, and global crop assessment applications. OrbView-2 carries NASA's SeaWiFS sensor. OrbView-2 is operated out of Dulles, Virginia.
[edit] GeoEye-1
Formerly known as Orbview-5, this device is currently under construction at a General Dynamics facility near Phoenix, Arizona. It is due to launched in 2007. It will provide 41 cm panchromatic imagery in 15.2km swaths. This satellite will also pass a given longitude at 10:30 AM local time, and will be able to image up to 60 degress off nadir. GeoEye-1 will be operated out of Dulles, Virginia.
[edit] Regional affiliates
- Space Imaging Middle East
- Japan Space Imaging
- Inta Spaceturk
- European Space Imaging
[edit] External links
- CARTERRA - Browse GeoEye satellite imagery online
- Space Imaging Store - Posters and other items featuring GeoEye images
- Gallery - Image of the Week
