A Message From Our CEO - The Clear30 Program, Edition 1

Recently DigitalGlobe, in cooperation with Microsoft, announced a new U.S. and Western Europe wide aerial imagery collection program which is called the Clear30 program. The imagery is to be acquired with the Microsoft/Vexcel UltraCamG digital aerial sensor specifically designed for this program. The Specs: 30-cm, orthorectified and mosaiced natural color with imagery acquisition to begin in early 2010. WOW! If you're a geospatial professional and this announcement doesn't get your attention, then you must live on the moon. This program is the largest high-resolution commercial aerial imagery acquisition effort ever undertaken. I could go on and on about the technical specifications but in the end what does it mean to you?

This 30-cm (1-ft) imagery will provide a seamless base layer of foundation imagery that will become the raw material of countless government (local, state, federal) and commercial Geographic Information Systems. New geospatial applications in real estate, emergency services, navigation and agriculture, to name a few, will be developed employing this data. That said, the program has its challenges. The reality is that such a massive imagery program may take upwards of 3 years to complete. Imagery will be acquired in some areas with leaf-on and in adjoining areas with leaf-off. Also the higher the resolution, the sooner people will notice that the imagery is rapidly becoming dated. So what then? Are DigitalGlobe and Microsoft committed to the long term investment of keeping the imagery up to date?

Stay tuned to upcoming editions of eMap's Monthly Newsletter where we will bring you the latest industry news concerning Clear30 and its progress as well as its impact on national programs such as Imagery For The Nation (IFTN).

David K. Nale
President/CEO
Certified Photogrammetrist
Certified Mapping Scientist
Professional Land Surveyor