USGS Signs Agreement for Public Access to Geospatial Data

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have reached an agreement to ensure the preservation and access to the USGS's earth imagery and geospatial data resources. Under the agreement NARA will be the legal custodian of the data while the USGS will exercise day-to-day control according to preservation and access standards of NARA. The records will remain at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The EROS Center will become an affiliated archive within the National Archives system.

Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States explained that the main goal was preserving public access, "This agreement between NARA and USGS is a guarantee that our Nation's collections of aerial and satellite images of the world's land areas will be permanently maintained, preserved, and accessible to the public. These records are crucial to scientists and policy makers around the world in understanding how man and society affect the natural landscape." he said.

According to Dr. Mark Myers, Director of the USGS, the EROS archive of geospatial data is the largest civilian archive of such data in the United States. It occupies over 40,000 square feet and totals nearly three petabytes (3000 terabytes) of electronic data and millions of film frames.

Magazine to Target Future Mapping Professionals

Reed Business Geo plans to launch a new magazine and website aimed at attracting young people to the fields of geomatics and hydrographics the firm announced today. Set to launch at the beginning of the new school year, Young Geo Professional will focus on young people who are about to make a study choice. The publication will make students aware of the future job possibilities in mapping fields.

The firm cited a current shortage of personnel in the fields along with a lack of new students at universities worldwide as the driving force behind the new venture. Examples of fields of study the magazine will focus on include land surveying, electronic charting, remote sensing, positioning or hydrographic surveying. At least 15,000 copies are planned to be distributed to about 350 educational institutions aimed at students ages 16 to 27.

Based in the Netherlands, Reed Business Geo is an international publishing house providing information to professionals active in the survey and mapping fields of geomatics, hydrography and navigation.

Geocachers Invited to Celebrate Earth Science This Sunday

Earth Science Week begins this Sunday and to observe the occasion geocachers around the world are invited to participate in International EarthCache Day. EarthCache is a twist on the regular GPS game of Geocaching. Instead of searching for buried trinkets, GPS enthusiasts are encouraged to set their coordinates for EarthCaches and discover Earth's natural treasures.

In EarthCaching, participants register and select a site to visit from those listed at www.earthcache.org. Players then make their way to the site using their GPS navigation device. Once there the EarthCachers are asked to perform a specific task listed on the website such such as measuring the size of fossils, or height of a waterfall. Many players like to take photos at the site and log their experience and photos on the geocaching web site.

Gary Lewis, Director of Education and Outreach for the Geological Society of America explains, "With EarthCaching, they're field geologists for a day. They have a great time exploring some of Earth's most beautiful features without disturbing the land."

The EarthCache program was begun by the Geological Society of America in 2004 with four EarthCaches in Colorado and Australia. Since then, participants have developed an additional 1,600 sites in 47 countries. More than 97,000 people have participated.

Pictured: Great Lakes-Lake Iroquois EarthCache Canada. Courtesy the Geological Society of America.

Non-Profit Formed to Give Away Satellite Imagery for Educational, Humanitarian Use

Geospatial information firm GeoEye announced that it has formed a non-profit foundation to promote teaching of of geospatial information technologies as well as assist humanitarian and environmental research studies.

The GeoEye Foundation intends to provide free archive satellite imagery to students and faculty at select educational institutions. Analysts or researchers at non-governmental organizations can also apply for the free imagery. The foundation will make available to the selected researchers, some of GeoEye's 278 million square kilometers of satellite imagery. To obtain the free imagery, an applicant must submit an application outlining their research goals and objectives.

Matt O'Connell, CEO of GeoEye said that he hopes the program will help attract more young people to university's geospatial programs. "One of the biggest challenges facing our rapidly growing industry is attracting new employees fast enough," he said. "We're looking forward to seeing the exciting and groundbreaking work that will arise from GeoEye Foundation's partnership with universities and institutes."

The GeoEye Foundation has already provided satellite imagery to assist in the study of urban sprawl in Mexico, land-use planning for Jerusalem, and study polar ice in Antarctica. If you've got an idea for a study you think could us some free satellite imagery, contact Mark Brender (info@geoeyefoundation.org) to find out more.

Google Prevails in Suit Over Google Earth

A U.S. judge ruled that the 3D modeling software used in Google Earth does not violate the patent of a competitor.

Reuters has the story:

Judge Douglas Woodlock of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston denied a complaint by Skyline Software Systems Inc. that the Google Earth mapping software of Google's Keyhole Inc. infringed Skyline patents.

The judge also denied motions from both parties on whether the patents in question were valid, but left the possibility for either party to reassert these issues if they do so before April 20. He canceled a planned trial date set for June.

In his ruling, Woodlock held that Google's system does not attempt to render views of Earth's terrain, a key claim of the patent held by Skyline, which is based in Chantilly, Virginia, and offers its own "fly through" three-dimensional software.

See also: Suit Asks Court To Shutdown Google Earth

Surprise! Google Puts Images Online and no one Complains

Mark Dunn is a reporter in search of a story. Writing in the Herald Sun today (tomorrow if your in the U.S.) he says "Aerial views of potential terrorist targets visible on the Google Earth search engine present a national security risk, analysts warn."

However, the reporter was unable to find a single Australian defense official to complain about the online pictures, concluding "...Google Australia has defended the pictures, saying they are not classified and security agencies have not asked for them to be censored." Mr. Dunn reports that except for management of the nuclear reactor, no one else has expressed concern.

Instead he was forced to settle for a quote from a "security analyst" who said "It could well be a tool of some effect for terrorist groups."

Previously:
Google Earth Obscures Some Iraq Bases
Yet More Indian Concerns Over Google Earth
Google Earth: Complaints and Restrictions

Topographic Map of Mars Released

Astronomers at the European Space Agency (ESA) have produced what they call the first "hiking map of Mars."

Using data from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) experiment on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, scientists have produced topographic maps of the Iani Chaos region of the red planet.

The maps superimpose contours and geological feature names upon high-resolution images of Mars, taken by the (HRSC) . The ESA scientist say the maps could become a standard reference for future Martian research.

Data from the HRSC has been transformed into three-dimensional Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) of the Martian surface. The DTMs were then used to produce a series of topographic maps at different scales. Each contour lines on the maps represents 250 meters in elevation.

The results are maps similar to those produced in the United Kingdom by Ordinance Survey and in the United States by the U.S.G.S.

Cyber Sleuths Comb Maps for Mysteries

The Los Angeles Times recently did a story on the "office-chair detectives" that scour Google Earth looking for the unknown. These cyber-detectives have made of hobby out of discovering unusual sites captured by the satellite's eye. Among there finds are airplanes in flight (among the most competitive pursuits), surfers off Malibu, mourners congregating in a Chicago cemetery, a Boston Red Sox game underway at Fenway Park, a cement truck overturned in San Francisco.

The article focuses on the efforts of a German physics student to identify a small line of smoke off the coast off the coast of Iceland. After a lot of detective work by members of the Google Earth Community Bulletin Board, it was discovered that the smoke was indeed an ship on fire and that the one-man crew was rescued.

The Times' article can be found here, and includes some links to some of the more interesting finds.

U.S., Canada, Join Forces to Map Land Cover

The U.S. Geological Survey and Natural Resources Canada have joined forces to launch a high-tech satellite mapping initiative to better monitor changes in the land cover of the two nations.

The joint mapping effort will use infrared, radar relief and other remote sensing techniques, to produce integrated information that will help natural resource managers to assess the health of landscapes, the risks of wildfires, changes in biodiversity and the effects of climate change on permafrost.

The agreement involves a dynamic land-cover monitoring system for all of North America and the development of permafrost modeling applications. Future plans call for the development of radar applications.

The land-cover mapping initiative will be useful to both countries, as well as the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. One of the first efforts will be the mapping of the Yukon River Basin to study the permafrost. The joint permafrost mapping will focus on assessing the impacts of climate change on human settlements, physical infrastructure, and ecosystems in both countries.

One key benefit cited to the unified land-cover mapping effort is in monitoring wildfire risk across the border. "Natural processes like wildland fires do not stop at the border, so this type of information is critical for identifying land-cover trends,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said.

In announcing the new effort, the Honourable Gary Lunn, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources noted that the two countries have a long history of cooperation and stated, “Working together, this partnership will allow us to share information and maximize our scientific knowledge so that we can better monitor the changes of our land, including the permafrost areas in the North.”

Photo courtesy National Resources Canada.

Is "Astro-tising" the Next Big Thing?

When KFC wanted to remake their brand's image last fall, they decided to think big...really big. So they had workers assemble painted tiles into a gigantic image of Colonel Sanders in the Nevada desert.

The 87,500-square-foot of the Colonel was put together so it could be photographed from space by GeoEye's Ikonos satellite. The Chicago Tribune quotes Mark Brender, a spokesman for GeoEye as saying that the project is part of a new trend they call "astro-tising". The new KFC image was unveiled to coincide with the company's announcement of a campaign to modernize its restaurants.

Despite the logistical challenges and worries that cloudy weather could obscure the image, Mr. Brender told the Tribune you can expect to see more companies using the ploy. "We will look for the right opportunities and certainly be responsive to any company that calls and wants satellite imagery over their facilities or over their brand or their trademark, as long as we can see it from space," he said. GeoEye charged KFC about $2,000 for the job.

Image courtesy of The Edge of I-Hacked.

DigitalGlobe's CEO: More Acquisitions; IPO in the Future

The Denver Post has an interview in today's edition with Jill Smith, CEO of DigitalGlobe.

When asked if the firm, which acquired GlobeXplorer earlier this year, has other acquisitions planned, Ms. Smith replied:

"We will continue to seek out partners, whether they're content partners, technology partners, customer partners...

Expect more announcements in terms of partnerships and potential acquisitions, but that will be an ongoing examination over the course of the coming years, not a sprint to grab additional capabilities in the very, very short term.

As far as plans to take the firm public, Ms. Smith, while cautioning against a firm timetable, stated that she anticipates doing that, "within the next couple of years".

You can read the short interview here.

Google Earth Obscures Some Iraq Bases

The Telegraph reports that Google has blotted some British military bases in Iraq on its popular mapping feature Google Earth. The action was taken at the request of the British Government in order to hinder terrorist attacks. The action comes after published reports that terrorists in Iraq were using the maps to target the most vulnerable areas of British bases.

The Telegraph reported that British military officials in Iraq were astonished at the clarity with which all their positions were shown. The satellite pictures, which were easily viewed on the internet depicted vulnerable tent locations, vehicle parks and were even clear enough to show tank tracks.

The paper reported that in addition to obscuring military positions in Iraq, Google Earth has also blotted out sensitive posts in the United Kingdom itself. Facilities now hidden from view include nuclear submarine pens in Scotland, and an eavesdropping base. A spokesperson for Google told The Telegraph, "Google gets information from third-party providers so all the pictures are publicly available."

The publicity regarding military posts visible on Google Earth have prompted The Register to sponsor a "Spot the Black Helicopter" competition where users were asked to find sensitive military bases using Google Earth.

USGS to Release TerraLook

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today the upcoming release of the TerraLook data product. TerraLook consists of a collection of JPEG images created from ASTER images from the Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center and Landsat Orthorectified images from the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science archive.

Users of the images will be able to select and order their own images through the USGS Global Visualization Viewer (GloVIS), The images are geo-registered, simulate natural color, and are bundled with footprints of the images as well as standards-compliant metadata. The data will come as a single zipped file. The images are expected to available later this month.

DigitalGlobe to add Third Satellite

Colorado-based DigitalGlobe announced this week that Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. is constructing a third satellite for the firm's constellation. Called, "WordView 2", the firm refers to this latest satellite as a next generation system. WorldView 2, will offer the highest collection capacity of Earth imagery, available and is scheduled for launch in late 2008.

WorldView 2 will operate at an altitude in excess of 800 kilometers and offer flexible target selection, and increased spectral capabilities. The satellite's large on-board storage and greater communication downlink capabilities mean it will be able to collect up to 950,000 square kilometers of half-meter imagery a day. Jill Smith, president and CEO said “The addition of WorldView 2 will provide DigitalGlobe, with higher collection capabilities, more frequent revisit and refresh, more spectral information and greater imaging flexibility.” WorldView 2 will also be able to download satellite imagery directly to customers.

The firm cited growing demand for geographic applications on the Internet and within enterprise applications in announcing the latest satellite. Currently, DigitalGlobe provides Earth imagery and geospatial information collected from it's QuickBird satellite to government and commercial customers involved in mapping and planning.