Google Maps Got Better After Launch of WorldView-1
MIL/UT, Sep 19, 2007. Author:


September 19, 2007 - Good news for those who are interested to have better view and understanding about the Google Earth and its buildings and features how they look from space, these are now much improved and shall iimpress the viewers.

Come on, admit it, you've spent hours gazing at Google Maps and Google Earth, finding your house, school, and seeing what various building and features look like from space. And after today's launch of DigitalGlobe's WorldView-1, the resolution is going to get even better. In fact, it's going to have the highest resolution permitted by the US government to be installed on a commercial satellite - half a metre (20 inches).

How much better is this? Currently, the highest resolution commercial satellite images are taken by DigitalGlobe's Quickbird. It was originally slated to have a 1-metre resolution, but engineers were able to get better images by adjusting its orbit so that it flies a little closer to the ground. It's been able acquire images at 61 cm (about 2 feet). So, WorldView-1 will be able beat this resolution; the rumours say it's even better, but it's not permitted to take higher resolution images because of government regulations.

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