Unbelieveable Photos from Space

Worldview Imaging Corporation was founded in January 1992 in Oakland, California in anticipation of the 1992 Land Remote Sensing Policy Act (enacted in October 1992) which permitted private companies to enter the satellite imaging business. Its founder was Dr Walter Scott, who was joined by co-founder and CEO Doug Gerull in late 1992, The company had received the first high resolution commercial remote sensing satellite license issued under the 1992 Act. The company was initially funded with private financing from Silicon Valley sources and interested corporations in N. America, Europe, and Japan. Dr. Scott was head of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories "Brilliant Pebbles" and "Brilliant Eyes" projects which were part of the Strategic Defense Initiative. Doug Gerull was the executive in charge of the Mapping Sciences division at the Intergraph Corporation. The company's first remote sensing license from the United States Department of Commerce allowed it to build a commercial remote sensing satellite capable of collecting images with 3 m (9.8 ft) resolution. In 1995, the company became EarthWatch Incorporated, merging WorldView with Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.'s commercial remote sensing operations. In September 2001, EarthWatch became DigitalGlobe. In 2011, DigitalGlobe was inducted into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame for its role in advancing commercial Earth-imaging satellites. And This is some images from DigitalGlobe.



Mecca, Saudi Arabia
The Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the largest pilgrimage in the world. More than 2.5 million Muslims are expected to perform this religious duty from November 4-9, 2011.


Costa Concordia
Costa Concordia, Giglio, Italy-January 17, 2012: A luxury cruise ship ran aground in the Tuscan waters off of Giglio, Italy on Friday, January 13, 2012.


San Pedro, California
This is a satellite image of an ongoing landslide affecting the area near San Pedro, California.


Bangkok, Thailand
Locals are park their vehicles loaded with belongings on overpasses to protect them from flood waters.


Texas Fires: Bastrop, Texas
This is a false color DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the wildfire burning outside Bastrop, Texas.


Pico Mountain Resort, Killington, VT
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring flood damage at the Pico Ski Lodge in Killington, Vermont, following Hurricane Irene.


The Space Shuttle Atlantis
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida.


Tripoli, Libya
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the Gaddafi compound in Tripoli, Libya.


Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring flooding at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant.


Midwest Flooding
This is a false color DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring massive flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, near Cairo, Illinois.


Tuscaloosa, Alabama
This is a natural color, DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the damage of a tornado that struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on April 27, 2011.


Breidamerkurjökull Glacier, Iceland
Worldwide glacier monitoring with DigitalGlobe partner Extreme Ice Survey.


Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the aftermath of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Japan’s coast on March 11, 2011.


Maker Abior, Abyei, Sudan
This is a natural color, high-resolution satellite image featuring burned structures at Maker Abior.


Sudan National Referendum Monitoring
In collaboration with the Satellite Sentinel Project, this is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the human security situation in the Abyei region of Sudan.


Australia Floods
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring severe flooding in Brisbane, Australia.


Mount Merapi, Indonesia
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring damage following the eruption of Mount Merapi.


Ajka, Kolontar, Devecser, Hungary
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring damage following a toxic spill in Ajka, Hungary.


San Francisco, California
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the Golden Gate Bridge and Toll Plaza.


The Pearl, Doha, Qatar
This is a natural color, 2 meter DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring The Pearl, a man-made island near Doha, Qatar.


Rangoon, Burma (Yangon, Myanmar)
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring the Shwedagon pagoda and surrounding area.


Lefaux, France
This is a natural color, high-resolution DigitalGlobe satellite image featuring farmland surrounding Lefaux, France.


Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
This is an enhanced satellite image of the oil spill and clean up effort in the Gulf of Mexico. This image leverages the different sensor bands of our WorldView-2 satellite to highlight the oil and dispersant.


Seville, Spain
This is a satellite image of the Solucar PS10 and PS20 solar power towers near Seville, Spain.


Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi
This satellite image is of Ferrari World, a theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.


São Paulo, Brazil
This is a natural color, 50 centimeter high-resolution DigitalGlobe WorldView-2 satellite image featuring the Pinheiros River and the Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge.


Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Aftermath of Port-au-Prince earthquake.


Takamatsu, Japan
This is a natural color, 50 centimeter high-resolution WorldView-2 satellite image featuring the port city of Takamatsu, on the island of Shikoku.


Rome, Italy
This is a natural color, 50 centimeter high-resolution WorldView-2 satellite image featuring the Baths of Caracalla; built between 212 and 216 AD.


Beijing, China
This is a natural color, 60 centimeter high-resolution QuickBird satellite image featuring China’s parade commemorating the 60th anniversary since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.


Hoover Dam, Nevada
This is a Panchromatic, 50 centimeter high-resolution WorldView-1 satellite image featuring the Hoover Dam and the construction site for the U.S. 93 Colorado River Bridge.


Los Cabos, Mexico
This is a natural color, 60 centimeter (2 foot) high-resolution QuickBird satellite image featuring the municipality of Los Cabos on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.







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