DigitalGlobe Sidebar: Green Machine
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Unique among commercial high-resolution, remote-sensing satellites, WorldView-2 has eight color bands that offer unprecedented, intimate views of the natural world, the company says, which will benefit farmers, forestry organizations, environmentalists and other eco-industry players. “We believe that several of WorldView-2’s additional spectral bands — the ‘coastal blue,’ ‘yellow’ and ‘red edge’ bands — are well suited to mapping the density and health of a range of ecosystems and natural resources,” says DigitalGlobe founder and CTO Walter Scott.
DigitalGlobe says it already plays a key role in the collaborative planning and governance of river basins, aquifers and other water sources. A bird’s-eye pictorial view is similarly valuable for coastline mapping, according to the company. From biodiversity studies to storm damage assessment, DigitalGlobe says it helps meet the often daunting challenges of understanding coastal environments.
For those who manage forest-fire risk, DigitalGlobe says, the company’s high-resolution color and near-infrared multispectral imagery provide crucial insight into such concerns as urban encroachment and the effects of disease, drought and other environmental factors. The company also says conservation groups, including the Jane Goodall Institute and the Nature Conservancy, use its imagery to improve their understanding of ecosystems. As for the environmental benefits of the new satellite, Scott says, “From fire-fuel assessment to the detection of harmful algal blooms in coastal waters, we believe WorldView-2 will bring a whole new level of accuracy to these types of green applications.”
