Space Imaging Signs Agreements with Software Leaders for Products to Orthorectify IKONOS Satellite Imagery
pace Imaging, the world’s leader in providing Earth imagery and related services to commercial and government markets, announced today the first major photogrammetric software companies that will incorporate the ability to orthorectify IKONOS satellite imagery into their software suites. Users of ERDAS®’ IMAGINE OrthoBASE(tm), Z/I Imaging’s ImageStation OrthoPro(tm), or PCI Geomatics’ Geomatica(tm) OrthoEngine® soon will all be able to orthorectify IKONOS satellite imagery with Space Imaging’s newest product, Geo Ortho Kit.
Geo Ortho Kit consists of a high-resolution Geo image derived from the IKONOS satellite and an Image Geometry Model (IGM) digital file. The IGM is a mathematical way of expressing the complex sensor geometry of the IKONOS camera, which is necessary to correct the imagery for terrain distortions. By incorporating the IGM and a Geo image into the leading commercial imagery software suites, users will now be able to create an accurate ortho image by using their own digital elevation models (DEMs) and ground control points (GCPs). Since IGM provides the complete and accurate sensor geometry, the metric accuracy of the final orthorectified image is limited only by the accuracy of the DEM and GCPs. The product is available as a part of the Geo product suite in 1-meter black-and-white, 1-meter color, or 4-meter multispectral.
“We created Geo Ortho Kit to allow the photogrammetric user to get even more value out of our popular georeferenced product and create high quality orthorectified products,” said Brian Soliday, executive vice president, Global Products and Services of Space Imaging. “By partnering with the leading software companies, we are giving them and their customers a superior decision-making tool that enables them to merge their state of the art products with the exceptional quality of IKONOS imagery.”
ERDAS President Lawrie E. Jordan, III, said, “ERDAS welcomes this agreement that allows us to incorporate Space Imaging’s ability to orthorectify IKONOS satellite imagery into ERDAS IMAGINE’s sophisticated and tightly integrated photogrammetry product. With the Geo Ortho Kit, our customers will now have the added ability to create exceptionally ortho-accurate imagery, using digital elevation models and ground control points derived with IMAGINE OrthoBASE.”
“Supporting the various product formats from Space Imaging has always been a high priority for our company,” said Lewis Graham, chief executive officer, Z/I Imaging Corporation. “With the addition of the Geo Ortho Kit, our customers will realize a new, highly productive data source that will open new opportunities for image-based analysis. We currently support all data formats from Space Imaging and will continue our close cooperative partnership as Space Imaging continues to open the market to high resolution satellite imagery.”
Dr. Robert Moses, president and chief executive officer of PCI Geomatics, adds “With confident steps forward within the industry such as this initiative by Space Imaging, satellite imagery is within reach of more users than ever before. PCI Geomatics, as a leading developer of affordable geospatial software solutions, is therefore very proud to include this leading-edge technological development in our newest Geomatica OrthoEngine solution.”
About Space Imaging
Space Imaging is a leading supplier of visual information products and services derived from space imagery and aerial photography. The company launched the world’s first and only one-meter resolution, commercial Earth imaging satellite, IKONOS, on Sept. 24, 1999. Other products are produced from the Indian Remote Sensing satellites, Canada’s RADARSAT and the European Space Agency’s ERS satellites. Space Imaging also delivers aerial-derived imagery products collected by its own Digital Airborne Imaging System (DAIS-1(tm)). For detailed information about Space Imaging, visit its Web site at www.spaceimaging.com.
About ERDAS
ERDAS pioneered the first PC-based geographic image processing system and over the years has set the standard for multi-functional geographic imaging systems. Today, more than 55,000 installations of ERDAS software are helping organizations around the world to visualize, manipulate, analyze, measure, and integrate any type of geographic imagery and geospatial information into two-dimensional and three-dimensional environments.
ERDAS and ERDAS IMAGINE are registered trademarks; IMAGINE OrthoBASE and IMAGINE OrthoBASE Pro are trademarks of ERDAS, Inc. All other product names are the properties of their respective owners.
About Z/I Imaging
Z/I Imaging Corporation is the world’s largest company dedicated to the development and support of Earth Imaging tools. Z/I Imaging provides open Windows-based imaging solutions, including aerial cameras, stereo softcopy workstations, analytic stereo plotters, photogrammetric scanners, and image management, processing, and distribution software.
About PCI Geomatics
Since 1982, PCI Geomatics (www.pcigeomatics.com) has been a leader in the development of innovative software for the remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, and data visualization markets. PCI Geomatics designs software that provides the broadest range of functionality and operates on the most extensive list of computer platforms in the industry. PCI Geomatics software is used by skilled professionals, scientists, and students for a wide range of applications including spatial analysis, mapping applications, and many other operations involving the monitoring of the earth.
PCI Geomatics is continuously developing the next generation of geomatics software. Their newest product, Geomatica(tm), is a complete geomatics solution that provides affordable geospatial software that is feature-rich and easy to use.
PCI Geomatics and OrthoEngine are registered trademarks of PCI Geomatics. Geomatica is a trademark of PCI Geomatics.
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IN THE NEWS
July 2, 2001
Fox Cable News, aired our June 28 one-meter image of Lingshui military airfield on Hainan Island. The image featured the U.S. Navy EP-3 and the Russian transport plan.
June 29, 2001
Associated Press, move over the AP photo wires our June 28 one-meter image of Lingshui military airfield on Hainan Island. The image featured the U.S. Navy EP-3 and the Russian transport plan.
June 23, 2001
The Press Enterprise (Riverside, CA), “Hunt turns high-tech: CRASH: A Satellite and Foliage-penetrating Radar have Found Possible Sites near Rialto,” by Richard Brooks, possible crash sites pinpointed by IKONOS imagery (article).
