Terra Orbit - Urban/rural mapping and planning

Urban/rural mapping and planning - Very high-resolution satellite remote sensing

In 1998 very high-resolution satellite images will be available on a commercial basis. Such images will reveal details down to 1 meter in diameter.

The image shows a resampled aerial photography that represents the current resolution from SPOT (10 meters, left), 3-meter resolution available early 1998 (middle), and 1 meter resolution (right) available during the first half of 1998.

Such very high-resolution satellite images will prove useful in urban and rural planning as they are easily implemented in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and give e.g. city planners the possibility of producing detailed maps of infrastructure, recreational areas, and areas scheduled for development.

Very high-resolution satellite images will also be useful in e.g. damage assessment for insurance applications as well as emergency relief.

It is expected that very high-resolution satellite images will revolutionize remote sensing applications by providing real-time detailed imagery previously restricted to military users.