Spot Image Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Spot Image system, has licensed the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), formerly the Defense Mapping Agency, to release Spot Image’s older images through the agency’s Imagery for Citizens program.
The agreement allows NIMA to release 5,500 10-meter, panchromatic images to the public. These images are from Spot Image’s archives, covering 1986 through 1993, Spot Image’s spokesman said, and use the Controlled Image Base standard adopted by NIMA.
Geographically, the images cover large areas of the United States, Central America, Europe, western Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North and South Korea.
Spot Image is the only commercial satellite imaging company to license its images in support of the Imagery for Citizens program. While the Spot images are not classified, the original licenses that the Defense Department purchased from Spot Image did not allow them to be made public. These licenses have now been modified for the Imagery for Citizens program.
The program was sponsored two years ago by Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) to make non-sensitive satellite imagery available to the public and to let public agencies such as planning, highway and public works agencies use them in their work.
“The idea of making commercial products openly available to the public through such programs is a difficult one for any commercial company,” said Gene Colabatistto, president of Spot Image. “Through a lot of hard work from both parties, we were able to structure a licensing deal that has set a new precedent in our industry to commercially support programs like this.”
