SpatialNews Press Release

SPOT, EarthScan Improve Image Access with ESRI

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RESTON, VA -- SPOT Image, EarthScan and ESRI will demonstrate how the SPOT USA Select satellite image database can be accessed directly from ESRI’s ArcExplorer 3.1, ArcView 8.1 & ArcInfo 8.1 software via the Geography Network. The demonstrations will occur in conjunction with The Twenty-First Annual ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, California beginning July 9th (http://www.esri.com/events/uc/index.html). This is the first large area GIS-oriented image database ever created that will be readily accessible through such a broad reach system as the Geography Network.

“Developing a facilitated access network of worldwide geographies is part of our shared vision with SPOT Image and EarthScan,” explains Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI. “I am very excited about our upcoming conference and demonstrating the progress that has been made in working with the Geography Network to realize this.”

“It’s not about resolution, spectral bands and satellites,” explains Gene Colabatistto, president of SPOT Image Corporation. “It’s about ready access to current, dynamic worldwide information, from your backyard to the far corners of the globe. I think that is the real vision and value of our three companies working together.”

“We are delighted to provide the dynamic technology link from SPOT Image to the Geography Network,” says John Rasure, CEO of EarthScan Network. “Through relationships such as these, customers will be able to derive image-based answers online, real-time, in a simple and economical fashion.”

Demonstrations of the image database access system will be ongoing July 10-12 in the ESRI Geography Network Island and the SPOT Image Corporation booth #700.

SPOT USA Select imagery

(http://www.spot.com/HOME/NEWS/spotusaselect.htm) is hosted on a server developed and maintained by EarthScan, under contract to SPOT Image. Access and commercial transactions will be through the Geography Network.

The imagery is part of a nationwide, and ultimately worldwide (SPOT International Select) GIS/image database being developed by SPOT. The SPOT USA Select database is created from very current 10-meter resolution imagery, fully processed for maximum accuracy. The product has been used extensively by state and regional governments, U.S. defense agencies, and by private companies. Facilitated licensing which allows any configuration of users maximum flexibility in using the database, along with subscription updates at 5 meter and 2.5 meter resolutions make this a very dynamic coverage product.

For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,200 business partners. ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com

SPOT Image Corporation, headquartered in Reston, VA, is the world’s leading supplier of satellite imagery/information databases, working with imagery resolutions that range from sub-one meter to one kilometer. The global SPOT satellite system includes multiple Earth observation satellites, 24 ground receiving stations worldwide, and more than 100 international distributors. SPOT is the most experienced provider of commercial satellite imagery and information products, with 15 years of continuous operations, and over 8 million archived images collected since 1986.

EarthScan Network, Inc., headquartered in Albuquerque, NM, is the first company to develop an image distribution website technology to offer online value-added image processing services. EarthScan’s unique approach provides an online method for accessing, manipulating, and downloading geospatial data and imagery that can be seamlessly incorporated into Intranet or Internet websites. EarthScan facilitates e-commerce imagery and web-enabled application solutions for its clients.

For information about EarthScan, call 800-850-5387 or visit the EarthScan web site at www.EarthScan.com.

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Jul 5, 2001 Jun 26, 2002