This month’s 30-cm WorldView-3/4 image features the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise at Banff National Park in Canada. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are among the most visited destinations in Canada. Founded in 1890 as Laggan Station, Lake Louise was once a wild outpost at the end of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Today this hamlet, lake and the surrounding area offer some of the finest hiking, skiing and sightseeing in the world. Lake Louise and Moraine Lake usually melt by late May and alpine hiking season begins in late June. The snowfall here averages about 6 feet each year and can stick around into April and May, meaning Banff has one of the longest ski seasons in North America. While at Lake Louise, guests enjoy hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, wildlife watching and kayaking on the crystal blue water when it’s melted and on longer covered with a sheet of ice. In this image, you can see the outline of the lake, terrain dusted with powdery white snow and tree-filled slopes of the mountains. Located in Alberta, Canada, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is under renovation at the moment, but its French architecture is impressive. The tall chateau has the perfect spot nestled at the mouth of the turquoise blue lake, which lends a breathtaking view of the pristine surroundings. Mountains lined with tall trees and capped with snow are all around as far as the eye can see. In 1890, Canadian Pacific Railway general manager Cornelius Van Horne had a one-story log cabin constructed on the shore of Lake Louise that he called “Chalet Lake Louise,” where he hosted visitors from various stations along the railway line. Originally built as a base for alpinists over 100 years ago, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise resort is now a year-round luxury hotel ideal for individuals, couples, and families alike. This 30-cm WorldView-3 image of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was captured on June 13, 2024, with snow still dusting the magnificent setting. (Satellite Imagery © 2024 Maxar Technologies)Every time we look at WorldView-3 and WorldView-4 (WV3/4) imagery, we are blown away. And we hope you are equally impressed with the data! In August, we were mystified and a little creeped out by the image of the abandoned Kings Park Psychiatric Center in New York. For this edition of the 30-cm Color WorldView-3/4 Image of the Month, we admire the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise at Banff National Park in Canada.
WorldView-3 launched in late 2014 and WorldView-4 launched in late 2016; taken together they are the most advanced satellite constellation the commercial marketplace has ever had access to. Here are a few of the features that really set these satellites apart from the competition:
- Improved Resolution
- Higher resolution means you can see more detail in WV3/4 imagery.
- Data collected at nadir will have 31-centimeter (cm) panchromatic, 1.24-meter (m) visible and near infrared, 3.7-m SWIR (WV3 only) and 30-m CAVIS (WV3 only) bands.
- At 20 degrees off-nadir, the resolution is 34-cm panchromatic, 1.38-m visible and near infrared and 4.1-m shortwave infrared.
- Additional Spectral Bands
- If spectral analysis is part of your project, then no other satellite can match WV3 with its: 8 bands of visible and near-infrared data; and 8 shortwave infrared bands which are crucial for geological studies.
- Better Positional Accuracy
- With accuracies of 3.5-m CE90% or better (without ground control even!), WV3/4 has no rivals for its enhanced positional accuracy.
- Daily Revisits
- At 40 degrees latitude, WV3 is able to image every location daily with 1-meter or better resolution and then every 4.5 days at 34-cm resolution or better.
- WV4 is no longer collecting new imagery.
- Increased Collection Capacity
- WV3/4 feature 13.1-km swath widths (at nadir) with the ability to collect up to 680,000 square kilometer (sq km) of high-resolution data per day per satellite (though WV4 is dead now).
- Improved control movement gyros translate into larger maximum contiguous collection areas per pass, with up to ~7,500 sq km of mono imagery and ~3,000 sq km of stereo possible.
If you are interested in WorldView-3 and/or WorldView-4 imagery for your next project, please let us know by phone, 303-993-3863, or by email, sales@apollomapping.com.
You can also find more WV3 samples and technical information on our website here and then WV4 samples and information can be found here.
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