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Posted on February 7th, 2023

30-cm Color WorldView-3/4 Image of the Month – Lake Logipi, Kenya, Africa




These 30-cm Worldview-3 images show the incredible Lake Logipi in Kenya, Africa. Lake Logipi is located in the Great Rift Valley and is surrounded by steep cliffs and volcanoes, some of which are still active. Fed by the Suguta River during the rainy season and saline hot springs during the dry season, the lake’s shores are covered by salt crusts. The salty water of Lake Logipi provides a perfect habitat for cyanobacteria, which in turn draws vast flocks of flamingoes to the banks. These four WorldView-3 images of Lake Logipi were collected on December 7, 2014, and really display how magical the lake is. The first image showcases the edge of the lake and some of the harsh, almost lunar desert landscape that surrounds it. The second image captures a landform known as an alluvial fan as it branches into the water. Truly enchanting, the third image was taken just over the water of Lake Logipi itself. By clipping the visible spectrum bandwidth in remote sensing software, you can see flows created by the saline currents in the water. In the final image, you see tiny dots floating in the water, and trails behind them. These are the flamingos that so often visit these waters. The tails behind the flamingo dots show the sediment they kick up as they search for cyanobacteria to eat. This creates a mesmerizing trail of swirls in the water. This 30-cm WorldView-3 imagery has been processed by Apollo Mapping for improved perspective, clarity, and colors. (Satellite Imagery © 2022 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 January, we looked at the Val d’Isére ski resort in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. For this edition of the 30-cm Color WorldView-3/4 Image of the Month we’re headed to Africa for a look at Lake Logipi in Kenya.

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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