This month’s 30-cm Worldview-3 image features Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena in the village of Gspon, Switzerland. Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena sits a remarkable 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level, making it the highest stadium in Europe. The stadium rests at such an altitude that it becomes part of a ski resort during the winter months. Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena is used primarily for soccer events. Nestled high in the Alps, the field sits on one of the only patches of ground flat and large enough to hold it. In fact, the stadium is surrounded by netting on 3 sides to help prevent balls from being kicked over the side of the mountain. If a ball does manage to escape the confines of the stadium, it plummets nearly 1,100 meters (3,600 feet) into the canyon below. It’s estimated that over 1,000 soccer balls have been launched into the gorge since the stadium was built in 2009. The arena is only accessible by cable cars, and the mountaintop air is crisp and thin. So thin, in fact, that it gives the home team a distinct advantage as visiting teams often struggle in the high altitude. These 30-cm WorldView-3 images of Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena and its surrounding area were captured on July 5, 2020. The first image provides an aerial view of the stadium, while the second image shows a mountain tunnel about 3 kilometers (2 miles) away from the stadium. These 30-cm WorldView-3 imagery has been processed by Apollo Mapping for improved perspective, clarity and colors. (Satellite Imagery © 2023 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 looked at Monaco’s Stade Louis II Stadium. For this edition of the 30-cm Color WorldView-3/4 Image of the Month we’re headed to Switzerland to check out the mountaintop Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena.
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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