These Worldview-3 images show the astonishing Sand Mountain in Nevada, USA. Sand Mountain Recreation Area is located in the high desert, 25 miles southeast of Fallon, NV. For thousands of years, the area was submerged beneath the ancient waters of Lake Lahontan. Sand Mountain is the largest dune in the area, approximately 3.5 miles long, 1 mile wide and 600 feet tall. The dunes are known for their “singing sands,” a phenomenon in which wind passing over the sand creates magical sounds, varying from whistling, roaring to squeaking noises. The park is a highly popular destination for ATVs, dune buggies and motorcyclists, receiving 50,000 – 70,000 visitors annually. The area is also home to the nearly-extinct Sand Mountain Blue, a butterfly that can only be found within the park, and the Sand Springs Pony Express Station. These WorldView-3 images of Sand Mountain, Nevada were collected on September 17, 2017. The three images give a remarkable perspective of the shifting, ephemeral patterns found in the dunes, as well as the varying colors of the sands. This 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 February, we looked at Lake Logipi in Kenya. For this edition of the 30-cm Color WorldView-3/4 Image of the Month we’re headed to Nevada in the United States for a look at Sand Mountain.
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:
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- 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.
- Improved Resolution
- Additional Spectral Bands
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- 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.
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- Better Positional Accuracy
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- With accuracies of 3.5-m CE90% or better (without ground control even!), WV3/4 has no rivals for its enhanced positional accuracy.
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- Daily Revisits
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- 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.
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- Increased Collection Capacity
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- 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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