DigitalGlobe EarthWatch (Formerly Global Basemap) – A Worldwide Imagery Solution – Focus on the Middle East - Apollo Mapping
Posted on May 1st, 2018

DigitalGlobe EarthWatch (Formerly Global Basemap) – A Worldwide Imagery Solution – Focus on the Middle East

Do you have the need for regularly updated images of locations around the world?

Perhaps you need imagery to integrate with an OEM solution you are developing?

The available DigitalGlobe EarthWatch imagery over the Middle East by location and with the most recent coverage date indicated with varying colors. In the vast majority of locations, there are multiple imagery dates available.

Or maybe your organization uses large amounts of high-resolution imagery each year, and you are seeking a low-cost option for this data?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then the solution you are looking for is DigitalGlobe’s EarthWatch (formerly called Global Basemap or GBM).

With EarthWatch, you have access to millions of square kilometers of imagery with low cloud-cover and off-nadir angles. This data is accessible in streaming web-mapping services as well as through an online viewer. And perhaps the most important feature of EarthWatch is the regular updates you can receive as out-dated imagery is often of little or no use to our valued clients.

May 2018 Product Update

Last month we were in Russia with a look at the EarthWatch coverage over this large country, and for May we move to the Middle East, a region in constant turmoil. And while we might have expected more coverage less than a year old, what happens in extremely competitive regions like this is that clients look at the same hotspots over and over so there is extensive coverage in these locations (often cities in conflict) but coverage then lacks in more rural areas. This is the pattern you see in the map added to this article. Check out more of the stats here:

  • Middle East EarthWatch Coverage By Year
    • Less than 1 year (yr) old – 4,162,686 sq km, 59.5% coverage of Russia
    • 1 to 2 yr old – 5,159,645 sq km, 73.7% coverage
    • 2 to 3 yr old – 2,251,907 sq km, 32.2% coverage
    • 3 to 4 yr old – 1,013,906 sq km, 14.5% coverage
    • 4 yr old and greater – 6,242,517 sq km, 89.2% coverage
    • Total coverage – 18,830,661 sq km
    • Total (approximate) area considered – 7,002,269 sq km

EarthWatch Product Specifications

  • Accessible Geographic Regions: global (unless geo-fencing specifically requested by client)
  • Maximum Imagery Resolution: 50-centimeters through WMS and WCS; 30-cm for other delivery mechanisms
  • Data Sources: primary = WorldView-2/3/4 and GeoEye-1; secondary = QuickBird, IKONOS, WorldView-1 and aerial
  • Imagery Holdback Period For Updates: 90 day holdback for EarthWatch Standard; 2 day holdback for EarthWartch Premium; updates are to limited portions of the database, not the entire database
  • Data Accuracy: at least 8.5-meter CE90%
  • Database Access: OGC streaming services (i.e. WMS, WMST, WCS and WFS), Google Earth streaming services (i.e. EarthService), ArcGIS plugin (i.e. ImageConnect), offline database and online portal
  • Downloads & Streaming Limits: Standard = 4 gigabytes (GB) and up, annual license for downloads; Premium = 2 GB and up, perpetual license for downloads
  • Maximum Concurrent Users: unlimited!
  • Data Layers: Standard = standard image strips, +Vivid country-wide mosaics, and OSM and Google Maps vectors; Premium = standard, +Daily and First Look image strips, +Metro, +Vivid and Landsat mosaics, and OSM and Google Maps vectors
  • Pricing Model: Standard and Premium tiered annual pricing models with increasing download and streaming limits

For more information on the pricing and coverage available in DigitalGlobe’s EarthWatch, you can reach our sales team anytime at sales@apollomapping.com or during typical business hours at (303) 993-3863.

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