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?

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 streamed imagery with low cloud-cover and off-nadir angles. This data is accessible in web-mapping services and in an online viewer. Perhaps the most important feature of EarthWatch are the regular streaming updates you can receive as out-dated imagery is often of little or no use to our valued clients.

And if the EarthWatch streaming database lacks the coverage you need, Premium users are now able to download any image from the entire DigitalGlobe archive in a wide variety of formats!

December 2019 Product Update

The available DigitalGlobe EarthWatch imagery over Europe 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.

In November, EarthWatch pricing was revised so that it’s more flexible with data buckets sold in gigabyte (GB) increments. The minimum order has not changed but now you are able to purchase the exact number of GBs you might need in a year as opposed to fixed increments. Further, a Streaming only model was added with pricing based on the number of users. Send us an email at sales@apollomapping.com to find out more about these changes!

From our focus last month on Africa, we move north with a look at the EarthWatch coverage over Europe for our last update of 2019! And again as you might have learned to expect, the recent coverage is outstanding especially when you consider the data up to 2 years old. The highest concentration of recent coverage is found along the coasts and in south-western Europe. Here is a more detailed look at the European EarthWatch coverage stats:

• Europe EarthWatch Coverage By Year
  • Less than 1 year (yr) old – 6,979,102 sq km, 70.58% coverage of Europe
  • 1 to 2 yr old – 8,039,929 sq km, 81.30% coverage
  • 2 to 3 yr old – 6,657,655 sq km, 67.33% coverage
  • 3 to 4 yr old – 6,944,305 sq km, 70.22% coverage
  • 4 yr old and greater – 9,727,927 sq km, 98.37% coverage
  • Total coverage – 38,348,918 sq km
  • Total (approximate) area considered – 9,888,799 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/downloads and online portal
• Annual 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; also a Streaming only annual model based on seats

EarthWatch Direct Archive Download Specifications

Premium EarthWatch users are able to download high-resolution satellite imagery from the entire DigitalGlobe archive in a variety of formats. Here are some details on this exciting offering:

• Available Data Sources: entire commercial archives of GeoEye-1, IKONOS, QuickBird and WorldView-1/2/3/4 (SWIR included too!)
• Annual Downloads Limits: 2 GB and up; metering combined with streaming usage
• Product License: internal use and perpetual
• Product Resolution: maximum resolution for each satellite
• Product Formats: all standard types are offered including, orthoready, stereo, basic, 4-band bundle, 8-band bundle, ACOMP on, etc.

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 American business hours at (303) 993-3863.