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!

September 2019 Product Update

The available DigitalGlobe EarthWatch imagery over South America 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.

During August we checked out the EarthWatch coverage in the product’s flagship regions of the USA and Canada, and for this first unofficial month of fall we pivot to our southern neighbors with a look at the EarthWatch coverage over South America. And okay South America is a cloudy place so you cannot expect the best coverage over the Amazon, but along the coasts and mountains you will see tons of recent coverage. Here are more of the EarthWatch coverage statistics:

• South America EarthWatch Coverage By Year
  • Less than 1 year (yr) old – 11,249,312 sq km, 63.53% coverage of South America
  • 1 to 2 yr old – 12,252,471 sq km, 69.19% coverage
  • 2 to 3 yr old – 13,876,814 sq km, 78.37% coverage
  • 3 to 4 yr old – 11,553,863 sq km, 65.25% coverage
  • 4 yr old and greater – 16,538,447 sq km, 93.40% coverage
  • Total coverage – 65,470,907 sq km
  • Total (approximate) area considered – 17,707,537 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

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.