DigitalGlobe(TM) has issued a
public response today applauding President Bush’s newly released “U.S.
Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy.” Announced by the White House this
morning, the directive orders federal government agencies to rely more heavily
on private satellite companies to provide images from space. The new
directive states, “The fundamental goal of this policy is to advance and
protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests by maintaining the
nation’s leadership in remote sensing space activities, and by sustaining and
enhancing the U.S. remote sensing industry.” The directive has been under
interagency review for one year and replaces the nine-year-old Presidential
Decision Directive 23 issued by President Clinton in 1994.
“This new directive is a clear and positive reflection on the government’s
long-term commitment to the growth and prosperity of the U.S. commercial
remote sensing industry,” said Herbert Satterlee, CEO and chairman of
DigitalGlobe. “By issuing this directive, the Bush Administration pushes the
technology envelope by encouraging all agencies to look to private remote
sensing companies for their imaging requirements. DigitalGlobe is very
excited about the directive and we believe this will further solidify the
commercial satellite imaging industry.”
DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird(TM) satellite, launched on October 18, 2001 is
the most recent and the most powerful entry into the extensive Earth
information marketplace. QuickBird provides the highest resolution satellite
imagery available to the commercial market, the broadest swath width, the
highest accuracy, the highest collection capacity and an imaging footprint
two to 10 times larger than any other commercial high-resolution satellite.
More information about the new White House policy issued today may be
found at www.ostp.gov/html/new.html .
About DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe is an Earth imagery and information company in Longmont,
Colorado, USA. With the 2001 launch of its QuickBird satellite, DigitalGlobe
has established a market leadership position. The company provides the
world’s highest resolution commercial satellite imagery, the greatest
collection capacity, the most up-to-date archive and the largest image size of
any other satellite imagery provider. The competition has no plans to launch
a comparable commercial satellite until at least 2006. In addition to
offering technical superiority, DigitalGlobe distinguishes itself in the
market through its commitment to excellent customer service, relationships
with business partners and open-systems philosophy. More information can be
found at www.digitalglobe.com .
