Spot Image Becomes Google Earth Enterprise Partner

CHANTILLY, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spot Image Corp. today announced that it has been named a Google Earth Enterprise Partner. Spot Image Corp. will leverage this new partnership with Google to deliver imagery through current and planned web-based solutions to clients through Google Earth.

“Such a service will help better support agencies involved in disaster or quick-reaction support, and reach out more quickly and efficiently to a much broader group of users at various levels of the decision making process”

Spot Image Corp. will develop ‘ready-to-use’ image data sets for Google Earth and Google Earth Enterprise users in addition to creating a variety of advanced new information services and solutions. Spot Image Corp. plans to tap into the Google Earth Enterprise architecture to integrate the rich information content of SPOT satellite imagery into maps (2D) and Globes (3D).

“We have a unique and extensive data content, with millions of square kilometers of off-the-shelf imagery, that we can now offer for use in Google Earth and Google Earth Enterprise,” said Nicolas Stussi, Director of Services, Spot Image Corp.

Spot Image Corp. is also developing services that will allow its users to quickly access and share data in Google Earth when time-critical imagery is required. “Such a service will help better support agencies involved in disaster or quick-reaction support, and reach out more quickly and efficiently to a much broader group of users at various levels of the decision making process,” says Stussi.

Spot Image clients can expect these new offerings to be introduced in the U.S. in the summer 2008, and they will be expanded to other markets later this year. Spot Image intends to market these services primarily to Government, Oil & Gas, insurance and the real estate industries.

Google Earth Enterprise provides a variety of advantages to existing and future SPOT imagery clients. Imagery can be viewed and used with any standard web interface, and the Google Earth Enterprise environment is scalable for large organizations to allow access to an unlimited number of end users. In addition, Spot Image can archive and host SPOT imagery along with hundreds of other geospatial data layers within the Google Earth Enterprise solution.

"We are delighted to have Spot Image as a partner that can open up their extensive catalog of satellite and aerial imagery in the formats that Google Earth users need, when they need it," said Bryan Atwood, product manager for Google Earth Enterprise. “Custom imagery sets in KML format from Spot Image will be extremely valuable for all types of Google Earth applications, from real estate development to disaster response.”

About Spot Image (www.spotimage.com)

The SPOT constellation of three satellites offers the broadest range of image telemetry, including, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 meter resolutions. Spot Image provides imagery, data, surveillance and mapping solutions within numerous markets including Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Land Management & Planning, Disaster Recovery, and Oil, Gas & Mining Exploration. The constellation is supplemented by the Taiwanese satellite Formosat-2 for which Spot Image has exclusive commercial distribution rights. Spot Image will also serve as exclusive commercial distributor for the upcoming 50cm resolution 2-satellite constellation, Pleiades, and the SPOT 6 satellite constellation.

For over two decades, the Spot Image organization has perfected the ability to harness space- and ground-based systems to meet customers’ needs. Spot Image has also developed a far-reaching global network of commercial offices, receiving stations, partners and distributors. Every first-tier data provider operating today relies on Spot’s commercial network for reaching the global market.

Spot Image is 81% owned by Astrium Services, an EADS company.

Google and Google Earth are trademarks of Google Inc.