High-Resolution Imagery

Resolution Modes

GeoEye-1's unsurpassed panchromatic image resolution of .41 meters (about 16 inches) means we can see an object the size of home plate on a baseball field. Once a panchromatic image is collected by GeoEye-1, it must be resampled to .50-meter resolution according to our current operating license with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) before it can be released commercially.

After a multispectral image is collected at 1.65-meter resolution by GeoEye-1, it may be sharpened using information from the panchromatic mode (pan-sharpened) so that the final image is full-color with .50-meter resolution. These are the clear, accurate images that online maps users most often associate with GeoEye.

Color Bands

Made possible by advanced optics, GeoEye images are available to customers as panchromatic, multispectral and pan-sharpened imagery. Panchromatic images are collected in the broad visual wavelength range, then rendered in black and white to show incredible contrast and detail. Multispectral images are simply full-color photographs, while pan-sharpened images are multispectral photographs that have been sharpened by the panchromatic information collected.

Imagery Offerings

The GeoEye imagery line of products is categorized according to resolution and positional accuracy:

• Geo™ is a radiometrically corrected (for atmospheric and other types of visual "noise"), map-oriented image suitable for a wide range of applications. Ground coordinates are mapped with image coordinates, so that skilled users can work with Geo images using standard commercial software products and data sets.
• GeoProfessional™ products are orthorectified (terrain corrected) by GeoEye. Our proprietary processes enable us to quickly deliver the most accurate and precise orthorectified multispectral products available from a satellite platform.
• GeoStereo™ products provide two images with stereo geometry, providing a strong base for three-dimensional feature recognition, extraction and exploitation. This is how digital elevation models (DEMs) are created.

GeoEye also offers imagery-derived products like DEMs, digital surface models (DSMs), large-area mosaics and feature maps.