DigitalGlobe, provider of the world's highest resolution commercial satellite imagery and geospatial information products, announced that U.S. civil government customers at the state and local level now have the freedom to use, distribute and modify QuickBird satellite imagery products without penalty.
This new civil government licensing model, effective September 17, 2004, represents a pivotal change in the commercial remote sensing industry's traditional treatment of product licensing.
DigitalGlobe's civil government licensing model applies to QuickBird imagery products, imagery services and derivative work and mapping products developed by civil government end users. Data can now be used and shared among all state and local government users, in addition to the general public.
Civil government licensing will be particularly valuable for projects and programs that cross state, county and city boundaries, which is often the situation faced by local or regional consortiums.
According to David Nale, senior vice president of commercial markets for DigitalGlobe, the company's new licensing removes a critical barrier that prevented government organizations from sharing data with essential stakeholders.
"Decade-old restrictions have been problematic for the entire commercial satellite industry and widely viewed as inhibiting the use of satellite imagery in the civil government market. Our new licensing offers the freedom, flexibility and simplicity desired by our customers, and we trust that this will be enthusiastically embraced by the government."
