Artist's concept of QuickBird. Photo: DigitalGlobe

DigitalGlobe has announced that it plans to install a ground station in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to receive data from the QuickBird high-resolution imaging satellite. Scheduled to be operational by the end of the third quarter, 2003, this ground station provides additional operational capability to DigitalGlobe's other ground stations located in Norway and Alaska.

"We are fortunate to be working with the city of Wilkes-Barre and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- the support we've received from city and state officials has been outstanding," said Herb Satterlee, CEO and chairman of DigitalGlobe. "We look forward to increasing our presence in Pennsylvania and helping to expand the overall marketplace for GIS data," he added.

Congressman Paul Kanjorski, who represents the 11th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, said, "I look forward to welcoming Mr. Satterlee and his high-tech business to Northeastern Pennsylvania this afternoon. As a founding partner of the GIS Consortium, we envision that the placement of resources like the DigitalGlobe ground station, and the data it provides, will create more opportunities for businesses to locate to this area and create new jobs. In addition, the data will assist government and the business community in planning future economic development projects. DigitalGlobe's motto is 'clearly the best,' and I am pleased that its newest ground station will be here in Wilkes-Barre."

The QuickBird satellite is the world's highest resolution commercial earth imaging satellite, collecting images at 60-centimeter, or two-foot, resolution. Once DigitalGlobe's remote ground stations receive QuickBird satellite data, the data is transferred to the company's headquarters building in Longmont, Colo. for processing and image quality inspection before being delivered to customers.

DigitalGlobe is an Earth imagery and information company in Longmont, Colo., USA. With the 2001 launch of its QuickBird satellite, DigitalGlobe has established a market leadership position. The company offers the world's highest resolution commercial satellite imagery, the most up-to-date archive, the largest image size, and the greatest on-board storage capacity of any 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.

DigitalGlobe is a registered trademark of DigitalGlobe.