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In the year 2011, we’ve seen a wave of large-scale, global events, including the protests in the Middle East and natural disasters in Japan, Alabama and Arizona. DigitalGlobe was on the front lines, so to speak, by documenting the events through images with satellites that are hundreds of miles away. Using high resolution imagery and analysis, we have already monitored more than 45 events in 2011. Our unique perspective from the sky allows DigitalGlobe to assess the situation in areas where it is otherwise dangerous to conduct on-the-ground assessments. We are able to help first responders develop a successful plan before ever even entering a disaster zone, as we most recently did during the wildfires in Arizona. Governments at the federal, state and local level use our satellite images for evacuation planning, identifying the scale of an event, and eventually rebuilding. New images are refreshed every day to document the short and long term impacts of an event, as well as restoration progress. The events of this spring have shown the value that satellite imagery has for governments in times of disaster. They also demonstrate the value that of providing those images as soon as possible after an event. Our new products, along with the technical advances we have implemented, are helping DigitalGlobe continuously close the gap between the time that an image is collected and processed and the time that a government or business can use it to make more informed decisions. Thanks to the company’s expansive commercial satellite constellation, ground station network and superior technical infrastructure, images are now often available to customers within hours of collection. As these timeframes continue to shrink, we see immense growth in the ways DigitalGlobe can serve these communities. At the upcoming Esri International User Conference in San Diego on July 11-15, we’ll be demonstrating some of these important technologies that allow us to rapidly assist governments around the world.
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