AAAS Science and Human Rights Program

Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights

Current Satellites

There are many satellites currently deployed from which we can access imagery and information. Below is a list of those available and their technical specifications.

IKONOS

GeoEye

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Swath (km) IKONOS-2 US 09/24/99 1.0 4 11

Revisit Time: 2.9 days at 1m resolution; 1.5 days at 1.5m resolution.
Orbital Frequency/Overpass Time: 14.7 times every 24 hours/98 minutes

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 4 channels Spectral Range 450-900 nm Blue 450-520 nm Green 520-600 nm Red 630-690 nm NIR 760-900 nm

Cost of Imagery: $7 to $39/km2
Contact: (800) 232-9037 (GeoEye Customer Service)
Ordering: http://imagesearch.geoeye.com/

QuickBird-2

Digital Globe

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Swath (km) QuickBird-2 US 10/18/01 0.6 3 16

Revisit Time: 3-7 days depending on latitude at 60-centimeter resolution
Orbital Frequency/Overpass Time: --/93.4 minutes

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 4 channels Spectral Range 450-900 nm Blue 450-520 nm Green 520-600 nm Red 630-690 nm NIR 760-900 nm

Cost of Imagery: --
Ordering: Digital Globe, http://www.digitalglobe.com/ Phone: 1-800-496-1225; Map Mart, http://www.mapmart.com/ Phone: 303-759-5050

SPOT-5

Spot Image

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Swath (km) SPOT-5 France 05/04/02 2.5 10 120

Revisit Time: 3-7 days depending on latitude at 60-centimeter resolution
Orbital Frequency: Equatorial zones below 30° latitude are covered four days out of five. Zones above 30° latitude are covered at least twice daily.
Overpass Time: covers same spot every 26 days, 3 days for off-nadir.

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 4 channels Spectral Range 490-690 nm Blue 500-590 nm Green 610-680 nm Red 780-890 nm SWIR 1580-1750 nm

Cost of Imagery: approx. 1900 Euros/image
Ordering: Spot Image, France, Phone: +33 (0)5 62 19 40 40; Virginia Office, http://www.spot.com 703-715-3100

OrbView 3

GeoEye

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Swath (km) OrbView 3 US 06/26/03 1.00 4 8

Revisit Time: --
Orbital Frequency/Overpass Time: Less than 3 days

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 4 channels Spectral Range 450-900 nm Blue 450-520 nm Green 520-600 nm Red 625-695 nm NIR 760-900 nm

Cost of Imagery: --
Ordering: Phone: 800-232-9037

TopSat

Qinetiq

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Swath (km) TopSat (SSTL) UK 10/27/05 2.50 5 15, 10

Revisit Time: 4 Days
Orbital Frequency/Overpass Time: --/98.5 minutes

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 3 channels Spectral Range 500-700 nm Blue 400-500 nm Green 500-600 nm Red 600-700 nm

Cost of Imagery: --
Ordering: Phone: +44 (0)8700 100 942

Formosat-2

SpotImage

Satellite Country Launch Pan res (m) MS res (m) Formosat-2 Taiwan/US 03/06 2.00 8

Revisit Time: --
Orbital Frequency/Overpass Time: 14 orbits/day

Imaging Mode Panchromatic Multispectral Imaging Channels 1 channel 4 channels Spectral Range 450-900 nm Blue 450-520 nm Green 520-600 nm Red 630-690 nm NIR 760-900 nm

Cost of Imagery: --
Ordering: Spot Image, France, Phone: +33 (0)5 62 19 40 40; Virginia Office, http://www.spot.com 703-715-3100

Back to Methods page

Contact Us: To learn more about this project or to submit a request for assistance with a potential human rights related case study.

(page updated 09/25/2007)