In mid-June, the U.S. government relaxed its previously strict rules on high-definition satellite imaging, allowing mapping services like Google Maps to scale up to a higher resolution. DigitalGlobe led the charge in changing the U.S. ruling in part because of its upcoming Worldview-3 satellite, which will provide the first public high-resolution photos of our planet.
Google and Microsoft will be likely beneficiaries of this advanced space imaging since both are DigitalGlobe customers, and the detail this satellite provides is pretty stunning. The company says Worldview-3 will capture sub-50cm resolution, allowing clear views of "manholes and mailboxes," according to the
BBC.
