Interesting post just came over the Geowanking email list:
“FYI..
It appears that Google licensed ALL of DigitalGlobe’s imagery on an _exclusive_ basis for online presentation. So if i wanted to do something on a website, with DigitalGlobe’s hi-res imagery, for example if the Google Maps framework isn’t flexible enough, i cannot legally go around Google to license the image myself! I can imagine why Google did this - to prevent Microsoft,Mapquest etc. from licensing the same imagery in their webmapping frameworks - but the net effect is that ordinary people, NGOs and small companies are also cut off.
This seems to skirt the edge of ‘do no evil’.”
Even more interesting is that DigitalGlobe has directed Ben to GeoEye for imagery but he’s stuck because of cloud coverage.
7 responses so far ↓
1 All Points Blog // Aug 1, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Google Exclusive License for DigitalGlobe Imagery on the Web
It sounds as though this has been the case for some time, but only Google may put 10 meter or less imagery from DigitalGlobe on the Web. This from James Fee who read a post on the GeoWanking list.
To be clear, the rep at DigitalGlobe writes:
Our agr
2 Ogle Earth // Aug 1, 2006 at 1:26 pm
Grafcan’s images of Canary Islands are censored
Pamela at Secret Tenerife does a much more thorough job of translating the local media’s stories about the the recent aging of Google Earth\s local satellite imagery. Tidbits: It appears that someone from Google came to the archipelago in August…
3
Morten
// Aug 1, 2006 at 1:32 pm
I’ve seen similar things happen for more localized datasets. Licenses like this tends to open up business for other data vendors. Suddenly you don’t have to compete with Digital Globe anymore to sell your imagery.
4
waban star
// Aug 2, 2006 at 6:55 am
Actually, it’s probably not an exclusive liscence, so you would be able to use the imagery if you have a contract as well.
5 jeepx.net » Blog Archive » LBS week wrap-up // Oct 8, 2006 at 12:09 am
[...] On the major event play watch out for Google and Microsoft as obvious as that may sound. In their current fight for digital imagery content where Microsoft (and it seems Google too) have exclusive rights over satellite content from DigitalGlobe. [...]
6 serendipityoucity :: What do these Satellite Images show? :: May :: 2007 // May 17, 2007 at 10:05 pm
[...] owned by DigitalGlobe. DigitalGlobe is the main supplier of satellite imagery, perhaps the exclusive supplier 1 for Google Earth (We will discuss the concentration of satellite media and infrastructure some [...]
7 Technical Ramblings » Blog Archive » Producing a Large Image from OpenAerialMap // Dec 9, 2007 at 8:58 am
[...] some cases, the imagery you see in Google Earth is something you can’t even buy for use online — so with all the money in the world, you might find yourself short a high resolution [...]
Leave a Comment