DigitalGlobe has a Maps API and brought along Mapbox

So DigitalGlobe has an API in beta.  Funny thing is when I first went to the page I saw this popup for the first 100 customers”:

Get DigitalGlobe Maps API now for the introductory price of $1 per 1,000 views

I guess they don’t have 100 customers yet.  But let’s get beyond the question if it’s even relevant that DG has an API and look at their offering:

They’ve got two versions of their imagery API.  One that is global and has high frequency updates and one that is color balanced but only regional (and probably not updated often).  But what we really want to see is the API, right?  Well look at the splash page:

This is why we created a mapping API just for you: easily access our compelling high-resolution imagery of the earth along with fantastic stylized basemap content from Mapbox. We want you to use our imagery in your apps, no matter if you’re an industry giant or a promising startup. We believe our imagery is the standard upon which all others are measured, and we want you to benefit from our expertise.

Remember this partnership from 3 years ago?  Don’t be so surprised to see Mapbox there.  The plans have been put into motion to see Mapbox integrated with many other vendors but here we have DigitalGlobe’s API built on top of Mapbox.  I’m not sure if DGs API will be popular but at least we know it’s a robust, easy to use and powerful API.

What’s the most interesting part of all this is Esri is not to be found.  DG and Esri have had a long time relationship but I think DG has realized that deals with Esri only benefit Esri.  Best of luck to DG and Mapbox!



Date
August 14, 2015