Google makes a $500-million acquisition
for satellite imaging
The mapping industry got a jolt last week when Google announced that it had purchased startup Skybox Imaging for $500 million. The acquisition has the potential to completely redefine expectations for online maps and to fundamentally alter how Google Maps operates, with every city, street, even individual home or business viewable in real-time with a crystal clear image from outer space.
Has your teenage son taken your Porsche out for
a joyride? Check your driveway on Google Maps and see. Want to know if Apple is about to ship a new iPhone? Hop on Google Maps and take a look at its Foxconn factory for signs of increased truck traffic. The applications are virtually limitless.
Granted, the satellite imagery from Skybox won’t be integrated overnight. Google says it hopes to have a steady stream of real time imagery available by 2018, when Skybox has launched its full fleet of 24 satellites into orbit. The U.S. Department of Commerce last week announced that commercial satellites can trade high resolution imagery of “manholes and mailboxes,” meaning that Google is legally in the clear.
