PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of remote sensing and photogrammetric software and systems, is pleased to announce that it is currently working with Canadian company, UrtheCast Corp., to supply a high volume and scalable Cloud based GXL system that will be used to process imagery captured by UrtheCast’s sensors on board the International Space Station (ISS).
UrtheCast Corp., a Vancouver based startup company, is planning to deploy two camera systems that will be installed onboard the ISS, which will stream images and video of the Earth from space in near real time. The two camera systems, one medium (Medium Resolution Camera – MRC) and one high (High Resolution Camera – HRC) resolution, will be launched onboard a Soyuz rocket through the Russian Space Agency.
Once onboard, the cameras will be remotely operated and are capable of collecting nearly 30Mkm2 of imagery and 150 minutes of video data on a daily basis, which will be downloaded to ground stations around the world. The video and imagery will then be processed and distributed to subscribed users directly or via UrtheCasts’ website. PCI Geomatics was selected by UrtheCast to supply its highly scalable GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) solution, which is perfectly suited for the planned ground segment since it will be able to process video and imagery on the Cloud.
“Our engineers approached PCI Geomatics to identify a scalable processing system that could work with the large volumes of video and imagery our cameras will be capturing,” said Scott Larson, President and CEO, UrtheCast Corp. “What UrtheCast required was innovative processing solutions that could handle Cloud based processing, and we found a natural fit working with PCI, which is a well-recognized Canadian company.”
“We are very pleased to have been selected by UrtheCast Corp. to deploy our Cloud based processing solution, as well as to define a custom sensor model for their camera system,” said Terry Moloney, President and CEO, PCI Geomatics. “Phase I of the implementation has gone very well, providing processing capability for an internal camera system. In Phases II and III, our GXL solution will be processing MRC and HRC imagery to attain high levels of quality, which will be essential to the success of the UrtheCast service.”
PCI Geomatics will continue to work closely with UrtheCast engineers over the coming months, leading to the launch of the camera systems later in 2013. Following the launch onboard the Soyuz rocket, the system is expected to be operational following a commissioning phase, to be completed in 2014. To find out more about UrtheCast, please visit www.urthecast.com.
To view a sample image and the GXL interface used by UrtheCast, follow this link:
www.pcigeomatics.com/pressnews/images/GXL_UrtheCast.jpg.
About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems for remote sensing, imagery processing, and photogrammetry. With more than 30 years of experience in the geospatial industry, PCI is recognized globally for its excellence in providing software for accurately and rapidly processing both satellite and aerial imagery. PCI has installed more than 30,000 licenses, in over 150 countries worldwide. Find out more about PCI Geomatics at www.pcigeomatics.com.
