WASHINGTON – The advent of commercial satellites capable of producing images so detailed that objects as small as half a meter across can be identified will help the U.S. government better respond to weather-related disasters, according to a senior U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official.
NOAA, which licenses commercial imaging satellites for the U.S. Department of Commerce, awarded licenses for half-meter imagery collection to Space Imaging, Thornton, Colo., and EarthWatch Inc., Longmont, Colo.,
, said Greg Withee, NOAA assistant administrator for satellite and information services.
"There’s nothing like a visual to give you the extent and severity of a disaster," Withee told Spacenews.com following a Dec. 19 news briefing at the Commerce Department here.
The satellite imagery also can help the government learn more about the weather conditions involved in the disasters so it can be better prepared for its responses in the future, Withee said.
Withee declined to comment on whether more half-meter licenses are awaiting approval. The government will decide on whether to approve licenses for imagery at closer than half-meter resolution as NOAA balances potential demand in the marketplace for improved imagery against national security concerns, he said.
The half-meter licenses contain a provision that calls for a 24-hour delay from collection of an image to distribution to a customer, an industry source said. The only exception is for images collected for the U.S. government.
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