EnhancedView Could Take $50 Million Hit - Aviation Week

Aviation Week is reporting that the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) may be forced to renegotiate the EnhanceView contract with GeoEye and DigitalGlobe due to an expected $50 Million cut to the agency's 2012 fiscal year budget with the prospect of more cuts in fiscal 2013. The original EnhancedView contract was $7.3 billion over 10 years and was signed in 2010. The contract was roughly split between the two commercial satellite providers. According to a source cited by Aviation Week:

“You’re going to have to find a way to probably restructure the current service-level agreements with both companies if they’re going to take $50 million out,” says one geospatial-intelligence industry official familiar with EnhancedView. “Any reduction in the budget on the service-level agreement means you’re changing the scope of the contract and you have to renegotiate.”

Last week we reported that NGA was going to procure less imagery in 2013 but that Pentagon investments in new spacecraft would continue.

Motley Fool, Barron’s Weigh in on DigitalGlobe, GeoEye

The Motley Fool, the finance and stock watching publication, has been watching the commercial, earth observing satellite providers GeoEye (GEOY) and DigitalGlobe (DGI). So has that other financial publication, Barrons.

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ERDAS IMAGINE-DigitalGlobe 2012 Geospatial Challenge

Intergraph and DigitalGlobe are pleased to offer a geospatial challenge for the ERDAS IMAGINE community to exploit WorldView-2 using the power and flexibility of ERDAS IMAGINE tools.

Enter the 2011 Geospatial Challenge to get free imagery for your study and a chance to win five (5) WorldView-2 scenes of your choice anywhere across the globe from the DigitalGlobe archive. In addition, our three finalists will be sent to present at ASPRS in Sacramento, CA March 21-23, 2012.

Submit your Proposal by December 20th

All accepted proposals will be granted a pre-defined set of free 8-band multispectral imagery, in order to conduct the study. Completed papers will be evaluated by a panel of experts from Intergraph and DigitalGlobe who will select a winning paper.

The winner will be announced on February 15, 2012.

- website

Congressmen Ask Administration to Fund Remote Sensing Efforts Amid Planned Cuts

In a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and National Intelligence Director James Clapper and twelve members of Congress ask for continued funding for the EnhancedView satellite program.  Current cuts could damage it and unfund the work of GeoEye and DigitalGlobe.

- BusinessWeek

DigitalGlobe Images of Irene Damage in Vermont

DigitalGlobe is sharing these images of damage caused by Irene in Vermont. Per DigitalGlobe they are:

Top: Killington, Vermont-August 29, 2011: This is a satellite image of damage at the Killington Ski Lodge in Vermont. The bright red vegetation is healthy and the grey areas are where earth has given way in a mud slide around the resort and parking lots. (credit: DigitalGlobe) http://www.digitalglobe.com

Bottom: Hurricane Irene Damage, Killington , Vermont-August 29, 2011: This is a satellite image of severe damage in Vermont in the town of Killington along US Hwy 4 and Road 100. Of note is the washout/slide in the upper right between the houses which covers the road. In the center, the pavement that has been washed away by high creek waters. The center of the image has several businesses surrounded by mud and water. (credit: DigitalGlobe) www.digitalglobe.com

Commenters on the DG Flickr page note that the descriptions of the locations may not be correct.