Maxar Technologies' DigitalGlobe Completes Continent-wide Mapping Mission for PSMA Australia
Geoscape provides unparalleled details about all 15 million buildings in Australia extracted using artificial intelligence and machine learning
WESTMINSTER, CO, Nov. 9, 2018 /CNW/ - DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced it has mapped the entire continent of Australia at a unprecedented level of detail using the cutting-edge techniques of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and crowdsourcing. DigitalGlobe produced data layers for PSMA Australia to create Geoscape, a commercial location intelligence dataset about the Australian built environment that will enable end users to make business decisions with confidence. PSMA Australia is an organization that offers authoritative geospatial data sources to public and private institutions across Australia.
Geoscape accurately describes the physical attributes of every building across all 7.6 million square kilometers of Australia, transforming workflows for monitoring, growth and optimization across a broad spectrum of industries, allowing organizations to focus on the end result instead of manually gathering the data themselves. Customers now have access to this comprehensive, geospatial dataset without the need to hire GIS experts or perform costly rounds of site visits. When these data layers are combined to custom-fit the end user's needs, they provide key insights for accomplishing projects faster, such as infrastructure planning for the next generation 5G networks, insurance risk modelling and improved urban planning and taxation activities.
The completed Geoscape dataset reveals previously unknown statistics about Australia's built environment including:
- 15,243,669 buildings
- 1,279,438 buildings with swimming pools
- 1,251,083 buildings with solar panels
DigitalGlobe supplied the industry-leading satellite imagery, analytics and content ecosystem partners that enabled PSMA Australia to produce a state-of-the-art, innovative dataset. DigitalGlobe tasked its WorldView-3 satellite to collect new imagery of the entire continent with its shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensor, allowing DigitalGlobe to identify materials on each property. Employing its advanced cloud computing-based analytics platform called GBDX, DigitalGlobe leveraged its own algorithms and those from its content ecosystem partners to extract 105 different attributes about properties from the imagery, such as the precise location and height of trees and buildings, existence of swimming pools, land use, roof complexity and distribution of solar panels. Additionally, Radiant Solutions, another Maxar company, produced a continent-scale Land Cover map created using artificial intelligence and a team of trained image analysts.
"PSMA Australia is proud to be the first organization to offer a single, national dataset describing buildings and their features, trees and land cover for every address in Australia," said Dan Paull, PSMA Australia's Chief Executive Officer. "This innovative dataset is only possible thanks to DigitalGlobe's industry-leading satellite imagery, analytics and content ecosystem partners."
"This opportunity demonstrates the value of information available inside DigitalGlobe's high-resolution satellite imagery that can be unlocked using advanced analytics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and big data processing," said Dr. Shay Har-Noy, DigitalGlobe's Vice President of Unified Platforms. "DigitalGlobe collaborated with PSMA Australia to create Geoscape, and this detailed dataset is transforming businesses with actionable insight to enable faster and better decision-making."
PSMA will continue to update Geoscape over the next two years with fresh data layers from DigitalGlobe. Please visit this website to see a sample of the Geoscape data.
About DigitalGlobe
DigitalGlobe is the global leader in commercial high-resolution satellite imagery used by decision makers to better understand our changing planet in order to save lives, resources and time. Sourced from the world's leading constellation, our imagery solutions deliver unmatched coverage and capacity to meet our customers' most demanding mission requirements. Each day customers in defense and intelligence, public safety, civil agencies, map making and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, navigation technology, and providers of location-based services depend on DigitalGlobe data, information, technology and expertise to gain actionable insight. DigitalGlobe is a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR). For more information visit www.DigitalGlobe.com.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.
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Investor Relations Contact
Jason Gursky
Maxar Technologies
1-303-684-2207
[email protected]
Media Contact
Kristin Carringer
DigitalGlobe
1-303-684-4352
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SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd.
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