[SatNews] PCI Geomatics is currently working with the 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.
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 view a sample image and the GXL interface used by UrtheCast, access this direct link: www.pcigeomatics.com/pressnews/images/GXL_UrtheCast.jpg.
