Satellite+Communication


 * Satellite communication, online mapping and imaging**

Advanced imaging satellites such as the GeoEye-1, which orbits around Earth at altitudes of 680km. This is capable of taking photographs of any location on the planets with incredibly high resolution image.

Other satellites such as radio waves, lasers, or sound to gather data which may not be visible using normal photography techniques.

Satellite image technologies can have many practicable applications such as weather monitoring. It can also be used as a measuring tool such as the size of a certain forest or sea levels. It can be very useful for practica ble applications and save a lot of time.

Images that are taken with satellites are sent back to computer systems on earth along with their metadata. Images can also be edited in order to gain a more significant image such as the stitching technique where Earth can be taken in 2 parts and then stitched together and show one image.



It would not be possible to produce an accurate image such as above with satellite technology.

There are many public mapping applications out there in which high quality images are produced that can be used for travel or aid with public transport.

Google Earth is a perfect example of a mapping system where any place on the earth can be pin pointed with coordinates or an address. Also, layers can be made in order to remove data the you do not want to see, for example, if you only want to see hotels and restaurants, every other icon for other services will disappear This makes it easier for the end user to distinguish between what they are searching for, and other services around them.

There are many social and ethical issues with this such as privacy concerns. Google has such powerful mapping systems that you can even see the street. This also allows people to see inside house windows and also along the streets. This could be potentially dangerous if the wrong person was to come across this information.

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Google are currently dominating the mapping technologies with Google Earth, Sea and Street view. Apple tried to venture into the mapping world and failed. This is an example of a disadvantage of mapping, the inaccuracy of data.



Now Apple are trying to outdo Google with a recent move in purchasing an 'indoor mapping' company. This will raise additional privacy concerns.