I had the opportunity to learn more about the Harris Geospatial geiger mode technology that they recently announced. Kurt Feldbush, Commercial Geospatial Lead explained that this technology has a 15 year track record of use with the federal government. This will be the first commercial use of the system, but it is not new.
Harris does not intend to sell the sensor or the processing software. Instead they will work with a designated group of industry partners. The business model is more like that of a satellite data provider.
Given the design of the system the quantity of data that is being generated is huge which has required Harris to develop a sophisticated data management strategy that is part of the overall service offering.
One example that Kurt described was flood mapping. Currently the USGS has been accepting two points per square meter when the spec was actually eight. Kurt noted that they will be able to provide the eight by flying at 29,000 feet and 290 knots for the same price as is currently being paid for two.
Finally, the accuracy assessment is more like that of photogrammetric bundle adjustment than the current QA/QC techniques used for linear sensors.
It will be very interesting to track the use of this system and the impact that it has on the industry. Let me know what you think.
