Company: Space Imaging
Industry: Remote Sensing & Image Processing, Satellite Image Data
Location: Denver, CO, United States of America

DENVER,CO--Space Imaging's high-resolution IKONOS satellite imagery is being used by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to survey the cultivation of illicit crops in Afghanistan, Laos, Myanmar and Bolivia.One of the most recent studies, the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2003 [http://www.unodc.org/pdf/afg/afghanistan_opium_survey_2003.pdf], published in October 2003, is the first Afghanistan survey completed in conjunction with the new government in Kabul.The survey indicates that in 2003, Afghanistan again produced three-quarters of the world's illicit opium.The UNODC most recently used IKONOS imagery in its Bolivia Coca Cultivation Survey 2003 published in June 2004.

Space Imaging's Regional Affiliate, Space Imaging Middle East, based in Dubai, collected the imagery for the UN's Afghanistan survey.IKONOS snapped 43 high-resolution pre-harvest and post-harvest color images during the 2003 survey timeframe.More than 89,000 hectares (220,000 acres) were imaged as IKONOS orbited from north to south at 17,000 mph over the Middle East.Space Imaging Southeast Asia based in Bangkok, collected approximately 70 high-resolution images for the UNODC's Myanmar survey to monitor opium poppy cultivation.The images were collected during a short time window between December 2003 and January 2004.

According to the United Nations, the objectives of the UNODC's Illicit Crop Monitoring Program are "to establish methodologies for data collection and analysis, to increase governments' capacity to monitor illicit crops and to assist the international community in monitoring the extent and evolution of illicit crops in the context of the elimination strategy adopted by the Member States at the General Assembly Special Session on Drugs in June 1998."

Thibault le Pichon, UNODC manager, Illicit Crop Monitoring Program, said "The introduction of civilian high-resolution imagery in the monitoring of illicit narcotics in recent years has enabled UNODC and concerned nations to considerably improve the effectiveness and safety of surveys conducted in difficult and/or dangerous areas."

"A key advantage of the IKONOS satellite system is its capability to task and download imagery from regional grounds stations around the world.Our Regional Affiliates have the 'digital landing rights' for high-quality imagery.IKONOS provided frequent revisit rates and product consistency which helped the UN do their analysis of illicit crop production with high efficiency and lower risk," said Robert Dalal, CEO of Space Imaging.

Space Imaging's growing network of commercial Regional Affiliates are located in Tokyo, Japan (Japan Space Imaging), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Space Imaging Middle East), Seoul, Korea (Space Imaging Asia), Ankara, Turkey (Space Imaging Eurasia), Bangkok, Thailand (Space Imaging Southeast Asia), and Munich, Germany (European Space Imaging).

About Space Imaging
Space Imaging is the premier provider of satellite imagery enabling businesses, governments and individuals to better map, measure, monitor and manage the world in which we live.Based near Denver, Colo., Space Imaging radically transformed the Earth information market when in 1999 it launched IKONOS, the world's first commercial high-resolution imaging satellite.Today, Space Imaging's products are the cornerstone of the remote-sensing industry.The company supplies the highest quality, most accurate, visual information about the planet's changing natural and cultural features.Space Imaging's customer-centric business lines include imagery from satellites and aircraft, decision-support geospatial solutions, and direct access to its satellites for corporations and governments.With 2003 revenues exceeding $200 million, Space Imaging is a privately held company with partners, resellers and 13 affiliate ground stations around the world.For more information on products and services, please visit www.spaceimaging.com.