GeoEye sells first commercial airport mapping database using satellite imagery

GeoEye, Inc., a premier provider of superior satellite and aerial-based geospatial information and services, announced today that it has delivered the first commercial high-resolution airport database of Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad’s Technical Services Division (MAHB). This product meets the new International Civil Aviation Organization’s Area-2 and Area-3 reporting requirements and uses IKONOS color stereo imagery to create three-dimensional models of the airport, terrain and any flight safety obstacles.

"GeoEye brings extensive market and application knowhow, and we will access the best commercial imagery available with the best geo-location accuracy from the GeoEye-1 and IKONOS satellites," said Dato Abdul Hamid, chief operating officer of MAHB. "Through a subscription service, Malaysia Airports will be kept updated with the latest data, which will help with planning airport operations and improvements to meet long-term requirements, while ensuring that these airports consistently meet aviation safety regulations."

Paolo Colombi, GeoEye’s vice president of International Sales, said, "GeoEye is the world’s largest developer of airport geospatial databases. This is the first international sale of a commercial database, but GeoEye has completed over 2,500 databases for government and military customers in the U.S. and overseas."

GeoEye’s Thornton, Colo. facility produced the database and will deliver 12 quarterly updates to the airport authority through a subscription service. GeoEye generates its airport mapping databases from stereo satellite imagery taken over an airport during a single orbital pass.

Andy Stephenson, GeoEye’s senior regional director of GeoEye Asia in Singapore, said, "We are very pleased MAHB has chosen us to produce this first commercial airport database for their pilot project. We take great pride in enabling our customers’ success by consistently providing timely, superior-quality location intelligence and services at an affordable price and with the best performance in the industry."