Could MAPS reveal when Apple will launch its next iPhone? Satellites tracking movements around factories may give clues about the release date
comments
When Google Streetview came on the scene in 2007, the level of detail it provided astounded the world.
But that was nothing compared to what the search engine could be offering in a few years, according to experts.
The tech giant recently acquired Skybox for $500 million (£295 million), and the satellite firm has hinted its technology could potentially be used to predict when Apple's next iPhone will launch.
Scroll down for video
Google-owned Skybox is already measuring the amount of trucks outside the Taiwanese electronics group Foxconn (stock image pictured) every week to try and determine when the next iPhone will be released. It said an increase of trucks around the building may suggest the phone is being shipped
SKYBOX SATELLITES
SkySat-1, which was launched in November, captured up to 90-second video clips at 30 frames per second.
Satellites today are capable of taking imagery better than a metre in resolution, but they weigh thousands of kilograms. SkySat-1 is 20 times smaller than traditional satellites.
The circuitry that drives it is about the size of a phone book and consumes less power than a 100w light bulb.
The U.S. group, Skybox Imaging, is now planning a constellation of 24 satellites that will be able to cover almost the entire expanse of the Earth.
SkySat-2, an identical version of SkySat-1, is scheduled to launch in 2014.
According to a report by Christopher Mims in Wall Street Journal, an analyst at UBS found out that if he looked at satellite images of parking areas of Wal-Mart stores, he could predict the company's sales figures.
Skybox hopes to achieve a similar result using far more powerful data. 'We think we are going to fundamentally change humanity's understanding of the economic landscape on a daily basis,' co-founder Dan Berkenstock told Mims.
Berkenstock added the firm is measuring the amount of trucks outside the Tawainese-electronics group Foxconn, for example, to find out when the next iPhone will be released.
However, the firm did not reveal its predictions for this date.
California-company Skybox can also determine how much oil is being pumped out of the ground in Saudi Arabia by using satellites to monitor overground storage tanks.
By 2016, the Californian company will be able to take full images of the Earth twice a day, at a resolution that was, until recently, illegal to use for commercial purposes.
Satellites today are capable of taking imagery clearer than a metre in resolution, but they weigh thousands of kilograms. SkySat-1 is 20 times smaller than traditional satellites. Shown here is a view of Abu Dhabi
This image is a screen grab from a video created by French site nowhereelse.fr. It features an industrial model of the iPhone 6 handset, believed to have been made to help case and accessory makers ensure their products fit the new design. Satellite imagery could help reveal when it will be released
By the time its fleet of 24 satellites launches in 2018, Skybox will be able to image the entire Earth at a resolution capable of capturing real-time video of vehicles.
Skybox has already hit the headlines for capturing the first HD video footage of Earth from its tiny satellite - which many dubbed at the time as being 'like live Google maps.'
Satellites today are capable of taking imagery better than a metre in resolution, but they weigh thousands of kilograms.
SkySat-1 is 20 times smaller than traditional satellites. The firm says it has produced similar performance in a box 20 times smaller.
This video grab, taken by Skybox, reveals high-resolution views of Tokyo, Bangkok, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Syria (pictured)
A mine in Turkey captured using the Skybox satellite. Led by aerospace industry veteran Tom Ingersoll, Skybox has been working on additional satellites that should be easier to complete with Google's backing
'The circuitry that drives our satellites - providing power, attitude control, communications, thermal management, and imaging support - are about the size of a phone book and consume less power than a 100w light bulb,' it says.
'We've integrated the latest, greatest, and fastest commercially available FPGAs, processors, and memory to ensure our small satellites pack the largest possible punch.'
Led by aerospace industry veteran Tom Ingersoll, Skybox has been working on additional satellites that should be easier to complete with Google's backing.
'The time is right to join a company who can challenge us to think even bigger and bolder, and who can support us in accelerating our ambitious vision,' Skybox said in a blog post.
SkySat-2, an identical version of SkySat-1, is scheduled to launch in early 2014. Pictured here is Somalia
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment