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SOLUTION OVERVIEW

  • Integrator: Keeper Technology
  • Workflow Support: Quantum
  • StorNext Data Management Software

Server and Storage Environment

  • Red Hat & SuSE Linux clients,
  • Windows 2003 clients, Hitachi
  • Data Systems disk arrays
  • Key Applications: Custom processing applications

KEY BENEFITS

  • Cost-effectively archives huge amounts of satellite data while maintaining transparent client access
  • Consolidates information into a centralized repository with high speed FC access to multiple host operating environments
  • Standardized processes for archiving data and simplified service procedures
  • Provides scalable architecture for integrating next generation visualization and interpretation systems

GeoEye Success Story

Keeper Technology was the Integrator for GeoEye's StorNext implementation.

Simplified Digital Archiving for Remote Sensing

GeoEyeGeoEye, the world’s largest commercial satellite imagery company, collects and refines geospatial data consumed by a wide spectrum of commercial and government agencies including Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, agriculture, leading telecommunications, oil services, state and local governments, as well as other governments around the globe. To build customer information products, GeoEye acquires and stores over 2TB of data per day. Managing this content flow is accomplished using Quantum’s StorNext data management software which simplifies processing procedures and cost-effectively archives the huge amounts of raw and refined satellite data.

GeoEye plans to launch their next-generation commercial imaging satellite, GeoEye-1, in spring 2007. GeoEye-1 will have a ground resolution of .41-meters (16 inches). Once operational, the satellite will be able to collect over 700,000.sq km of panchromatic imagery per day or about 350,000 sq km of multispectral imagery per day. That’s equivalent to the size of Texas or Spain.

MANAGING A CONSTANT FLOW OF INFORMATION

Like many imaging and analysis companies, GeoEye is driven by the need to constantly acquire greater levels of data. Plotting geophysical trends and tracking human / industrial changes necessitates broad area spectral analysis and high resolution digital images. Without this, imagery products are too coarse to provide the detail required by consumers. As a result, satellites now collect data across more spectral ranges and a narrowing spatial resolution.

This broadening of spectral data collection has led to what can easily be a 100x increase in the amount of data acquired over a given scan area. For GeoEye, this meant that the level of data flowing into their Satellite Operations Center from ground stations and direct satellite downlinks was increasing dramatically.

“We went from a 2TB ingest repository to a 100TB repository in what seems like over night,” said Marliee Ciehoski, Senior Project Manager at GeoEye. Handling the influx of information required a scalable storage volume that would allow multiple operating platforms to share satellite feeds.

Handling the influx of information required a scalable storage volume that would allow multiple operating platforms to share satellite feeds.

To meet these needs, GeoEye implemented StorNext as the glue to bind their ingest, processing, and distribution systems together. StorNext connected SGI and Windows systems to a shared data pool and allowed direct, FC speed data access without the scalability and performance bottlenecks found in most NAS solutions. The architecture also provided GeoEye with the flexibility to add additional systems as application requirements and customer demand evolved. For some companies, the streamlining of production workflows might be sufficient, but for GeoEye creating imagery products was only half their goal.

Download the complete GeoEye Case Study

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