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Does Google Have an Eye on Skybox Imaging?

TMCnet Feature

May 27, 2014

Does Google Have an Eye on Skybox Imaging?

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By Steve Anderson
Contributing TMCnet Writer

It's the second time in recent memory, but once again, the word “Google (News - Alert)” and the phrase “billion-dollar offer” have once again been connected together. But this time, the direction is pointed at a Mountain View firm known as Skybox Imaging, a company that brings together satellite imagery and data analytics to produce some rather exciting new propositions.


Skybox Imaging currently has a cluster of satellites located above the Earth, which in turn can create not only images of extreme detail, but even video. The company also handles data analytics functions, which combined led to a recent valuation of between $500 million and $700 million. With Skybox Imaging, companies can get access to a variety of informational points which could ultimately prove valuable, allowing firms to map out the locations of certain businesses in a town, certain ports in a state, or similar matter, which can have a significant impact on market research, particularly in terms of the “place” component of the marketing mix.

There's certainly precedent for Google to take an interest in Skybox Imaging; between Google's popular Google Maps system and Google's recent push to develop high-altitude Internet broadcasting mechanisms as exemplified by its Project Loon—which in turn led to Google's purchase of Titan Aerospace, a drone maker—there's reason enough for Google to take an interest in a satellite imaging firm to help augment Google's product line and offer some further new features, particularly if those features can appeal to business owners.

But by like token, there are also some reports that suggest Google may not have an interest in Skybox Imaging at all; the reports in question suggest that Google has its eye on a group of startups in the field, including Skybox Imaging, but also including firms like Planet Labs, which actually has a similar focus—as well as a similar satellite network—when compared to Skybox Imaging.

Neither Google nor Skybox Imaging was commenting on the matter, but it certainly makes sense for Google to make an expansion in the imaging field. The idea that Google may well be able to offer accurate, real-time imaging of most anywhere on Earth at any given time is no small feat, and would certainly provide Google an array of advantages to draw users and bolster advertising dollars accordingly. The commercial value of being able to image Earth, meanwhile, is staggering; not only could it be used for such simple things as being better able to see, in real-time, the physical extension of search results—where a restaurant is, how to get to a bookstore, and so on—but it could also step in and offer use to businesses. As described earlier, businesses could see, at a glance, if said businesses are about to walk into hotly contested areas—why open a burger joint where there are already five in the same block, unless specifically intending to emphasize the competitive advantages found therein?--but also get a good look at where there's a distinct lack of a certain kind of business can also be useful.

Just what Google's plans are for any satellite imaging operation—be it Skybox Imaging, Planet Labs, or someone else entirely—are unclear. But the sheer number of possibilities involved with something like this make it too valuable a prospect for anyone, even Google, to pass up without a second look. What may come of such a venture could prove incredibly useful, so it will bear watching in the coming months to see just what is made of this new direction.




Edited by Maurice Nagle


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