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I really enjoyed today’s COMM101 class today and it was refreshing to gain insight from both entrepreneurs. Wade Larson talked about URTHECAST, the world’s first high-definition video platform of Earth captured from space on the International Space Station.

First HQ video from space- hello San Francisco!

It initially occurred to me that this was no different from the current Google Earth or Google Maps which also allows people to zoom into different places on Earth and also makes use of satellite technology. However, this is vastly different and there’s so much more to UrtheCast than meets the eye.

Besides being fascinated by how HD-quality videos can be seen of various locations on Earth in real time, UrtheCast also has YouTube like search functions where you can press play and pause at various points in the video. Also, there’s a social media dimension to it, like how people’s tweets and locations can be viewed.

I think UrtheCast has an effective business model because of the low costs required and also, the high returns in the future. The significant reduction in costs lies in how UrtheCast makes use of Russian space satellites instead of sending their own into space, hence reducing costs quite substantially. Another advantage it has lies in the fact that it provides high-definition video quality, a point of difference that makes UrtheCast stand out among other competitors.

Can’t wait to hear more from UrtheCast!