This week in Business Fundamentals, we had an interesting guest speaker. Wade Larson: Director, Co-founder and Executive Vicepresident, is the one responsible for the initial “vision” that would become UrtheCast, a company created with the sole purpose of “providing the world with high-definition (HD) video of Earth from space”.

From his presentation, Larson claims a steady ground for this company to develop, and finally launch the project in 2013. Currently with five different partners, namely the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), this recognition is well suited to give the company distinction. Upon further research, the company has recently gained a “$4.5 million influx of funding”, investment that will go towards capital.

Nevertheless, my concerns extended to the future prospects of the company, and the plans for long-term profit that would be essential to the continuation of the project. Larson mentioned the idea of Media Content Sales, providing “exclusive footage of a natural disaster unfolding” to media companies like CNN, Al Jazeera and BBC. One main issue here would be the current location of the satellite as it orbits around the planet, restricting its ability to capture current events.

UrtheCast aims to appeal to a wide range of consumers, from “internet users” to “government bodies”. With a society that has grown more and more towards connection and global awareness through the internet and social media, this project will attract the attention of many.

And yet, how free is UrtheCast in broadcasting the world? Couldn’t this be used as a tool towards ill intentions? They will surely be placed under scrutiny by the international community, and the result could undermine selling point of the company. Even Google, its main competitor, has faced such restrictions.

Only time will tell how events will unfold, and I will be playing close attention upon the launch in the coming year.

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.urthecast.com/

http://www.urthecast.com/blog/media-releases/urthecast-closes-its-latest-round-of-financing/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_map_images_with_missing_or_unclear_data