Thoughts - DigitalGlobe, Thanks For The Answer. Not The One I Wanted To Hear, But Thanks Anyway.

Starbuck Island - DigitalGlobe Image from Google Earth

If you follow my posts, you know that I proposed a product idea to DigitalGlobe - a "poor man's" hi-res imagery of islands throughout the world. Instead of gigabytes of data and big bucks, these scaled images would consist of a few megabytes of digital data for most islands. I figured a price point of between $25 to $50 per image, with very large islands costing more. Delivery would have been via internet. No one would get rich, but DigitalGlobe's products would have been introduced into markets they currently under serve or do not serve at all. And I would be able to do what I enjoy doing and make a few bucks in the process.

Having many years of experience designing products, developing new markets and determining profitable prices, I knew my product idea faced an uphill, very steep uphill battle. First, who am I and why should DigitalGlobe take my idea seriously. I am a one man shop with the necessary equipment, business experience and passion to handle what I am proposing . Second, who would buy a "poor man's" hi-res image of an island? Many of you would and lots of others, once they learned about it. Just look at all of the interest DigitalGlobe's imagery generates in Google Earth. I am confident that "nickle and dime" Google Earth user would spend $25 to $50 for hi-res island imagery. They will not buy DigitalGlobe's standard products. They are too pricey for their meager budgets. Also, based on the interest in my island projects, my readers - government, business, oil & gas, education, real estate, travel agents, GIS professionals on a tight budget, island businesses, sailors, etc - would buy this scaled hi-res island image product. It would take marketing (which I would do), dependable product delivery (which I would do) and prompt customer service (which I would do).

In addition, I would produce the product. No skin off of DigitalGlobe's business nose. Their resellers won't mind, I'm not taking any of their business away. This product would work for entirely new markets, not ones currently being serviced by DigitalGlobes current product mix.

I have made at least 25 of these scaled hi-res images of islands. They take about an hour to two hours to create. Easy to do. Again, not a problem for DigitalGlobe or their resellers. I would do all of the work.

But, alas, no go! DigitalGlobe's representative said "Great idea!, but....". Don't you just hate that "but". Am I discouraged, not at all. When you have a great product idea, you must hang in there for the long haul. One day, a "poor man's" hi-res imagery of islands will be a reality. Hopefully, mine and DigitalGlobe's shared and mutually beneficial reality.

Thanks DigitalGlobe, for your considerations and, we will be in touch.

Enjoy!