[Korea.net News, Science / Tech, December 13 2007] Korea to sell images taken by Arirang 2 satellite

Ordinary people and organizations will soon be allowed to purchase high-resolution pictures taken by Korea’s orbiting Arirang 2 satellite, the government said Thursday (Dec. 13)

The Ministry of Science and Technology said the pictures will be sold starting Friday (Dec. 14) at one-fifth the price of similar images sold by foreign service providers. This, it said should promote the use of satellite pictures and boost related businesses in the country. It added for non-profit organizations, and those used for public academic purposes, the price will be further cut.

"For commercial users, a square-kilometer image will cost 10,000 won, while this will be lowered to around 2,000-3,000 won for non-profit organizations," said Lee Ki-sung, head of the ministry space technology development division.

The official added that this amount is for pictures held in the database, while prices may go up 20-30 percent for pictures that are specifically ordered by the customer. For foreign customers, Arirang 2 started providing images on June 1.

DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, and Spot Image are some of the global satellite picture service providers that sell picture on a commercial basis.