These Are The Best Images Of The Year From Some Of The World's Most Powerful Commercial Satellites

DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite imaging company, has just released a breathtaking collection of its 25 best images from the year.The images reflect the many uses of modern satellite technology, including its ability to monitor global operations, like mining or farming, keep track of natural disasters, record human conflicts, and contribute to scientific research.Among these are a handful of images from the company's newest satellite, WorldView-3, which launched in August and, according to DigitalGlobe, delivers its highest-quality products.The company is asking fans to vote for their favorite birds-eye views of Earth on itsFacebook page.The top five images with the most "likes" will make it to the final round later this month. The website will announce the winning image in early January 2015.Check out all of the images here, then head over to theFacebook albumto vote for your favorite.Satellites are often used to monitor the environment, as they can show widespread changes in habitats over time, like deforestation. This image is of the forested countryside of Alberta, Canada, shown Oct. 10, 2014.This is Nordenskjold Basin in Antarctica on March 12, 2014. Frozen areas like this can be monitored by satellite in order to observe whether the ice is melting and assess the impacts of climate change.Natural disasters, like these wildfires in San Diego County, Calif., are another environmental phenomenon often best observed from higher up. This image was taken on May 15, 2014. See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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