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While listening to the news, this morning, I heard about a gentleman fromYorkshire, England. He had created a method to take pictures from a very high altitude at the edge of space, using materials off the shelf that anyone could buy and a little ingenuity.
For his project, he bought a small high altitude balloon, some helium, a point and shoot type digital camera, GPS and a controller for the whole apparatus. All told, he spent about $700 US dollars. In return, he created a system that took, clear, stunning pictures that rival some of NASA’s most memorable images, at a cost there is no practical way to compare. An average space mission is about $350 million dollars with the soon-to-be defunct US Shuttle Transportation System.
True, there are problems and deficiencies with his method of imaging. But what is important is that those images also capture the imagination of what further development will bring. Currently he does not have the capability to precisely point and shoot at will - a system to methodically manifest and collect on a list of prioritized targets. However, there are uses for military or civilian applications such as construction progress management, real estate, conservation, etc. The key here is innovation. He thought outside of the norms – or big monopolized business and government programs the taxpaying public can barely afford anymore – and that is exciting.
Also, the images are challenged by resolution. There is no doubt a picture of the earth below can be stunning, but this feat appears almost like an accident, rather than something practical done on purpose. His camera system has limited room for image storage, and his system cannot alter the image collection during flight. He cannot collect images with the fabled ‘license plate accuracy’. All these things aside, this assessment points to a whole new possible industry. An industry that may possibly create jobs, solve problems and inspire new thinkers to do a great many other things.
It should be noted that this man is not from the US and that’s okay – other countries are allowed to innovate and create. But we should note that while our politicians grandstand on the lesser issues – other peoples are carrying on with meeting the 21st century head-on.
We should never forget that many of the most important innovations of note in the future will come from the small entrepreneurs looking for ‘another way’ as they build and create in their own backyards. (See elevated imaging using query: ‘elevated imaging, wiki’ on Google ™ or Youtube’s ™: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAEOTeht7-w
Tags: aerial, BAII, elevated, imaging, innovations, photography
