GeoEye Calendar 2011

Burj Khalifa Skyscraper

--> Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). 

--> Get ready to experience the thrill of a lifetime as high-speed elevators whisk you 124 floors above the Earth for an awe-inspiring view of the city, desert and sea from the observation deck

--> Enjoy an one-hour guided tour.

--> GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 9 February 2010.

Piazza del Campo

~~ In Siena, all roads lead to Piazza del Campo. 

~~ It is one of Italy's most famous piazzas, mostly because of Il Palio, a bareback horse race that dates back to the Middle Ages and still takes place on the outer section of the square twice a year. 

~~ The piazza was paved in 1349 in fishbone-patterned red brick.

~~ It divides into nine sections to commemorate the successful government dei Nove (Nine). 

~~ GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 15 August 2009

Ak Orda Presidential Palace

++ The five story, marble-lined Ak Orda Palace was built in 2004.

++ The official workplace of the president of Kazakhstan.

++ It is used for state and international negotiations. 

++ Across the intriguing landscape is the Pyramid of Peace. 

++ Inaugurated in September 2006, the pyramid represents the world’s religious faiths.

++ A 1,500-seat opera house, educational facilities and a national center for various ethnic and geographical groups. 

++ IKONOS .82-meter resolution collected 20 October 2009

Augusta National Golf Course

## The Augusta National Golf Club opened for play in January 1933. 

## Each hole on the course is named after a tree or shrub. 

## The club hosted the first Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships in professional golf, on March 22, 1934. 

## Since 1940, the tournament is scheduled for the first full week in April each year. 

## Aerial DMC MJ Harden 4-inch resolution collected 21 February 2010.

Takla Makan Desert

==> The Takla Makan Desert is China’s largest desert, situated in the middle of the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Province. 

==> It is one of the largest 'shifting-sand' deserts in the world. 

==> Travel by caravan, camel or bicycle to discover towering sand dunes, lost cities, the remains of ancient forests and post-fluvial riverbeds hiding amidst the hauntingly beautiful desert vistas. 

==> GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 6 October 2009. 

Dickenson Bay

:-) Dickenson Bay is one of many beaches located on the northwest corner of the island. 

:-) Enjoy the powder white sand and calm waters for swimming and all manners of water sports. 

:-) Nearby, join a Jeep adventure into the rainforest, play golf or shop for the perfect souvenir. 

:-) Discover the night life at the many luxury hotels and restaurants. 

:-) IKONOS .82-meter resolution collected 3 December 2009.

Grand Palace

||| The spectacular Grand Palace. 

||| Built in traditional Thai architecture mixed with European designs, the complex was once the official home for the Kings of Siam. 

||| The King still uses the Grand Palace with its expansive royal grounds for certain ceremonial occasions. 

||| The main centerpiece is the revered 45-cm Emerald Buddha, which is housed within Wat Phra Kaew, an ornately decorated building whose roof tiles reach to the sky. 

||| GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 16 April 2009.

Mount Everest North Side

--> Mount Everest.

--> On May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were the first to complete the hazardous trek to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, rising 29,035 feet above sea level. 

--> Scaling Everest is more than a climb: it is the ultimate destination for mountaineer.

--> GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 21 November 2009.

Namib Desert

^_^ Some of the most unusual wildlife and nature reserves in the world can be found in the heart of the ‘dune sea’ of the Namib Desert in Namibia, southwest of Angola. 

^_^ The world’s tallest sand dunes rise over 300 meters (984 ft) high. 

^_^ The interaction between wind and sand over 55 million years formed this amazing and vast desert’s complex patterns. 

^_^ GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 8 July 2010.

Lively Contrasts of Houses, Rock and Sea, Oia

--> In Santorini, stand on the hanging cliffs of the famous submerged caldera, the volcano’s crater that formed the island after an eruption in 1500 BC. 

--> Admire the contrast of the lively white and blue colors of the Cycladic houses against the black volcanic rock. 

--> GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 3 July 2010.

Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge

*** The Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge in Sao Paulo, a cable-stayed bridge over the Pinheiros River, which opened in May 2008. 

 

*** It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast. 

*** Computerized LED lights illuminate the bridge at night and on special occasions. 

*** GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 20 July 2010.

Bondi Beach

@v@ Life at Bondi Beach revolves around the sun, surf and sand. 

@v@ This popular beach, located 7 km east of Sydney, is where locals, tourists, surfers and backpackers all congregate. 

@v@ The surrounding suburb includes trendy cafés, restaurants, boutiques and surf gear shops. 

@v@ A don’t-miss activity is the 4 km (2.5-mile) cliff-top walk from Bondi Beach to Clovelly. 

@v@ GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 10 June 2009.

City of St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg.

It has all the ingredients for an unforgettable experience: imperial architecture, extraordinary history, high art and rich cultural traditions. 

Although a relatively young city, established by Tsar Peter the Great in 1703, you will still hear the echoes of its past in the great palaces, cathedrals and fortresses. 

GeoEye-1 .50-meter resolution collected 1 September 2009.

World's largest space imaging corporation, GeoEYE, which supplies satellite imagery to organization such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google, among many others, has released a calendar for the next year. The calendar is a compilation of some of the best pictures from the satellites GeoEYE-1 and ICONOS, which includes both urban and natural landscapes.

Panoramic Photo of London

A newly published 360-degree image of London takes the crown as the largest, highest-resolution  panoramic photo in the world. The image of London has a total resolution of 80 gigapixels, or 80 billion pixels. If printed at normal photographic resolution, would be 115 feet long and 56 feet high. From this vantage point - 36 stories up in the air - an astonishing number of landmarks, houses, skyscrapers, shops, offices, and streets are visible.

Previous attempts at world record gigapixels include a 26-gigapixel image of Paris, a 70-gigapixel image of Budapest, a 26-gigapixel image of Dresden, and Martin's previous record holder from 2009, an 18-gigapixel spherical image of Prague.

Taiwan Skyscraper - Futuristic Solar Skyscraper

The Taiwan Tower Competition is a recent design competition that sought proposals for an iconic new tower to serve as a landmark and a symbol of Taiwan´s spirit.

Over 230 proposals from 25 different countries were submitted, and the Taiwan Tower from Dorin Stefan Birou Arhitectura in Romania was selected as the winner.

Inspired by science fiction, trees and leaves, the tall spire provides office and museum space in the lower third, while the upper levels serve as an observation tower.

Zeppelin-like elevators serve as observation decks to carry visitors up to the top of the tower for stunning views of the city.

The tower's small footprint maximizes the urban green space surrounding it.

The office space and museum take up the lower levels. They have 360 degree views and operable windows to encourage cross ventilation.

At the top, visitors can exit the observation elevators to a sky deck for a more relaxed view of the city below

Although very futuristic by design, the tower was inspired by trees, leaves and other traditional Taiwanese symbols.

The lower levels include offices for the Taichung City Government, leisure and recreational spaces, retail and educational centers, and the new Museum of Taichung City Development.

The observation elevators are constructed out of a lightweight material like PTFE that is inflated with helium.

A vertical-axis wind turbine sits in the core of the tower and photovoltaic panels cover the outside to generate power.

The tower also includes geothermal heat pumps to help reduce the energy demand of heating and cooling the building.

The 390 meter-tall structure is designed to stand tall above the city and provide a destination for both residents and visitors of Taipei.

This ultra-futuristic solar skyscraper by Romanian firm Dorin Stefan Birou Arhitectura was recently crowned the winner of the Taiwan Tower Competition. The 390-meter tower is designed to serve as an observation deck, office tower, museum, and urban park. The out-of-this-world skyscraper seems almost too far-fetched to be real -- it even includes helium blimp elevators, a facade covered in photovoltaic panels, vertical axis wind turbines and a whole slew of sustainable strategies.


Dorin Stefan Birou Arhitectura collaborated with Mihai Bogdan CRACIUN architect from the USA as well as upgrade.studio to design the iconic tower for Taipei. The project was inspired by the leaf, the shape of the island of Taiwan, the money tree, and other Taiwanese symbols. Eight zeppelin-like elevators serve as observation decks for the tower and run on a track positioned vertically in a strong electro‐magnetic field. The floating observatories will be constructed out of lightweight materials including PTFE, and the balloon is filled with helium. Each deck can carry from 50 to 80 people up to the top for stunning views of the city.


The lower 85 meters of the tower provide space for a museum and offices, while the upper portion of the tower houses vertical axis wind turbines and a facade covered in photovoltaic powers for renewable energy generation. Geothermal heat pumps help reduce the energy needed to heat and cool the facility, while the small building footprint encourages cross ventilation and the tower’s height creates a stack chimney effect. Fiber optic cables bring natural light into the museum, and the photovoltaics produce energy for an electromagnetic field that provides heating for the floating observatories.

Although the proposed tower does feature an impressive array of green building strategies, a small building footprint, and lots of green open space, we are very curious to see if this becomes the final design.