NBC’S KEN DILANIAN TAKES A LOOK AT HOW THEY’RE DOING IT.
>> Reporter: THIS IS WHAT A
NORTH KOREAN MISSILE TEST LOOKS
LIKE FROM SPACE.
THE IMAGE TAKEN NOT BY A
BILLION-DOLLAR GOVERNMENT SPY
SATELLITE BUT BY ONE OF THESE.
THE SIZE OF A LOAF OF BREAD.
LAUNCHED BY A SILICON VALLEY
COMPANY THAT IS CHANGING HOW WE
SEE EARTH.
SEE EARTH. PLANET LABS OPERATES THE LARGEST
AND LEAST EXPENSEIVE FLEET OF
SATELLITES IN HISTORY, THE FIRST
TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE ENTIRE
LANDMASS OF THE GLOBE ONCE A DAY
AND SELL THEM TO THE PUBLIC.
>> LAST YEAR, WE BUILT ROUGHLY
AS MANY SATELLITES AS THE WHOLE
WORLD PUT TOGETHER.
>> Reporter: WILL MARSHALL, A
FORMER NASA SPACECRAFT DESIGNER,
BUILT PLANET’S FIRST SATELLITE
IN A GARAGE.
NOW HIS COMPANY IS VALUED AT $2
BILLION.
BILLION. YOUR IMAGES HAVE CHRONICLED THE
GROWTH OF REFUGEE CAMPS IN SYRIA
AND ELSEWHERE.
AND ELSEWHERE. >> YEAH, THERE’S A HUGE --
RECENTLY INVOLVED IN A SITUATION
WHERE SOME REFUGEES GOT TRAPPED,
IF YOU LIKE, IN A CONFLICT ZONE.
AND OUR IMAGERY PROVED THERE
WERE CIVILIANS ON THE GROUND AND
THEY NEEDED EVACUATING FROM THAT
CONFLICT AREA.
CONFLICT AREA. THE DATA HAS A WIDE VARIETY OF
HUMANITARIAN USES.
HUMANITARIAN USES. SO EARTHQUAKES, FIRES, FLOODS,
TYPHOONS, TSUNAMIS, WE CAN HELP.
HELP RESPONDERS QUICKLY GET IN
THERE AND DONE THAT NUMEROUS
TIMES.
TIMES. LAST YEAR, HELPING WITH THE
INDONESIAN EARTHQUAKE, ASSESSING
THE DAMAGE, HELPING THE RESPONSE
EFFORT.
EFFORT. THERE’S LOTS OF OTHER
HUMANITARIAN ONES, TOO, SO
TRACKING AND STOPPING DE
DEFORESTATION
DEFORESTATION DEFORESTATION.
DEFORESTATION. WE WORK WITH A BRAZILIAN NGO,
ACTUALLY OUR DATA WAS USED IN
THE COURT OF LAW TO MOVE THAT
LANDOWNERS HAD ALLOWED
DEFORESTATION ON THE TERRITORY
AND THEN THEY GOT HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT.
THAT’S THE BEGINNING OF REALLY
STOPPING IT PERMANENTLY.
NOT KNOWING THAT IT EXISTS BUT
STOP IT.
STOP IT. >> Reporter: WHEN THIS IOWA TOWN
FLOODED IN MARCH, STATE
OFFICIALS DIDN’T KNOW HOW BAD IT
WAS UNTIL THEY SAW THESE IMAGES.
THE BIRD’S-EYE VIEW HELPED THEM
BETTER COORDINATE THEIR
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. THE COMPANY HAS STUFFED A LOT OF
TECHNOLOGY INTO A SMALL PACKAGE.
THIS WEIGHS ABOUT AS MUCH AS A
BOWLING BALL BUT IT’S PACKED
WITH A POWERFUL TELESCOPE AND
SOPHISTICATED CAMERA.
SOPHISTICATED CAMERA. PLANET’S FLEET OF 140 SATELLITES
BEAMS BACK 1.2 MILLION IMAGES A
DAY.
DAY. TELLING VISUAL STORIES OVER
TIME.
TIME. LIKE HOW THIS CITY SPRANG UP ON
A MANMADE ISLAND NEAR SINGAPORE.
IN A SMALL TEST, WE LAID OUT A
BLUE TARP ON THE ROOF OF OUR
WASHINGTON BUREAU ONE DAY AND
TOOK IT AWRAIAY THE NEXT.
PLANET’S SATELLITES CAPTURED THE
CHANGE JUST AS THEY RECORD
MILLIONS OF OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
ON THE EARTH’S SURFACE, BIG AND
SMALL, EVERY DAY.
ALMOST NOTHING CAN HIDE FROM
PLANET’S CAMERAS INCLUDEING THIS
UNANNOUNCED CHINESE NAVAL
EXERCISE LAST YEAR THAT IN THE
PAST MIGHT HAVE REMAINED A
SECRET.
SECRET. WHAT DOES IT MEAN YOU HAVE
DEMOCRATIZED INFORMATION AND
MADE IT AVAILABLE, USED TO BE
THE PROVINCE OF GOVERNMENTS AND
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES.
INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF
THAT?
THAT? >> A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE FOR
THE TRANSPARENT PLANET AND I
THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT THE
PICTURES DON’T LIE.
THE PICTURE IS WHAT IT IS.
AND SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE
INCONVENIENT.
INCONVENIENT. BUT IT’S ALSO, I THINK, AND I
HOPE, WILL HELP US TO TRANSITION
AWAY FROM THE POST-TRUTH WORLD
TOWARD A MORE GROUNDED IN FACTS
AND SOME OF THE FACTS AREN’T
ALWAYS COMFORTABLE, BUT THEY’RE
THINGS WE NEED TO GRAPPLE WITH.