14 DAY TRIAL // No less than 159 multi-megapixel digital aerial cameras were sold since the introduction of the UltraCam Systems, Microsoft revealed.
Responsible for the sales is Microsoft’s photogrammetry division—Vexcel Imaging, GmbH, which pushed no less than 30 UltraCam Systems in the 2010 fiscal year.
This means that between July 2009 and June 2010, the Redmond company sold a total of 18 karge-format cameras, namely UltraCamX, UltraCamXp and UltraCamXp Wide Angle.
In addition, the software giant also sold 12 and UltraCamL and UltraCamLp units, which are considered photogrammetric medium-format cameras.
“We are quite pleased to be able to report such a successful year,” noted Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH.
“Given the historically tough economic situation worldwide, we are honored that our customers are providing such strong evidence that our products are sound investments,” Wiechert added.
According to Microsoft’s photogrammetry division, an additional 11 camera upgrades were also ordered by existing customers.
Vexcel Imaging introduced the UltraCam family of digital aerial mapping cameras back in 2004. At that time, the company’s debut product was dubbed UltraCamD and it was the largest image footprint of the digital aerial sensors available on the market.
Since 2004, Vexcel Imaging offered 159 UltraCam Systems to customers worldwide, and the company isn’t counting the upgrades.
“Since that time, Vexcel Imaging has released the UltraCamX, followed by the UltraCamXp, featuring even larger image formats (the UCXp boasts a footprint of 17,310 pixels across the flight strip),” the company explained.
“In September 2009, a wide-angle version of the UltraCamXp was introduced; its wide-angle lens with a shorter focal length allows lower-flying airplanes to collect data at the same ground sample distance (GSD) as higher-flying planes carrying the UltraCamXp, while delivering comparable image quality.”
“Meanwhile, the UtraCamL digital photogrammetric medium format camera, introduced in July 2008, delivers many of the same technical capabilities of the UltraCam large format systems but in a smaller and lighter package designed for use in smaller aircraft,” Vexcel Imaging said.