earthmine Signs Exclusive Agreement with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Business Wire, Dec 11, 2007

Deal Utilizes Mars Rover Technology to Deliver High-Density 3D Street-Level Data

BERKELEY, Calif. -- earthmine inc., a 3D, street-side mapping company, today announced it has finalized an exclusive agreement with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to license 3D data-generation software and algorithms created by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and utilized on the Mars Exploration Rover Missions. earthmine recently unveiled its ground-breaking technology for collecting and delivering street-level, three-dimensional geospatial information for cities. The agreement with JPL and Caltech includes an exclusive and perpetual license for photogrammetric technology allowing for the creation of very dense and accurate 3D data from stereo panoramic imagery. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Caltech has taken an equity position in earthmine.

JPL and earthmine Agreement

The agreement between JPL and earthmine includes exclusive use of software and algorithms for street level mapping and asset management, and encompasses stereo vision systems and camera calibration algorithms. earthmine will utilize the software and algorithms as a part of its processing pipeline, which automates the creation of high-quality, seamless panoramic imagery with pixel-for-pixel 3D depth information from its image collection system.

The technology licensed by earthmine is currently utilized as a part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Wide-angle stereo cameras are mounted on NASA's twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) launched toward Mars in 2003. The licensed software and algorithms are used to create a 3D representation of the local terrain, allowing autonomous routing of the MERs through the Martian environment. earthmine has combined this JPL technology with its unique, capture hardware and web delivery technology to deliver 3D data with unprecedented density and accuracy. For a video presentation of 3D technology, visit http://www.earthmine.com/media/announcements-20071211-01.php.> "The JPL technology provides an unsurpassed level of accuracy and density in our 3D data generation process," said earthmine co-founders John Ristevski and Anthony Fassero. "The problem of generating very dense and accurate 3D data from wide-angle images is an extremely difficult one, which engineers and scientists at JPL have been working on solving for over a decade. Licensing this technology from JPL gives earthmine a significant advantage and will enable ongoing improvements in our technology."

earthmine Technology

earthmine integrates hardware, software and workflow technologies to deliver accurate street-level geospatial data through a web-based interface. The core technology, called reality indexing, manages the entire flow of information, from streamlined data collection and data processing, to web-based dissemination. The three-dimensional, high-resolution panoramic images are collected through an automated vehicle-based camera array, with the ability to capture entire metropolitan areas in a few weeks.

Within the immersive, high-resolution images, each pixel contains real-world latitude, longitude and elevation information. Because of the three dimensionality of the data set, everything within an image can be accurately located, measured or modeled using points, lines or polygons. This data mine can be accessed by users through a web-based interface where they can identify, view, and extract geospatial data and information from a human perspective. earthmine's solution also gives users the ability to integrate this geospatial framework into any web application and allows them to visualize existing abstract spatial data in context. Additionally, unique tools for viewing, creating and extracting spatial data in context will make this data broadly accessible. The comprehensive field of view in the imaging system leaves no detail undocumented, allowing visualization of everything from overhead power lines and multi-story buildings, to underlying road and curb features.

About JPL

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. For information about the Mars Exploration Rover project on the Internet, visit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer. For more information about JPL, visit www.jpl.nasa.gov.

About earthmine

earthmine inc. is a street-level, 3D mapping company that provides software and data as a service to those who gather, analyze and communicate location-based information from a street-level perspective. The company is focused on indexing reality, creating a robust geospatial data mine of urban environments that is accessed from the human perspective. earthmine solutions enable better informed and more effective geospatial decision making by delivering a highly accurate and realistic user experience that can be easily viewed, annotated, analyzed, measured and shared. The company, headquartered in Berkeley, California, was founded in 2006 and is privately held. For more information, visit www.earthmine.com.