The IKONOS-2 satellite is a fine resolution craft operated by GeoEye, (formerly Space Imaging). IKONOS was launched on September 24, 1999, and provides imagery beginning January 1, 2000. IKONOS is used to obtain both urban and rural mapping of natural resources and of natural disasters, tax mapping, agriculture and forestry analysis, mining, engineering, construction, and change detection. IKONOS provides relevant data for nearly all aspects of environmental study. GLCF provides access to a restricted set of IKONOS imagery acquired through the NASA Science Data Purchase. Please note that these images are property of GeoEye and Digital Globe. GLCF also distributes four IKONOS scenes made available by GeoEye to help with the 2008 earthquake in the western Sichuan area of China.