Asian Surveying & Mapping
Breaking News
Australia’s Gilmour Space Technologies ready to launch maiden Eris Test flight the nation’s first orbital launch in over 50 years
Gilmour Space Technologies is the leading launch services company...
Korea’s space agency seeks revision of plan to modify next-gen rockets into reusable system
South Korea's aerospace agency said on Thursday that it...
UAE Space Agency Signs Agreement With Technology Innovation Institute to Execute the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt’s Lander Project
In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin...
Private Japanese lunar lander enters orbit around moon ahead of a June touchdown
A private lunar lander from Japan is now circling the moon, with...
Indian astronaut to travel soon to ISS as part of ISRO-NASA Mission
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said by 2040, an Indian’s...
China issues regulatory framework to support direct-to-device satellite services
HELSINKI — China has released comprehensive regulations for direct-to-device...
Astranis clinches $115 million Taiwan deal despite satellite setback
TAMPA, Fla. — Astranis has signed a $115 million...
UAE and Egypt Strengthen Space Collaboration with New MoU
In a milestone development for Arab space collaboration, the...
Seoul launches 4th spy satellite to boost North Korea surveillance
South Korea’s military now operates an increasingly integrated cluster...
Indonesia seeks space defense cooperation with Japan’s military
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Defense of Indonesia...

An 800-year-old puzzle about the burial place of Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan sparked a very 21st century business. Albert Lin was on an expedition to locate the lost tomb of the Mongol Empire founder, when satellite imagery firm DigitalGlobe donated some photos of potential areas for his team to scrutinise.

These images, taken from space, were enormous, and as nobody knows what the tomb actually looked like, there was no obvious place to start the search.

So the team decided to crowdsource for clues. They returned to Mongolia three times to investigate “anomalies” in the photographs, submitted by eagle-eyed armchair enthusiasts. Could one of these have been the burial site?

Alas, no, the search continues. But one of the team members, Shay Har-Noy, says: “We did find some ancient archaeological sites that are still in need of investigation.”

The experience inspired them to set up crowdsourcing platform Tomnod, which offered satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe to people running their own projects. DigitalGlobe eventually acquired the firm.

Among many other applications, shortwave infrared satellite imagery can help miners search for minerals. (Credit: DigitalGlobe)