GeoEye (NASDAQ: GEOY) is an integrated satellite imaging firm that owns the satellites in space and the on-ground image processing. The company contracts these resources and the accompanying service to various government and private sector entities. GeoEye has two satellites in orbit already—the IKONOS and the GeoEye-1—with a third preparing for launch sometime during the course of 2013. GeoEye-1 has a resolution of 41 centimeters, while GeoEye-2 will have a resolution of up to 25 centimeters, with the highest precision reserved for the U.S. government only. Satellite imaging is used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to defense, disaster response, air and marine transportation, oil and gas exploration, mining production and exploration, mapping of remote regions, location-based services, insurance and risk management, agricultural crop management, etc.