About | UrtheCast

About UrtheCast

By developing the first high-definition streaming video platform of Earth, UrtheCast plans to change the way we view the world. With the help of prominent aerospace partners like RSC Energia, UrtheCast is building, launching, installing, and operating two cameras onboard the International Space Station.

In second half of 2013, video of Earth will begin streaming across the globe. Everyone from web surfers and smartphone users, to media representatives and agriculturists, will be able to use the UrtheCast platform to see world events unfold in near real-time. App developers will have access to open source Earth video data, while educators will be able to harness rich video for their lesson plans. What’s more, environmental monitoring services and humanitarian relief organizations will have access to dynamic imagery as an additional tool in their relief efforts.

The Experience

When you begin using the platform, it will feel much like you’re interacting with a mashup of Google Earth and YouTube. You will be able to scroll, pan, zoom, and search your way around the Earth video stream, which will reveal everything from natural wonders of the world to buzzing urban centers.

How It Will Work





Footage courtesy of NASA, timelines and information are subject to change



One medium-resolution and one high-resolution camera will be launched to space by the Soyuz Mission and mounted to the underside of the Russian segment of the Space Station. Read more.As the Station orbits the globe, Earth imagery will be captured by both cameras and stored onboard the ISS. This imagery will then be downlinked to groundstations positioned across the planet. Here it will be processed and streamed to the web in near real-time, casting a view of the world only astronauts have experienced.

To get the chance to test UrtheCast's web platform, sign-up here. Show less.


            
            
						The Platform
			
The UrtheCast web platform will feel like a blending of a video version of GoogleEarth with the video playback and search functionality of YouTube. Read more.It will operate seamlessly with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

With the world’s first and only near real time high definition video from space, the UrtheCast experience will be truly unique and will generate significant awareness, publicity and User interest world-wide:

Enabling a uniquely powerful perspective on major international news stories like the crisis at Fukushima, the public uprising in Tahrir square, or refugee camps in the Sudan
Empowering students with a rich educational perspective for viewing the wonders of the planet in a manner never before possible
Unlocking human creativity and ingenious user generated content with events like flash crowds, innovative wedding proposals, and “the wave” at sporting events
Creating a singular vantage point for observing environmental events around the world with recent and relevant video footage of earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, droughts and the effects of environmental change
Providing a vehicle for innumerable gaming and cross-platform media applications and partnerships across the entertainment and social media spectrum

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             			Board of Directors
			


Anthony Lacavera
Chairman of the Board



Anthony Lacavera | Chairman of the Board
Mr. Lacavera, Chairman and CEO of Globalive Holdings and WIND Mobile, is a Canadian-born entrepreneur who has built Globalive into a global leader in next generation telecommunications. Mr. Lacavera was named CEO of the Year for 2010 by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine. He was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2006. Under Lacavera’s leadership Globalive has received numerous best in business awards, including ranking #1 on Profit Magazine’s 2004 list of Canada’s 100 fastest growing companies.




William (Mac) Evans
Director



William (Mac) Evans | Director
Mr. Evans has 35 years of experience in several science-based departments of the Federal Government. For more than twenty years, Mr. Evans led the development of the unique partnership relationships between the Federal Government and the Canadian Space Industry that have been instrumental in the successful growth of the industry in the international marketplace. In 2001, Mr. Evans retired from the Public Service of Canada. In 2004, until the federal election in June, Mr. Evans was Chief of Staff for the Minister of National Defence.




Richard Holdaway, PhD
Director




Richard Holdaway, PhD | Director
Dr. Holdaway has 35 years of experience in Space Programs, having worked on numerous missions in Space Science and Earth Observation. He is a Fellow (and Council member) of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, and also a visiting Professor at the University of Kent and University of Aeronautics & Astronautics in Beijing, China. He is the Director of RAL Space and past Chairman of BNSC Space Advisory Council.




Dale Johnson
Director



Dale Johnson | Director
Mr. Johnson has over 40 years of experience in corporate leadership, operations management, business development, project management and turnarounds for private and public companies. He was a founding member and a Principal of Tri Ocean Engineering Ltd. (oilfield engineering). He was the founder and CEO of Alpeco Limited (specialized oilfield equipment packager). More recently, he was President of Neovia Financial Plc’s Asia Pacific operations, establishing the company’s services in online payments in the region, from September 2005 to December 2006.




Scott Larson
Director & President



Scott Larson | Director & President
Mr. Larson’s career bridges technology and finance in both entrepreneurial and investment banking roles. He has directly advised over 75 companies on their corporate finance strategies assisting them through the capital raising process; from structuring, facilitating, and ultimately closing. He co-founded one of the original online financial portals, launched in 1995 and then spent the next five years directly involved in online portal development and online asset management.




Wade Larson
Director, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President



Wade Larson | Director, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President
Mr. Larson has over 17 years of space sector experience at the Canadian Space Agency and at MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Corporation (MDA), Canada’s largest space company. He has extensive, global experience in space-related business development, strategy development, government relations, international relations and policy formulation. Mr. Larson developed the original vision for the UrtheCast venture.



           
            
            
            
             			Management
			


Dr. George Tyc, PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer


Dr. George Tyc, PhD | Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Tyc is a recognized leader in the space industry having worked on numerous space missions and technology development programs over the last 25 years. He was a Technical Director at MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA), where he has had leadership roles on many initiatives which included being responsible for developing MDA’s next generation high resolution optical earth observation satellite system. He was also the Chief Engineer for the end-to-end system developed for the earth imaging company RapidEye AG, which involved a constellation of five small earth observation satellites and the associated ground segment.




Serguei Bedziouk, PhD
Vice President, Russian Relations



Serguei Bedziouk, PhD | Vice President, Russian Relations
Dr. Bedziouk has built a distinguished career in the Aerospace and Advanced Science industries. He has 18 years of international experience in marketing, development, and contract negotiations at senior government levels with the Russian Aerospace Industry. As well, he spent 12 years working with the Canadian Space Agency and 11 years with Rocket Space Corporation Energia in Russia. He was also the primary manager for a number of international projects implemented on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Those projects included two scientific Canadian Space Agency payload installations and the successful marketing initiative of Element 21 Corp. Dr. Bedziouk’s experience will help ensure the successful installation of the UrtheCast cameras on the ISS.




Alfred Law
Vice President, International Business



Alfred Law | Vice President, International Business
Alfred has 25 years of experience in space and earth observation business working for MDA, the leading space company in Canada. Through his extensive international business experience, Alfred has established long term relationships with many customers worldwide. He has also maintained a network of business contacts in the earth observation community. Alfred will leverage his international experience and vast business network to bring the benefits of UrtheCast camera data to customers worldwide.




Jeff Rath, CFA
Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions


Jeff Rath, CFA | Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions
Mr. Rath gained extensive experience in all aspects of finance and capital market activities, specifically as they relate to Technology and Digital Media companies during the last 17 years in technology equity research and technology corporate/commercial banking. Most recently, Jeff spent 14 years as a senior member of Canaccord’s global research team and a Managing Director within its technology equity research practice covering Location Technologies and Digital Media. Mr. Rath was a key member of CanaccordGenuity’s original capital markets team which help grow the company into one of the world’s largest independent global investment banks (1B+ in TTM revenue, 2,000+ employees, full global product and services offering). He is well recognized as an industry expert in the evolving Location Technology segment establishing an extensive industry network and investor following. Prior to joining Canaccord, Mr. Rath worked as both a Relationship Manager and Industry Analyst within TD Bank’s commercial/corporate banking group with a majority focus on the unique requirement of high growth technology companies. Jeff graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a BA in Economics in 1992 and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation (since 1997), and is a Member of the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR).




Issa Nakhleh
Chief Financial Officer


Issa Nakhleh | Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Nakhleh brings a wealth of experience as a finance and administration professional. He received his professional accounting designation in 1989 and his MBA in 1995. Over the last 15 years he has been the CFO of technology and medical device public and private companies. Under his leadership, he helped grow a publicly held lighting technology company from $2M to $30M in annual revenues. He was instrumental in both the negotiations with the several large corporate customers and also in implementing the proper systems and controls to profitably grow the company. From there he joined Ultrasonix Medical, assisting them grow from $5M to $30M of annualized revenue in less than 18 months as both CFO and VP, Operations. Both companies experienced tremendous employee growth—from 30 to 150 globally located employees. Issa also oversaw the important functions of IT and HR during these critical growth phases of these companies. Mr. Nakhleh also serves as the President of the Vancouver chapter of Financial Executives International, a North American association for senior financial executives.



           
            
            
         	
             			Strategic Partners
			


RSC Energia



RSC Energia, founded in 1946, is the largest aerospace company in Russia and one of the industry’s global leaders. It employs approximately 25,000 people and maintains operational and technical control of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Energia focuses on both manned and unmanned space missions, rocket and launch systems, further development of the International Space Station, and other various technologies and services focused around advanced technologies and aerospace.
RSC Energia‘s many accomplishments include the launch of the first satellite in 1957 and the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961.




RAL Space



Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL Space) is part of the Science and Technologies Facility Council. RAL Space works alongside the UK Space Agency who co-ordinate UK civil space activities. RAL Space has around 200 staff who are dedicated to supporting the programmes of the UK Government and those of the other research councils and works with a large number of other agencies, industry players, and other commercial customers. RAL Space has been involved in over 200 space missions and is at the forefront of UK Space Research.
RAL Space is known around the world for undertaking world-leading space research and technology development, providing space test and ground-based facilities, designing and building instruments, and for operating S- and X-band ground-station facilities. RAL Space works with space and ground-based groups around the world.
The organization has ISO9001:2000 certification for the work it undertakes on both space and ground-based instruments.



           
            
            
         
				
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