CC image courtesy of Carlos Luna on Flickr.
Tech giant Google has announced an agreement to acquire Skybox Imaging for US$500 million, allowing the company to keep its Google Maps service accurate and up to date.
Skybox was founded in 2009 by Dan Berkenstock, Julian Mann, John Fenwick and Ching-Yu Hu, and has subsequently developed the world’s smallest high-resolution imaging satellite.
“The time is right to join a company who can challenge us to think even bigger and bolder, and who can support us in accelerating our ambitious vision,” Skybox said in a statement.
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in the United States and to adjustments.
Google has said it hopes Skybox will help in aiding the company’s humanitarian efforts in future.
“Over time, we also hope that Skybox’s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief — areas Google has long been interested in,” it said.
The internet giant has undertaken numerous acquisitions in the past few months including game developers Green Throttle, connected home company Nest Labs, advanced robotics firm Boston Dynamics, artificial intelligence company DeepMind Technologies and solar powered drone makerTitan Aerospace.
