About the development of the Satellite Imaging Corporations' oil and gas exploration, vector data like culture, landcover, wells, and subsurface interpreted areas can be overlaid to the original images once the satellite imagery is acquired. The image transparency capabilities creates powerful interpretation tools for mapping and GIS projects showing the "big picture." These data-filled maps are not valuable to plotting the pipeline courses during the planning survey. It identifies potential problem areas and determines strategy for laying pipe through rural, mountainous, or environmentally harsh areas. During the 3D terrain modeling process accurate slope maps and vegetation data is vital to the process. The DTMs created by Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC) are true to life, allowing engineers to foresee their plans in a virtual 3D landscape before finalizing the route of the pipeline corridor.
Satellite remote sensors (e.g. GeoEye-1, WorldView-2, Worldview-1, Quickbird, IKONOS, SPOT-5, LANDSAT 7+ETM, and ASTER) are being used heavily to search for surface indicators of subsurface oil and gas, risk assessment and monitoring. 
SIC can get images from the most difficult-to-photograph areas of the world.

The multi-billion dollar satellite industry has been growing every minute, everyday, in ways unimaginable, both in the private and public sectors in the last fifty years. It is also expected to grow in the future.

This industry is very, very expensive, making it remarkable for its projects, such as manufacture, launch and insurance of one satellite, which typically require upfront investment of at least a hundred million US Dollars. 

It is particularly active in North America and Western Europe having the largest commercial satellite transponders. The MENA Region, South Asia and Latin American markets, and to a certain extent emerging markets such as China, Brazil and Indonesia, are also fast developing. In this link, the MENA (Middle East-North Africa) region and a survey of the pertinent international and regional legal and regulatory framework are discussed.

According to an article, National Broadband Network Co-chief executive officer, Mike Quigley has revealed plans to construct and launch 2 x $500 million dollar satellites into orbit to deliver National Broadband Network services of at least 12 Megabits to Australian Households  that could take up to four years to be made.

A satellite can be of service to 200,000 premises, transmitting way more than enough bandwidth to service those outside the NBN’s fibre network. However, a further satellite was required for redundancy purposes. They also believe that the proposed NBN Satellite Network could also service those who live outside the main area around major metropolitan regions where access or difficult terrain could prevent fibre rollouts, as well as those in remote areas.

Putting up a project like this is a very excellent move. The world is changing fast and satellites should not be left behind. If it stagnates, the world will surely slow down.