Free online geospatial data for state and local governments

DigitalGlobe, which sells satellite imagery and geospatial information, has decided to give some away to state and local governments in the U.S. Quoting from today's press release: "U.S. civil government customers at the state and local level now have the freedom to use, distribute and modify QuickBird satellite imagery products without penalty. This new civil government licensing model, effective September 17, 2004, represents a pivotal change in the commercial remote sensing industry's traditional treatment of product licensing....According to David Nale, senior vice president of commercial markets for DigitalGlobe, the company's new licensing removes a critical barrier that prevented government organizations from sharing data with essential stakeholders....'As a government agency, it is difficult to justify using tax payer money to acquire products that are only accessible to our agency or a select group of people,' said Craig Tasaka, GIS program manager for the state of Hawaii." (Thanks to Harlan Onsrud.)