The State University of New York at Fredonia has received over $50,000 in products and services from Space Imaging, owner of the world’s first high-resolution commercial imaging satellite, IKONOS, which is helping it the ever-changing features of the earth’s surface. The gifts include photographs from space of Western New York and Chautauqua County, and are especially useful to the faculty and students in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) program.
 
"We were speechless, really," said Dr. Ann Deakin, geosciences professor and coordinator of the university’s minor in GIS. "These are the kinds of materials that are generally available only at large research universities."
 
The conduit for this generosity is Class of 1985 graduate Howard Klayman, who, as Director of Customer Service Operations for Space Imaging, has delivered about $54,000 in gifts to SUNY Fredonia’s minor in information management systems tied to geographic data.

Among the products donated to SUNY Fredonia are 23 satellite images of Cazenovia Creek, a body of water that runs through the heart of Erie County before reaching Lake Erie. The collection also includes a pair of IKONOS photographs expanded to poster size that capture images of the SUNY Fredonia campus and the Dunkirk-Fredonia area from a height of 423 miles. These IKONOS photos are available for public viewing in the Houghton Hall first-floor lounge on the SUNY Fredonia campus.
 
The images are tonally balanced, map-accurate, and mosaicked for optimum review. Due to its agility, capacity, and the height of its orbit, IKONOS can collect twice as much high-resolution data as any other satellite, with up to 2-meter ground position accuracy and consistent quality across the entire field of view. Launched in 1999, the 1,600-pound IKONOS moves at a speed of 4.5 miles per second.
 
Facilitating the relationship between his alma mater and his employer is a labor of love for Mr. Klayman, who attributes his success in the business world to the lessons he learned as a teaching candidate at SUNY Fredonia, where he majored in music education. "My educational background has helped enormously," Mr. Klayman said. "Having the ability to teach in the business world is a valuable asset…It’s a foundation that has assisted me since I made the decision to leave teaching and take a shot at the world of business."
 
His work with Space Imaging has kept him in the forefront of world events. The company has worked closely with the United States Department of Defense during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and provided satellite imagery following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Columbia shuttle crash and the recent tsunami disaster in southeast Asia. Using IKONOS images and specialized software, Space Imaging was also able to create an Alaskan flight simulator that is credited for reducing small-plane accidents in the rugged northern state by 30 percent.
 
Twenty years removed from his time as an undergraduate, Mr. Klayman has proven himself to be counted among SUNY Fredonia’s more intriguing success stories. "I enjoyed my time at Fredonia greatly, and I look forward to continuing this relationship," he said.