Before-and-after satellite images of the area captured by Space Imaging's IKONOS satellite show certain changes to the environment and will be used as evidence in the case. From a 423-mile-high orbit the satellite can see objects on the ground as small as one meter in size.

Marana's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) department has been collecting imagery for the last three years to map its expanding boundaries, chart the town's recreational trail system and produce three-dimensional views of proposed developments to provide citizens a glimpse of what their neighborhoods will look like in the future.

In mid-2004, Chris Mack, Marana's senior geographic information systems specialist, discovered the imagery showed that the terrain had been altered at La Osa Ranch. The satellite images captured the alleged land clearing which included 700 acres over four miles from north to south.

"We routinely collect satellite images of our town and the surrounding area to map our community and to better understand its growth and environmental challenges," said Mack.

"When I heard about the controversy in La Osa Ranch, I discovered that the imagery we collected happened to include the area under investigation and we were quickly able to see the changes in the land by comparing images taken over the past few years. The satellite imagery was very telling and should play a key role in the litigation because it clearly demonstrates the sequence of events."

The State of Arizona alleges that the developer destroyed American Indian ruins dating back to A.D. 750, killed more than 40,000 protected native plants on state trust lands, discharged pollutants into the Santa Cruz River and caused an epidemic that killed 21 rare desert bighorn sheep.

The cleared land consisted of both wetlands and desert lands. Mack first heard about the allegations in December 2003 and at that time reviewed satellite imagery from 2003 which showed the beginning of land clearing activities especially when compared to images of the same area from 2002.

In the summer of 2004, the town received another order of imagery including the area of the land clearing that revealed the full extent of the damage. Marana purchased the satellite imagery through Global Systems Modeling Ltd of Tucson, who provided additional image post-processing for the cost of the imagery alone.

IKONOS satellite imagery has been widely used around the world for environmental monitoring and natural resource management. "It's great to see a customer use our imagery in a way they didn't originally intend," said Craig Erikson, manager Space Imaging's North American Reseller Channel.

"This particular case demonstrates the utility of satellite imagery and the importance of comparing changes in land use from year-to-year. We have the world's largest archive of commercial high-resolution satellite imagery dating back to early 2000, and every day we continue to add new imagery."

Before and after IKONOS images showing the alleged clearing are available at http://www.spaceimaging.com/newsroom/2005_marana.htm.

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