Gigapixel camera offers super sharp shots

That's right, gigapixel.


The challenge, says Michael Cohen, head of the Interactive Visual Media group at Microsoft Research in Redmond, Washington, is dealing with the huge amount of data that these cameras will produce.
The gigapixel camera that takes ten frames per second will generate ten gigabytes of data every second — too much to store in conventional file formats, post on YouTube or e-mail to a friend. Not everything in these huge images is worth displaying or even recording, and researchers will have to write software to determine which data are worth storing and displaying, and create better interfaces for viewing and sharing gigapixel images


Gigapixel camera catches the smallest details : Nature News & Comment (external - login to view)

One-shot gigapixel camera offers a future beyond flat sensors: Digital Photography Review (external - login to view)

Is this the type of camera that they would use in the un-maned drones on the US/Canada border. I know they are supposed to be use a thermal camera as it sees through the bush cover and picks up heat in the cool water, but for actual detail this would be assime from 2-5 000 feet. Steady shot included.