Spot Image is celebrating Shanghai’s World Expo in suitable fashion – with satellite animations. The international satellite data service company has created two image collections that track the extensive changes in the city as it prepared for the recently opened World Expo.

One presentation displays images captured between 1994 and 2010, in and around the 5.28 square kilometre site in the city’s centre. The animations illustrate the progression of the development, as lavish pavilions – such as the Netherlands’ “Happy Street” or France’s “Sensual City” – have replaced factories, docks and shipyards flanking Shanghai’s Huang-p'u River.

A second animation illustrates changes in the greater Shanghai area throughout the same time period.

Urban development is the central theme for the 2010 World Expo, which runs from 1 May to 31 October. Visit the Spot Image website for a quick tour through 16 years of the city’s progress.