The invention of digital photography has impacted our lives in ways that are hard to imagine. Yes, we can take, share, and protect pictures of family and friends far more easily than ever before. But, it is amazing to stop and consider the other ways that our personal lives have changed by the advent of digital photography. Here are just a few of the industries that have been changed and improved by the digital photography revolution.

Here are five industries revolutionized by digital photography and its technology:

Medicine

The field of medicine has benefited greatly from the development of digital imagery. Thanks to the ease of transferring digital images, patient data can now be stored with relevant photographs and sent to any hospital in the world. No longer needing to wait for the development of film allows instant results for reference photographs and X-rays, and those photographs can now be placed on a hard drive instead of taking up storage room space. Many endoscopic procedures available today would not be possible without the technology of digital.

Cyber-Space

During the last ten years, the internet has become a new way to socialize. Although once only thought of as a place for computer nerds, the internet has now become perhaps the most important communication tool in the world. A big part of this communication is the ability to share, upload and download images. The social networking site Facebook has more than 10 billion photographs, all of which owe their presence to the technology of digital cameras. Whether it's sharing pictures of a wedding or taking photos during a crisis, digital photography has completely changed how people share their story.

Outer Space

Space exploration is thought to be one of humanity's most significant achievements. The new and advanced technology has allowed space scientists to explore and view areas that they have never seen before, such as the images captured and sent back to earth from the digital cameras mounted on the Mars Exploration Rovers. Without the ability to process images as data and transmit that data across unimaginable distances, our view of space would still largely be limited to what we can see from Earth.

Sports Photography

While it may seem obvious that the development of digital has changed the way in which we document sporting events, it's hard to understand how great a difference it has created without looking in more detail. Since digital photography is not limited by film, there is really no cost difference between taking a thousand photographs or taking one. With this added freedom, sports journalists are free to take thousands of photographs at every event they cover, increasing their chances of scoring one of those "one in a million" shots and opening the profession up to those who may have been afraid to risk the film.

How We Learn

As with education, digital photography has helped make learning more accessible, more interactive and perhaps even more rewarding. The low cost of digital makes it a great choice for student projects, and the abundance of digital photos and editing tools have provided countless students with resources for presentations and research. The use of digital video, which uses the same technology as digital photos, has enabled us to do such things as communicate worldwide in real time and take classes on the internet.

It can be easy to take digital photography for granted, especially in our daily lives. However, once we are aware of the many things that digital cameras has made possible, it is exciting to realize the impact that they have made on our daily lives. From advanced medical procedures to a clearer view of the stars, digital has opened many doors that without it would have remained closed - possibly forever.