Amazing earth-mapping software!

[BruceWright]

http://www.earthviewer.com/


The Keyhole Earthviewer is a live database of satellite images of the earth.

Yeah, so what, so is terraserver, you say.

But get this. The earthviewer runs on nvida boards on your computer, and gives you an entire, FLYABLE view of the earth, complete with topology. Fly down the Grand Canyon, then zoom out for a look at the entire globe, then come in for a landing at Cape Canaveral.

It's all at multiple resolutions, and since the data is live over the internet, it all STREAMS to you as you fly around. There is a community of users looking at the images and flying around finding interesting things to look at. Mt St. Helens is phenomenal, as you can explore the distinctive exploded crater.

Certain areas (non-residential) are at ultra-high resolution (3 inches a pixel). Those are the ones where you can pick out your car, or see a 49ers game in progress. (These are still images).

The price is a subscription to the online dataset. They charge you 9 bucks a month. To me, it's worth 9 bucks to play with it for a month or two, then toss it.

This is a fascinating piece of software, a must-have for anyone interested in maps, geography, or just getting around town and seeing the world. Los Angeles residents can take particular joy in seeing the whole city as one connected thing. Zooming in and out, and riding through the canyons.

(This isn't a plug, I have no financial interest in this company).

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream