Most Detailed Image Of Earth Yet 295
TomDM writes "BBC News has a story on how scientists created the most accurate and detailed image of our planet yet, composing the image from satellite data, and adjusting it for the correct colours. "
Scientists where... (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, Joe (Score:1, Offtopic)
Joe: Uh-oh...better call the boss.
You better not laugh (Score:1)
No New Zealand..... (Score:1)
Re:No New Zealand..... (Score:2)
The Explanation (was Re:No New Zealand.....) (Score:3, Funny)
well...
alright, actually they're only cropped off on the BBC site, the original pictures are complete, so blame BBC
-chris
Re:No New Zealand..... (Score:2)
-russ
Then you would be shocked... (Score:1)
Re:Scientists where... (Score:1, Offtopic)
however (Score:1)
Its just a message board...
I've been working on this myself. (Score:4, Funny)
Because I am trying to keep this as up to date as possible, I reshoot any areas that change. I haven't gotten very far, mostly my yard and part of the driveway.
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:1)
Everyone takes a snapshot (film, digital, videocam, etc.)
of his surroundings, sends it in to a central location
(a la distributed or Seti@home), paste together, and voila.
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:1)
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:2)
I'm _so_ tired of listening to people say that every new idea is "terrorist" or something.
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:2, Funny)
BURN HIM! BURN HIM!
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:2)
Re:I've been working on this myself. (Score:2)
Jeez.
And yet... (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:And yet... (Score:1)
Where? (Score:5, Insightful)
Corelating both, we could have a planetwide flying simulator, or even submarine simulator.
Then add the higher resolution satellite pictures to enrich the places where you have them, and we'd soon have a hugely interesting data set!
I did a proto browser like that years ago, correlating the ghhs coastline data set and the etopo5 elevation map (at 1 degree resolution; nothing). And thats still the only vectorial data you can get covering the whole planet, for free.
it's OUR planet anyway, why can't they release the data? it's not like the resolution is enought to have any military value anyway!
Re:Where? (Score:2)
Re:Where? (Score:2)
:)
Re:Where? (Score:1)
Re:Where? (Score:2)
Re:Where? (Score:4, Informative)
As to why more isn't avialable for free, it costs money to create data like this. One way or another, someone needs to pay for it. If taxes aren't enough to provide hi-res images of the entire world, then that leaves private enterprise.
Re:Where? (Score:1, Informative)
In case you don't know, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admininstration, National Geophysical Data Center.
Re:Where? (Score:1)
That gshhs dataset is pretty incredible, if you ever want to stress polygon clipping code, feel free to use it, europe, asia are ONE polygon, around 400.000 vertice
Screenshot is here, but might have been misencoded by the apple thing, sorry:
tool [mac.com]
Re:Where? (Score:3, Informative)
ftp://gloria2-f.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/stockli/ [nasa.gov]
The images are split into versions with or without shaded topography and bathymetry, there's an ice cap map, a landcover map, topography/bathymetry maps, a cloud layer, and the city lights image.
They're in RAW format ("Open As.." in Photoshop).
Be prepared to wait a while for them to open.
Movies, amd More (Score:2, Insightful)
http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Blue Marble/ [nasa.gov]
Re:Where? (Score:2)
Actually almost all of the MODIS data used to produce this image is available for free, in its original raw format.
I've ordered lots of data from the MISR instrument (which is similar to MODIS, and is on the same satellite), and basically you just pick the swaths you want and give them your email address. Later they send you email with an ftp site where you can download that swath. You can get as much as you want if you have the bandwidth. Be warned: these aren't JPEG images, they're raw HDF files, so you'll need to download some specialized tools or write some code to parse them.
Order Click here to MODIS data [nasa.gov]seems like a lot of trouble for nothing... (Score:3, Funny)
Wouldn't this [google.com] have been a lot easier?
MOD PARENT UP (Score:1)
Come on guys, this was a joke. Don't you get it (any true google-lovin' geek would)?
Hey (Score:1, Offtopic)
path radience (Score:2, Interesting)
Link? (Score:2)
Karma Whoring (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Karma Whoring (Score:1)
All those millions for a nice picture (Score:1)
Desktop Wallpaper!!!! (Score:2)
Re:Desktop Wallpaper!!!! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Desktop Wallpaper!!!! (Score:1)
Right here [nasa.gov]. (9mb TIFF from nasa)
Hmm, this sound familiar (Score:1)
Links to actual pictures (Score:5, Informative)
High Res Links (Score:5, Informative)
Yes.. you too can download a 410MB TIFF of the earth
Re:High Res Links (Score:2)
This thread (Score:2)
Re:High Res Links (Score:1)
Re:High Res Links (Score:1)
Connected, waiting for response...
220-This U.S. Government resource is for authorized use only.
220-
220-If not authorized to access this resource, disconnect now.
220-Unauthorized use of, or access to this resource may subject you to
220-disciplinary action or criminal prosecution.
220-
220-By accessing and using this resource, you are consenting to
220-monitoring, keystroke recording, or auditing.
220-
220-=(<*>)=-.:. (( Welcome to PureFTPd 0.99.3 ))
220-You are user number 44 of 100 allowed
220-Local time is now 19:40 and the load is 1.22. Server port: 21.
220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
USER anonymous
331 Any password will work
PASS (not shown)
230 Any password will work
RETR
150-Acc
150-The computer is your friend. Trust the computer
150 245939.9 kbytes to download
So now what, they're gonna get me for downloading from their anonymous ftp server?
I like the "The computer is your friend" comment though
Re:High Res Links (Score:3, Funny)
Re:High Res Links (Score:2, Funny)
I'm eating pringles [oreillynet.com] as fast as I can!
Africa (Score:3, Funny)
If you want wallpaper... (Score:4, Informative)
It's not the new uber-detailed version, but anything's better than the 2" by 2" clippings the BBC has accompanying the article. I doubt you'll tell the difference.
Enjoy! I currently have this as my wallpaper and think it's pretty nifty.
EricKrout.com
This is what the world really looks like.. (Score:1, Informative)
http://www.petersmap.com/page2.html
"..the cropping technique results in a map showing the equator about 60% of the way down the map, diminishing the size and importance of the developing countries.
This was convenient, psychologically and practically, through the eras of colonial domination when most of the world powers were European. It suited them to maintain an image of the world with Europe at the center and looking much larger than it really was. "
I want one. (Score:3, Interesting)
That would be rad.
Even better if they print it with light sensitve ink.
So when I turn out the lights I get the night version.
Re:I want one. (Score:2)
Re:I want one. (Score:3, Insightful)
http://www.weatherexperts.com/catalog/item.htm?ci
Re:I want one. (Score:2)
http://www.adsat.com/thumnail/catalog/livearth.ht
That has got to be... (Score:3, Funny)
Oh come on (Score:1)
Blue Marble... (Score:2, Redundant)
Blue Marble project.
If you go to the site, they have some great, high-resolution images of the earth during the day, night, by hemisphere, etc. A great source for desktops or just browsing for fun.
Re:Blue Marble... (Score:2)
;-)
This planet looks familiar... (Score:2, Interesting)
works great in xplanet (Score:4, Informative)
Re:works great in xplanet (Score:2)
Publicity stunt with altered photos (Score:2, Interesting)
What bugs me is that the Earth is made to look prettier than it is. Where are the cities? If you didn't know better, you'd think the planet's one big grassy plain with a desert in the middle. It's clear they made cosmetic touch-ups, right down to the cloud photos they chose to make the photo look more "typical."
And while it's great to see the planet without any clouds, if by "clouds" you mean "smog and pollution," then you might as well be editing out cities. You just don't end up with a meaningful view of the planet if you leave out how we've changed it.
This doesn't appear to be a useful, or even honest, project. It's more of a publicity stunt.
slashdotted??? (Score:1)
Exit strategy already? (Score:2)
Hmm, joke aside, this sentence sends a thrill down my spine, thinking of the day when human kind has screwed the planet up so badly that we have to move on.
I don't know about you, but last time I checked, Earth is still the best place to live. So let's take care of our home, while we still can.
Japan (Score:2, Interesting)
And if you look just above this body of water... (Score:1, Funny)
Wait a minute..
So thats... (Score:1)
AVHRR is comparitively old (Score:2)
Xix.
"Last one out, turn off the light" (Score:2, Informative)
But it's also incredibly apocalyptic, to me.
If my little 75-watt porch light contributes to light pollution enough to be visible from space, it really makes tangible the effect of the other kinds of pollution that that light must create. A tiny bit of coal here, a puff of gas there; without my (or anyone else's) thinking about it, it turns into something that's fucking visible from space.
So when the caption is "Last one out, turn off the light", all that does is drive home for me how even the tiniest decisions I make -- leaving the porch light on all night so robbers can't steal my luxuries -- affect the whole world.
Blimey, we're all killing eachother: cheerio, last one out, be a dear, turn off the light, eh?
Re:"Last one out, turn off the light" (Score:1)
Oop, and there you see... (Score:1)
--jw
Color Error... (Score:3, Funny)
For the record, if I'd known NASA was working on this, I would've reseeded my lawn. I didn't think anyone but the neighbors would notice the dead patches. My apologies...
Re:Color Error... (Score:2)
I thought the whole thing was too dark. Then I turned up my monitor. Now it's even more actual.
this store is a repost... (Score:1)
neat...but who cares? (Score:1)
Accurate? (Score:1)
So there's a rectangular version of the "most accurate map" on the BBC site...
But --- what's this ?
Oh my god, I don't exist!
They appear to have forgotton New Zealand [enzed.com]...
(also, amazingly, someone has filled in the ocean between Alaska and Russia... East meets west!)
Hm. (Score:3, Funny)
From: eng
Subj: 1055CM STILL out of ink
Hey guys, the 36-inch color inkjet printer still seems to be out of ink. I thought you guys were going to come out and replace the cartridge two hours ago.
Got Dual Monitors? (Score:1)
I have a picture of the earth at night, with all the lights on [of course, it had to be time rendered, as the whole earth is not lit at the exact same time]. You can download it for free from here [conesus.com], and by the way, this is the same image at the bottom of the article, but it got my attention because it's my background right now [21" + 17" and still looks great]
North and South Korea (Score:1)
finally! (Score:1)
To Get Your own High Quality Copy (Score:2, Informative)
Earth 1.0 (Score:2)
The last part is not feasable ofcourse because the static earth-images would be sitting on your drive, eating up a lot of space. But lower detail satellite images from the internet could be used to dynamically generate the cloud surface on top of the high detail images so zooming would be possible and it would almost be like Earth 1.0
I once saw a simular app in java but the graphics were quite bad.
Where can I buy one (Score:2)
Glowing Blue Coastlines? (Score:2)
Considering this is supposed to be true color, I'm really curious, since I've never seen anything like these in normal pictures of the Earth from space. In the cloudy one it almost looks like someone spilled radioactive waste all over South America and Europe or something....
So what does it mean? (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, it's cool anyway.
full scale (Score:4, Funny)
I have a map of the United States. It's full scale. It says on the side: "one inch equals one inch." Last Summer I folded it.
-- Steven Wright
Obligatory Comment (Score:2)
"I can see my house from here!"
Well, somebody had to say it.
Re:i love cheese (Score:1)
This reminds me of the monty python cheese shop sketch, very funny.
I think my favorite cheese is probably parmesan, so good on pasta with just olive oil and pepper. YUM
Americans can read maps and take abuse from dopes. (Score:1)
Re:Americans can read maps and take abuse from dop (Score:1)
I may not be able to name political figures from the Ukraine, or cities in Slovenia, or the political situation in the Faroe islands, But I do know where they are.
And how well do you think that Americans actually know their own country? For instance: The part of US banks and companies in building up cheap foreign (to the US) steel production to the detriment of the domestic market? Or the extent of poverty in WVa? Or the how Dubya intends to finance his renewable energy policy?
These are all domestic US issues that I know would fly right past the majority of US population.
Re:Americans can read maps and take abuse from dop (Score:2)
We've got troops [satirewire.com] in half the world, so the relative importance to an American of, say, Slovenia, is much higher than to an Aussie.
The flipside of your argument is that our responsibility to be aware of the world is proportional to our influence over it. Living in a democracy, it's no excuse to say "I never approved of this atrocity". So it starts to be pretty important that people know what's going on, say in Uzbekistan. And who we are going to bed with there. Many in the rest of the world are pissed off/amazed at how we allow our government to send military aid to regimes who are conducting mass murder (e.g. Turkey), or train/give loans to security forces in repressive, fanatical regimes (Saudi Arabia). They rightly conclude that popular ignorance lets our govt. get away with murder. So the responsibility to be more informed than everyone else is on our shoulders. In this respect, it doesn't matter how much geography a Canadian [satirewire.com] knows.
Re:But of course .. (Score:1)
And if you want to bitch some more, how about these additional facts:
1/ Steve's day job is manufacturing the skates that his competitors used.
2/ The head judge who ruled that there would be no re-run was Australian and is a long time family friend of Steve.
I'd rather be .. (Score:1)
Re:I'd rather be .. (Score:1)
My previous point was that at least the competition was not rigged.
Offtopic?! (Score:1)
Here (I think) (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:So where is the Great Wall of China (Score:2)
If not, well... China. ( :