Radar images of earth
August 13, 2007 8:08 AM Subscribe
High resolution images of Earth. The German satellite TerraSAR-X was shot into space on June 15, and already four days after sent some beautiful pictures back to Earth. Pictures are described in German, but you'll figure it out.
I'm not clear on how this is any better than the existing imagery from Google Earth, etc... and with it being European I'm skeptical that the public will get access to an image database.
posted by rolypolyman at 8:21 AM on August 13, 2007
posted by rolypolyman at 8:21 AM on August 13, 2007
They are radar images. Resolution is limited by wavelength and radar wavelengths are much longer than optical ones.
posted by DU at 8:24 AM on August 13, 2007
posted by DU at 8:24 AM on August 13, 2007
I'm not clear on how this is any better than the existing imagery from Google Earth
Data from this satellite (and its sister satellite to be launched in a couple of years) will include detailed topographical data, enabling true 3D representations of the earth (with colour-corrected images on top) - both to the surface and including vegetation and man-made structures. There are other ways to go about this not involving satellites, but in theory at least, this is the cheapest and quickest way to do it. To the the difference between high quality and low quality 3D maps, check out the UK (especially those mountains in Wales) in Google Earth and MS Virtual Earth. MS has detailed IFSAR maps (from high-altitude planes) while Google has lower quality 3D data.
And the "public" will not get access to it (as far as I know) - this is a private corporation owned by EADS. It will be sold to governments, PND OEMs, car makers, mapping and software cos and insurance companies.
posted by loquax at 8:41 AM on August 13, 2007
Data from this satellite (and its sister satellite to be launched in a couple of years) will include detailed topographical data, enabling true 3D representations of the earth (with colour-corrected images on top) - both to the surface and including vegetation and man-made structures. There are other ways to go about this not involving satellites, but in theory at least, this is the cheapest and quickest way to do it. To the the difference between high quality and low quality 3D maps, check out the UK (especially those mountains in Wales) in Google Earth and MS Virtual Earth. MS has detailed IFSAR maps (from high-altitude planes) while Google has lower quality 3D data.
And the "public" will not get access to it (as far as I know) - this is a private corporation owned by EADS. It will be sold to governments, PND OEMs, car makers, mapping and software cos and insurance companies.
posted by loquax at 8:41 AM on August 13, 2007
you'll figure it out.
Apparently not, seeing as I'm just seeing a big white box where I assume content should be.
posted by influx at 9:13 AM on August 13, 2007
Apparently not, seeing as I'm just seeing a big white box where I assume content should be.
posted by influx at 9:13 AM on August 13, 2007
Try this link from the company's website. Bonus: It's in English.
posted by loquax at 9:25 AM on August 13, 2007
posted by loquax at 9:25 AM on August 13, 2007
I'm just seeing a big white box where I assume content should be.
Decreasing or increasing the font size (top right) solved this for me.
posted by Adam_S at 10:55 AM on August 13, 2007
Decreasing or increasing the font size (top right) solved this for me.
posted by Adam_S at 10:55 AM on August 13, 2007
Thanks for that link loquax, it seems my posting this without checking for some English pages with those pictures was too hastened.
posted by Glow Bucket at 12:37 PM on August 13, 2007
posted by Glow Bucket at 12:37 PM on August 13, 2007
Basic info on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imagery here. More interesting links on that site, including a pretty cool archive of images from all sorts of SAR platforms.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 2:03 PM on August 13, 2007
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 2:03 PM on August 13, 2007
and with it being European I'm skeptical that the public will get access to an image database.
Wait, what? I thought those dirty Europeans were all about big government and social welfare, and it was the America that did things better with its free market and private corporations. Jetzt bin ich ganz verwirrt.
posted by moonbiter at 7:04 PM on August 13, 2007
Wait, what? I thought those dirty Europeans were all about big government and social welfare, and it was the America that did things better with its free market and private corporations. Jetzt bin ich ganz verwirrt.
posted by moonbiter at 7:04 PM on August 13, 2007
No no, the weird thing is moonbiter, because Americans are all so down on government and socialism, when the government does pay for something or do something, people kick and scream and demand free access for their tax dollars.
Whereas elsewhere, we tend to have to deal with bullshit "cost recovery" payments whenever we want to try to get any kind of data out of the government. In my experience, the US makes a lot more of it's data (for things like meteorology, maps, environmental data) available for free to the public than in Europe or here in Australia.
posted by Jimbob at 7:09 PM on August 13, 2007
Whereas elsewhere, we tend to have to deal with bullshit "cost recovery" payments whenever we want to try to get any kind of data out of the government. In my experience, the US makes a lot more of it's data (for things like meteorology, maps, environmental data) available for free to the public than in Europe or here in Australia.
posted by Jimbob at 7:09 PM on August 13, 2007
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posted by Effigy2000 at 8:16 AM on August 13, 2007