There are various software packages that have used current satellite images to build their programs. In the past we all had a physical globe in our classrooms and some of us had them in our homes as well. They were a giant ball on a stand that had a large graphic of the planet Earth on a sticker stuck to that ball. In a way you could imagine it was Earth and look at the planet anywhere you wanted.
The technology today has come a very long way since the very first satellite images that were only available to the government. Today anybody can just log on to the Internet and see anything they want, even their very own house! Even as little as ten years ago something like that was not possible. Computers that have become a standard in almost everyone's home has helped that along.
The images today that are used in this software is so real that it could almost look as if it was taken with a camera. The images are exact pictures of Earth and most of them that people are looking at are taken just mere minutes before viewing. These pictures are used in the software and people can see anywhere in the world with them.
This is extremely different than a globe although people call it a sort of virtual globe. But the three dimensional images are presented in high resolution and almost look as if you were in a spaceship looking down on the Earth. The biggest advantage to using this software however is the ability to zoom in.
The weather is updates in some cases every minute or so and then sent to computers and weather stations back on the surface. From there the information is sent to all the various outlets around the world that use the information to put together the weather broadcasts, predictions, and forecasts. Millions of people count on these forecasts every day.
The virtual globe software allows people to pick anyplace on the Earth and within seconds they are looking at an image of that area. The picture is in a details that would have never before been possible and would not be possible without that satellite providing such crystal clear high resolution pictures. This software has changed the way we look at our planet.
The current images do cause problems for some places however. Places like the military for example. They do not want anybody in the world looking at their military bases and other installations. They could find out secrets of how certain places are configured or other locations they want kept secret. For this reason the military had to petition the government to make the software companies changes certain items.
It is amazing how much we can do with these current satellite images today. Imagine what would be possible even ten years from now. With the amount of information that is available to us today we can go anywhere in the world and see anything on the planet. Even as close to the ground as a license plate of a car from thousands of miles in space. Amazing!
The technology today has come a very long way since the very first satellite images that were only available to the government. Today anybody can just log on to the Internet and see anything they want, even their very own house! Even as little as ten years ago something like that was not possible. Computers that have become a standard in almost everyone's home has helped that along.
The images today that are used in this software is so real that it could almost look as if it was taken with a camera. The images are exact pictures of Earth and most of them that people are looking at are taken just mere minutes before viewing. These pictures are used in the software and people can see anywhere in the world with them.
This is extremely different than a globe although people call it a sort of virtual globe. But the three dimensional images are presented in high resolution and almost look as if you were in a spaceship looking down on the Earth. The biggest advantage to using this software however is the ability to zoom in.
The weather is updates in some cases every minute or so and then sent to computers and weather stations back on the surface. From there the information is sent to all the various outlets around the world that use the information to put together the weather broadcasts, predictions, and forecasts. Millions of people count on these forecasts every day.
The virtual globe software allows people to pick anyplace on the Earth and within seconds they are looking at an image of that area. The picture is in a details that would have never before been possible and would not be possible without that satellite providing such crystal clear high resolution pictures. This software has changed the way we look at our planet.
The current images do cause problems for some places however. Places like the military for example. They do not want anybody in the world looking at their military bases and other installations. They could find out secrets of how certain places are configured or other locations they want kept secret. For this reason the military had to petition the government to make the software companies changes certain items.
It is amazing how much we can do with these current satellite images today. Imagine what would be possible even ten years from now. With the amount of information that is available to us today we can go anywhere in the world and see anything on the planet. Even as close to the ground as a license plate of a car from thousands of miles in space. Amazing!
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