--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 15:19:14 -0500
From: Eric Riback <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: largest globe
 
 
----
>From the DeLorme web site:
 
YARMOUTH, Maine, January 15, 1999 - The dazzling image of EARTHA at the
DeLorme
     headquarters now has a second home - one among the listings in the
record books. EARTHA
     has officially been given the title of "World's Largest Globe" by the
editors of the Guinness
     Book of World Records. After official measurements, pictures and news
clippings were
     assembled and discussed by the editors of the yearly volume, EARTHA
was officially
     admitted into the winner’s circle. 
 
     A letter from Kim Stram, Director of Special Projects for Guinness
Media, Inc. informed
     DeLorme staff members that the record had been added to their database
and would now
     face one additional hurdle - the editorial staff of Guinness
Publishing in England. This staff
     combs their database looking for compelling photographs and
interesting new records to
     publish in their book each year.
 
     The official measurements of EARTHA made by several independent and
licensed surveyors
     found the Globe to measure 41 feet, one and one-half inches, slightly
less than the rounded
     figure of 42 feet that was projected by DeLorme staff members. Still,
41' 1.5" was still more
     than enough to surpass the current record-holder, the Globe of Peace
in Apecci, Pesaro, Italy
     (which is 33 feet in diameter and does not revolve or rotate). 
 
     EARTHA was unveiled July 23, 1998. It took two years to build and
represents Earth as it is
     seen from space. EARTHA rotates and revolves on a mechanized,
cantilever arm and every
     continent is beautifully detailed, with vivid colors illustrating all
levels of vegetation, major
     roadways and cities. Ocean depths are also completely represented. 
 
     "The building of EARTHA was a tremendous challenge for all of us,"
says David DeLorme,
     CEO. "It will help us make even better maps and will help others
envision how we on Earth
     are all connected."
 
     Every aspect of EARTHA was developed using computer technology. It was
designed by David
     DeLorme and constructed by DeLorme staff members. The mapping data,
which took over a
     year to compile, is completely unique. It is a special composite
database built from satellite
     imagery, shaded relief, colored bathymetry (ocean depth data) and
information from
     terrestrial sources, such as road networks and urban areas. Its scale
is 1:1,000,000, which
     works out to be one inch equaling nearly 16 miles.
 
     Two EARTHA-related products are already released - the EARTHA™ World
Travelog, a paper
     atlas of the world for armchair travelers, and EARTHA™ Global
Explorer®, on CD-ROM and
     DVD-ROM of the world that features 3-D views of Earth. Both products
are created from the
     richly detailed maps of the EARTHA database. 
 
     DeLorme has also started an organization called the EARTHA Educational
Alliance, a
     non-profit group of volunteers that will use EARTHA and other tools to
educate children about
     geography and the world around them. That program began this past fall.
 
 
 
     . Eric Riback
     . mailto:[log in to unmask]      
     . http://www.mapville.com           	
 
 
--- End Forwarded Message ---