This message was sent to the list by Pat McGlamery. The Moderator has edited
the message, which was in html format, to cut down the file size. Some of the
html code has been removed. The message is from a report on ZDNet. The URL
for the atlas has not yet been released. However if you go to the location
http://terraserver.com you will find what appears to be a test site.
Johnnie
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>Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 13:45:20 -0400
>From: Pat McGlamery <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: [Fwd: Huge world atlas coming soon to the Web]
Heads up!
Patrick McGlamery
<!-- Vignette Tue Jun 9 14:07:59 1998 -->
<title>Huge world atlas coming soon to the Web</title>
<TITLE>Huge world atlas coming soon to the Web</TITLE>
<B>The world's biggest atlas soon will be at the fingertips of Web users.=
</B>
<p>Starting June 24, Internet surfers can view parts of the world from ne=
arly any angle, thanks to a joint research project between Microsoft Corp=
=2E (<A HREF=3D"http://www.zdii.com/industry_list.asp?mode=3Dnews&ticker=3D=
msft">MSFT</A>), Digital Equipment Corp. (<A HREF=3D"http://www.zdii.com/=
industry_list.asp?mode=3Dnews&ticker=3Ddec">DEC</A>), the U.S. Geological=
Survey, Eastman Kodak Co. (<A HREF=3D"http://www.zdii.com/industry_list.=
asp?mode=3Dnews&ticker=3Dek">EK</A>) and others.<p>
<font face=3D"times,times new roman" size=3D4 COLOR=3D"#333366"><b><i>Bec=
ause the pictures will offer only one-meter resolution, viewers will be a=
ble to identify homes and cars, but not people.</i></b></font><br>
<P>Through the project -- known as the Terra-Server -- users will be able=
to view vast images of the entire earth or pictures of detailed slices o=
f their hometown. They can rotate them, zoom in and out, and navigate acr=
oss them.<P>
The database will contain more than 7 million square kilometers of the ur=
ban world, gleaned from satellite images of the U.S. Geological Survey an=
d the Russian Space Agency.
<p>Because the pictures will offer, at the sharpest, only one-meter resol=
ution, viewers will be able to identify homes and cars, but not people, a=
ccording to Microsoft research papers on the subject. No URL has been ass=
igned yet.
<P><font color=3D#cc0000><b>Test of heavy-duty technology</b></font><BR>
Microsoft is undertaking the project as it marches into the heavy-duty da=
tabase market. The company is hoping to prove that a combination of its W=
indows NT, SQL Server and other technology can deliver information from a=
database that contains more than one terabyte -- or 1,000GB -- of data.
If all of the data were bound into a printed atlas, it would consist of 2=
,000 volumes of 500 pages each, the company said. Microsoft eventually pl=
ans to turn the project over to the government.<P>
<p>Microsoft said the site will be useful to students doing research proj=
ects, map makers, and builders. Web surfers can view the pictures for fre=
e but will have to pay to download higher-quality copies of them.
<P>
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Huge world atlas coming soon to the Web
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