Watch out, Google Earth! ISRO launches virtual globe-mapping 'Bhuvan'

http://www.thinkdigit.com/General/Watch-out-Google-Earth-ISRO-launches-virtual_3299.html ^ | Aug 13,2009 | by Mihir Patkar

[Cindy]

To commemorate the 90th birth anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday unveiled its most ambitious people-oriented project yet. Bhuvan – Sanskrit for ‘Earth’ – is a remote-sensing 3D image portal that promises to take on the likes of popular virtual globe-mapping applications such as Google Earth and Wikimapia. What’s more, it is technically superior on paper!

The most interested feature for users will be the ability of Bhuvan to zoom far closer than the aerial view from a chopper. While Google Earth restricts zooming to 200 metres and Wikimapia goes up to 50 metres, ISRO’s new technology will be able to render images from up to 10 metres, which means you can easily see details up to a three-floor high building and also add information.

The other important feature is that Bhuvan uses seven satellites (including ISRO’s Resourcesat-1, Cartosat-1 and Cartosat-2) to provide images, as well as time-stamping them for multiple views from the same satellite. This provides images from different angles apart from the default top-down perpendicular view, thus enriching the user experience.

[Cindy]

ON THE INTERNET:

http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in

[Cindy]

ping

[AlaskaErik]

Google has four year updates? If that were the case, then I would be able to see my own subdivision, which was started in 2003 or 2004. Google shows it to be a bunch of trees.

[Cindy]

Smiling at you...I think it’s more a foreign press thing.

“4-year updates.”

I believe the author might have meant 4 per year.

[grey_whiskers]

“Site is heavily loaded with users. Please bear with us for the delay. View in IE 6.0 or above only.”

[Moorings]

Is this payback for Google recently depicting Arunachal Pradesh (a state in India) with Chinese names, making it appear a part of China?

[Cindy]

Yep.

[Cindy]

I don’t know.

[ShadowAce]

[Vinnie]

ISRO’s new technology will be able to render images from up to 10 metres, which means you can easily see details up to a three-floor high building and also add information.

Think I'll cruise the S. Calif. swimming pools. :)

[antiRepublicrat]

Windows-only. :(

[tubebender]

Where can I get a satellite schedule so I’ll know when it’s safe to pee in the garden. Wouldn’t want to offend the Ladies...

[steveo]

booksmark

[Vinnie]

LOL, probably has night vision too so watch out. LOL