3 ms·
Slightly off-tangent, but i really wish there was a good, freely available, decent-quality dataset of the world surface (like Google Earth but anyone can use it
by armchairhacker 4y ago
Slightly off-tangent, but i really wish there was a good, freely available, decent-quality dataset of the world surface (like Google Earth but anyone can use it). I obviously don’t expect everywhere to be fully mapped but even popular cities like Boston don’t have very good models. And it would be amazing to even have models of some of the more rural places.
It would make a great scene for games and animated movies. The world is a beautiful place and seeing places you’ve been is nostalgic.
- dewey 4y agoIt always makes me a bit sad to see how much time, energy and money is wasted on mapping and 3D modelling the same place over and over again and everyone accumulating all this data in their own silos. Google Maps, OSM, Apple Maps, Bing Maps and all the work that Microsoft Flight Simulator is doing by building 3D models of every airport and city from scratch. MS at least have a good way of utilizing Bing maps in the game and probably have data flowing both ways in case they improve something but seems like a giant waste of resources.
- somat 4y ago"Google Maps, OSM, Apple Maps, Bing Maps" One of these things is not like the others.
- mmaunder 4y agoI wonder if the NGIA might release their radar mapping of the Earths surface at some point. Kind of like the mapping databases available from the census dept.
- fortysixdegrees 4y agoSearch for SRTM DEM for global elevation data, and Microsoft building footprints for buildings. That will get you pretty close