NASA World Wind features
There are several features provided by NASA World Wind. Some of them are unique to it and so the users can get to use them only through NASA World Wind. Some of the features are described below.
3D Engine
The 3D engine is the feature, which provides the 3D dimensional imagery while browsing through the imagery images. Therefore, when the user zooms in at a particular place he gets a high-resolution LandSat imagery and SRTM elevation data.
As NASA World Wind was specially designed for the common people, making use of this 3D engine is very simple.
Blue marble
Blue marble is a true colored imagery of the whole earth. This imagery is obtained from Blue Marble, which is a NASA’s Earth Observatory. In combination with the data from the other satellites as MODIS and Terra blue marble images provided by NASA World Wind feature true colored images at a resolution of about, 1 km per pixel.
Land Sat 7
As the user zooms in to a greater level beyond the blue marble images, he can get an extremely detailed seamless mosaic with the help of the LandSat 7 data.
LandSat 7 is actually a collection of imagery at a resolution of about 15 meters per pixel. They were taken from the LandSat satellite between the years 1999 to 2003. However, NASA World Wind updates the data regularly and if any changes take place it incorporates them in these images. The LandSat & images can display the details as houses, trees, streets, etc in the major cities. Therefore, the users can view their own neighbourhood as well and study its different features.
The LandSat data is too large and therefore it does not fit on a pc. Therefore when a user is viewing these images, NASA World Wind will download only that much data, which is displayed on the screen. it also compresses and stores it for viewing later.
SRTM
SRTM is the shuttle Radar Topography Mission of NASA. The data that it provides offers the viewer a very dramatic view of earth at an eye level. This feature will provide the user an experience as if he is really flying that place. For example, he can view a mountain from all the sides and while viewing this on the screen he will get an experience as if he is flying around and watching the mountain from the different angles.
Moreover, these views are zoomable as well and therefore the user can get the details of that place.
NASA SVS
SVS is a set of animations that demonstrate the different the climatic features as hurricane dynamics, movement of cloud, etc. these animations were produced by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).
The users can view these animations directly on the place where they are occurring. This is because NASA World Wind will display them directly on the imagery itself. It can display them in any type of view the user has switched on. This is very useful as the areas, which they have affected, or which are can be studied.
This is useful for both the commercial as well as non-commercials purposes.
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