Experts say the government must overcome several technological challenges before Digital Earth takes shape
Experts say the government must overcome several technological challenges
before Digital Earth takes shape:
* Computational science: New methods will be needed to handle the
modeling and simulation of geospatial data if Digital Earth is to provide
useful information.
* Mass storage: NASA's "Mission to Planet Earth" will churn out more
than a terabyte of data each day, and Digital Earth will need to handle
many times that amount.
* Satellite imagery: The administration has licensed commercial satellites
that provide 1 meter resolution imagery; even finer resolutions may come
in the future.
* Broadband networks: The good news is that 10 gigabits/sec networking — the level needed to deliver Digital Earth to the public — is being developed.
The bad news is that it might not be available to home users for a long
time.
* Metadata: The Federal Geographic Data Committee is working with
industry and state and local governments to develop standards for the "data
about data" needed to make georeferenced data useful.
NEXT STORY: ACLU: Block FBI e-snoops