Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The Power of Geographical
Visualizations
Martin Dodge, Mary McDerby and Martin Turner
School of Environment and Development and Research Computing Services,
University of Manchester
Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours
at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of
exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth and when
I found one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I
would put my finger on it and say, 'When I grow up I will go there'.
(Joseph Conrad,
Heart of Darkness, 1902
)
I believe we need a 'Digital Earth'. A multi-resolution, three-dimensional repre-
sentation of the planet, into which we can embed vast quantities of geo-referenced
data. . . . Imagine, for example, a young child going to a Digital Earth exhibit at a
local museum. After donning a head-mounted display, she sees Earth as it appears
from space. Using a data glove, she zooms in, using higher and higher levels of
resolution, to see continents, then regions, countries, cities, and finally individual
houses, trees, and other natural and man-made objects. Having found an area of
the planet she is interested in exploring, she takes the equivalent of a 'magic carpet
ride' through a 3-D visualization of the terrain. Of course, terrain is only one
of the many kinds of data with which she can interact. . . . she is able to request
information on land cover, distribution of plant and animal species, real-time
weather, roads, political boundaries, and population.
(Former Vice President Al Gore,
The Digital Earth: Understanding
our Planet in the 21st Century, 1998
)
Search WWH ::
Custom Search