VirtualGeography is a collection of interesting snippets from all over the shop, dealing with industry issues concerning the computer based visualisation of geography and a few other associated (or otherwise) interesting bits and pieces. You are receiving this either because you subscribed to VirtualGeography or you have had recent dealings with VizMAP Pty Ltd. If you do not wish to receive further instalments of VirtualGeography, just click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this e-mail. 

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So, g’day to all you enthusiasts requiring to visualise and simulate both urban and rural geographic information (GIS), cartography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, digital elevation modelling (DEM) and general mapping.

By the spelling of "Visualisation" you may have already guessed that we’re not US based – that’s a good thing, or at least not a bad thing. This comes to you from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next. The link between visualisation and mapping may seem a little esoteric if this is your first encounter with this sort of stuff, but let me tell you, the bond is significant… but enough of that: on with the show… I hope you like it. Any feedback you might have is highly appreciated. E-mail me here to make your comments. Enjoy… Graeme Brooke VizMAP Pty Ltd

P.S. You’ll need an active internet connection to view any images that are in the content. We’ve done it this way to keep the size of the e-mail to a minimum.

In the future, you may not have to worry about missing out on these wonderful sights. There are a number of groups utilizing virtual reality to insure that soon everyone will have a chance to visit the wonders of our world, both past and present. Working under the label of Virtual Heritage, these groups and their projects have become increasingly important in the conservation, preservation, and interpretation of our world’s cultural and natural history. Virtual reality technology is also solving one of the largest issues concerning present-day cultural heritage assets; how to allow the public access to important historical sites without the destruction that accompanies hoards of tourists 

Re-creations of culture heritage structures are done for many reasons. For instance, The Museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses in China is using a laser range finder to document the fragile terra cotta statues before they are unearthed. Since the very act of digging these artworks out of the ground causes damage no matter how carefully it is done, this method allows scientist to discover important aspects of the relics such as the original color of the statues which has now leeched into the surrounding clay. Many of these relics were also broken in ancient times and the virtual models allow scientists to ‘pick up and move’ the virtual pieces allowing reconstruction without any additional damage to the still buried statues. This also allows most of the relics to be left where they are for future generations of scientists who may have better tools. 

"We know that consumers are readily anticipating the day when PCs and consumer electronics work together easily and reliably," said Louis Burns, vice president and co-general manager, Intel Desktop Platforms Group. "People want to be able to move their digital media content effortlessly between PCs and CE devices for maximum flexibility and enjoyment. And they’re looking to Intel to make it happen. By providing the developer community with these enabling tools, developers will be able to design and build PCs that easily and seamlessly distribute digital media throughout the home."

The "Statesboro" reference platform will assist OEMs and motherboard makers to develop new PC systems this year that broadcast digital photos and music to TVs and stereos throughout the consumer’s home. Statesboro is an implementation tool designed for developers that showcases the 2003 Digital Home vision. The reference platform is a complete, validated system solution featuring key technologies in support of the Digital Home usage models, as described in the Desktop Platform Vision Guide for 2003. These technologies include: Intel® 3.06GHz Pentium® 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology 1, "Springdale" chipset, Dualband 802.11 Wireless NIC, Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive, Dual Channel DDR Memory, and a DVD/CD-RW Optical Disk Drive.

The new concept platform, codenamed "Powersville", showcases additional levels of Digital Home experiences, such as wireless streaming video and personal video recording, which consumers can expect as included PC features in the 2004 time frame. Powersville is designed to provide an early demonstration of experiences and technologies in order to highlight innovation opportunities for the PC industry.

With "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight," the next milestone in the award-winning "Flight Simulator" franchise, Microsoft celebrates 20 years of developing and perfecting computer flight simulation. "A Century of Flight" allows aviation enthusiasts to experience history at the controls of historic aircraft, such as Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis," the Douglas DC-3 and the world’s first successful powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer.

New engaging features such as interactive multimedia provide a wealth of historical information on the planes that shaped aviation history and the pilots who flew them. Informed and insightful articles explain all there is to know about Microsoft’s "Flight Simulator" and the 24 aircraft included in the software. "Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" also introduces an updated, dynamic weather system, enhanced automatically generated scenery (AutoGen) and detailed visual effects, improved Air Traffic Control functions, and 3-D interactive cockpits, as well as 15 modern aircraft, including the Boeing 777, the Beechcraft Baron and the Robinson R22 helicopter.

"Launching ‘A Century of Flight’ in conjunction with a historical milestone as monumental as the invention of powered flight is an exhilarating, once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us on the ‘Flight Simulator’ team," said Bruce Williams, product planner at Microsoft Aces Studios. "There are a lot of organizations celebrating the centennial of flight, but ‘Century of Flight’ empowers people to get into the cockpit of legendary aircraft such as the Wright Flyer and the ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ to feel what it was like to actually fly those planes."

Sample still images from the completed dynamic visualisation database are displayed here. An active internet connection is required to be able to view these scenes.

Click on these small resampled images to view the full screen images on the VizMAP website. Bear in mind that these are just screen dumps from a dynamic, interactive, 3D "flythrough". 

Facing competition

The company, in secret development for four years, faces competition meanwhile from online games. On the surface at least, a newly launched Internet version of the popular Sims franchise resembles There. 
"The difference is Sims online is essentially a game. There is not," said Tom Melcher, There’s chief executive. "There is a place. In Sims, you’re driven by game motives. You have hunger, comfort, a bladder and energy. In There, you’re driven by relationships." 
The There universe was being unveiled for initial beta testers Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It officially launches later this year. 
By downplaying competition, There hopes to attract women to its universe, which is roamed much like the legendary computer game Myst. In fact, some areas look and sound like the mythical Myst island with the constant chirping of birds and distant roar of surf. 
"If we can build a product that women love, guys will show up," Melcher said. "The reverse is not true." 

Existing, then logging off

Unlike Myst — which was eerily absent of other people — fellow humans, or online incarnations called avatars, are present to chat and play with. There’s also no sequence, or "end of game." People just exist — until they log off. 
Conversation appears as cartoon balloons that float above participants’ heads. Voice chat also is possible if the Internet connection is fast enough. 
People can buy clothes from partners like Nike, Levi Strauss & Co. and in auctions by other users with There’s very own currency. 
Some "Therebucks" will be included in the monthly fee — expected to be about $10. Users also can purchase additional "Therebucks" with a credit card or earn them by creating activities. 
The rates are expected to fluctuate as testing proceeds, though $1 now buys 1,787 Therebucks or about one-sixth of the price of a virtual dog — available in two breeds — or a buggy. 

Roaming islands, planets

With transportation such as buggy or hoverboard, players can roam various islands or even planned Planets, each with its own themes. An online newsletter will detail activities so users aren’t lost in what could become a very large electronic space. 
The notion of buying virtual props isn’t new. Sony’s online medieval role-playing game EverQuest has its own underground economy in which players buy gear with real money outside the game, on eBay for instance, rather than earn it by playing. 
There Inc. executives say their program, available online and with the purchase of some video cards, can run on most modern home computers that have a processor speed of at least 800 megahertz and a modern graphics card. 
The company is looking for mainstream customers but they’re not likely to want to take apart their PC to add a better graphics card, said Joe Laszlo, a senior analyst at Jupiter Research. 
There works on a dialup connection to the Internet, though a high-speed connection brings additional features. 
The company, which has secured $33 million in funding through venture capitalists and 84 employees, says it can break even with just 150,000 subscribers. Executives say they have enough funds to last two years. 

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