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Massive Mosaic of Canada
rvr writes "Thanks to compression technology that has reduced the file to 3.3 gigabytes and a collaboration between the Canadian Forest Service and the Canadian Space Agency called the 'Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests', this gigantic image -- the highest-resolution image of Canada freely available -- can now be downloaded to your computer."
It had to be said. Even (especially!) if they can pacel out their bandwidth by making you contact contact "Jeff Dechka, Remote Sensing Data and Product Coordinator at the Canadian Forest Service's Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria at jdechka@pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca" to download it.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
What is "Massive Mosaic"? Is it a retro-fitting of a retro-browser to include realistic CGI representations of large-scale Orc battles? Since it is Canadian, the orcs say to the Rohirrim: "We shall taste man flesh, eh? Take off, ya horsers!"
I can't wait: instead of a "Reload" button there is a "Breach Helms Deep Wall" button. And since it is Mosaic, it is refreshingly free of Java and Java Script: we all know that if we were given a choice between an Orbitz popup and an Uruk-Hai head appearing above the edge of a stone wall, we'd choose the latter.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
since i just did a large project project on image compression techniques, i'm really curious to know what they did to get the 28:1 odd compression ratios. based on my (admittedly limited) playing around with jpeg 2000, this seems like it would be an ideal application (in fact, i'm fairly certain they could squeeze even more data into that space at equivalent quality). in my experiments, jpeg 2000 beat the snot out of everything else (using the lovely jasper toolkit)... i don't know of too many other formats which can achieve 100:1 compression ratios in natural images and still have the results be recognizable. either way, very cool for an image processing geek like myself.
this gigantic image -- the highest-resolution image of Canada freely available --
Everyone who thought that was a direct link to the actual image raise your hands :-)
Know the feeling? "Man, that's going to be the biggest Slashdotting ever! Poor Canadians! Must... click... link..."
I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
Except that you can't:
To learn how you can obtain a copy of the Canada Mosaic, contact Jeff Dechka, Remote Sensing Data and Product Coordinator at the Canadian Forest Service's Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria at jdechka@pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca
Oh well.
The picture (or at least the thumbnail versions) contains all of New England, New York, Michigan and much of the Midwest, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. And I think a parts of the rest of the northern border states.
But I for one welcome our new Canadian Overlords.
Work for Change & GET PAID!
"...Progressive Scan DVD $40 [amazon.com] ..."
Will this Apex AD-2600 do region-free, macrovision-free and "skip to next works in all sections" ?
Nothing against Canada - some of my best friends are Canadian (that doesn't mean I'd let my daughter marry one) BUT:
Are high resolution satellite/aerial images available for other locations?
No, I don't expect to be able to buy hi-res images of Area 51, but was looking for my neighborhood.
Also, are there ways of getting really nice poster prints of high resolution images?
"Provided by the management for your protection."
Bob: Do the theme, eh?
Doug [gives Great White North theme]
Bob: Good day, eh. Oh, hey, do our new movie theme, eh?
Doug [gives Great White North fanfare]
Bob: Beauty, eh? Good day, I'm Bob McKenzie, this is my brother Doug.
Doug: How's it going, eh?
Bob: Wait a second, you hoser, you can't spend all that cash on this big mosaic thing, eh? That's dad's beer money!
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
I wish I had mod points....
"I can sodomize my children again!!!"
Karnal
Actually, you can buy hi-res images of Area 51.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
It is more significant to know the image resolution than the file size. This is represented by the number of ground units a single pixel takes up. 5 meter resolution refers to each pixel being 5 square meters (obviously). For mapping grade imagery, you want at least 5 meters. The standard is moving much closer to 1 meter as companies like Space Imaging start to dominate the market.
The performance is TERRIBLE on single large images, if you plan to use it at multiple zoom scales. It is much more efficient to have a spatially indexed series of seamless smaller images. This index, known as an image catalog in the GIS world, is basically a database with image coordinates and file names. When you zoom in to a given area on the map, the geographic coordinates are used to determine which images to display.
It is possible to compress the file size using such means as jpeg, but this is not thought of very highly in the mapping world. The ideal is to have a georeferenced (has a *.tfw header file that contains the coordinates for one of the image corners) tiff file, and to add compression using a package like MrSID. People who use air photos frequently will have two datasets: a compressed one and a standard tiff. It is much easier to change a map projection on an uncompressed image.
If you have some $, there is a software package called SDE that enables high performance raster display for mapping purposes. It works really well, but you are getting locked into a highly proprietary and expensive format.
"If you think you have things under control, you're not going fast enough." --Mario Andretti
I can see my house from here!
LJB
no really, I can
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Terraserver is microsoft.
Try these guys instead.
Clearely this must beat the giga pixel stitch which I remember from not long ago. OK arguably not the same thing, but I had that in mind when I read about the size of the images.... The result is a massive mosaic of digital images 85 gigabytes big. I mean, Geez :)
Ahh man my porch light was on.
Really who read the headline and thought they would actually put up the 3.3gb file. Now that would be a slashdotting to remember
Obviously someone doesn't watch SouthPark.
Asshats.
These pictures are clearly from the 70s; the cities are purple and the rest of it is neon green. Obviously the work of blacklights.
- The Amazina Llama
Damn you canada, damn you!!!!
Link to the download page: http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/eosd/resources/mosa ic_e.html
Anyone have a torrent yet?
Urgo: "I want to live. I want to experience the universe and I want to eat pie!"
Jack: "Who doesn't??"
Proof that us Canadians sure know how to paint the town red.
How come I can see the part of wisconsin that I live in?... Quite identifiable what with the ground being so flat an open here, shows up well on topographs and space shots...
~~ Please keep your arms, legs, and outright stupidity inside the ride at all times. Thank You ~~
I downloaded the mondo Canuck satellite image, and it is astounding! Considering the thing is managing 3.2G of data, the viewer is amazingly responsive too.
Surf our beautiful country, from sea to shining sea, in seconds. Check it out... Whistler, Montreal, the Thousand Islands, the James Bay hydro project, Vancouver, Tranna, PEI, the Gaspe Rock... all of it in scrumptious detail.
If you love south of the border (you have my pity) it's still worthwhile downloading this beast. NYC, Seattle, Mt. Saint Helen's, Acadia National Park, Lake Champlain, Boston, Detroit, the Great Lakes, lovely li'l ole Vermont... they're all covered.
I'm amazed my PII 1.8G 640M machine can handle this this thing so well. Kudos to the Canadian imaging geeks at NRC. Well freakin done!
Rich (Canuck Map Geek)