TerraServer-USA
Encyclopedia
Microsoft Research Maps or MSR Maps is a free online repository of public domain
aerial imagery and topographic maps provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The site is a collaboration between Microsoft Research
(MSR), Bing Maps, and the USGS. It has been under continuous operation since June 1998. It had 30,000 to 50,000 visitors per day as of January 2010. The site was renamed in 2010, prior to which it was known as TerraServer-USA (formerly Microsoft TerraServer).
The site has black and white USGS aerial photographs of approximately 97% of the United States
. In 2000, the USGS launched the new Urban Areas program, which will ultimately take high-resolution color aerial photographs of about 100 major American cities. TerraServer has added Urban Areas data for 40 cities.
, Compaq
, and Aerial Images of Raleigh, North Carolina
. It was created as a demonstration system to advertise the scalability of Microsoft's Windows NT
Server and SQL Server
, and used images from the United States Geological Survey
(USGS) and Sovinformsputnik (the Russian Federal Space Agency
).
TerraServer was the brainchild of the Turing Award winning researcher on database systems, Jim Gray. Before his death, Gray continued this work, developing Microsoft Virtual Earth and began a similar project that would become the Worldwide Telescope
.
In January 2000, Microsoft and Aerial Images, now TerraServer.com, Inc., split their operations, creating two parallel TerraServer websites. The dualism caused confusion among web surfers until the Microsoft name change in 2010. TerraServer.com, Inc., which owns the trademark TERRASERVER, filed a lawsuit in 2008 in North Carolina federal court, seeking monetary damages and asking that Microsoft be stopped from using the TerraServer trademark.
The TerraServer name was a play on words, with 'Terra' referring to the 'earth' or 'land' and also to the terabytes of images stored on the site.
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
aerial imagery and topographic maps provided by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The site is a collaboration between Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
(MSR), Bing Maps, and the USGS. It has been under continuous operation since June 1998. It had 30,000 to 50,000 visitors per day as of January 2010. The site was renamed in 2010, prior to which it was known as TerraServer-USA (formerly Microsoft TerraServer).
The site has black and white USGS aerial photographs of approximately 97% of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2000, the USGS launched the new Urban Areas program, which will ultimately take high-resolution color aerial photographs of about 100 major American cities. TerraServer has added Urban Areas data for 40 cities.
History
Though it was online as early as December 1997, the site was formally unveiled June 24, 1998 as part of an 18-month agreement between MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, and Aerial Images of Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. It was created as a demonstration system to advertise the scalability of Microsoft's Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
Server and SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database server, developed by Microsoft: It is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications, be it those on the same computer or those running on another computer across a network...
, and used images from the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
(USGS) and Sovinformsputnik (the Russian Federal Space Agency
Russian Federal Space Agency
The Russian Federal Space Agency , commonly called Roscosmos and abbreviated as FKA and RKA , is the government agency responsible for the Russian space science program and general aerospace research. It was previously the Russian Aviation and Space Agency .Headquarters of Roscosmos are located...
).
TerraServer was the brainchild of the Turing Award winning researcher on database systems, Jim Gray. Before his death, Gray continued this work, developing Microsoft Virtual Earth and began a similar project that would become the Worldwide Telescope
WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope is a computer program created by Microsoft that displays the astronomical sky as maps, the 3D Universe, visualised data sets and animations. It was announced at the TED Conference in Monterey, California in February 2008. Users are able to pan around outer space and zoom as...
.
In January 2000, Microsoft and Aerial Images, now TerraServer.com, Inc., split their operations, creating two parallel TerraServer websites. The dualism caused confusion among web surfers until the Microsoft name change in 2010. TerraServer.com, Inc., which owns the trademark TERRASERVER, filed a lawsuit in 2008 in North Carolina federal court, seeking monetary damages and asking that Microsoft be stopped from using the TerraServer trademark.
The TerraServer name was a play on words, with 'Terra' referring to the 'earth' or 'land' and also to the terabytes of images stored on the site.