RSSGov't Agency to Use Virtual Earth
By the Betanews Staff | Published May 19, 2006, 1:09 PM
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a division of the Department of Defense, said Thursday that it will use Microsoft's Virtual Earth technology "to provide geospatial support for humanitarian, peacekeeping and national security efforts." Both sides are expected to benefit from the partnership, with Microsoft hoping to learn more on geodetics, which is the science of measuring various geographic aspects of the Earth's topography and other geological aspects.
While it is not immediately clear whether or not Virtual Earth would be used for military purposes, the NGA's mission may indicate it could see some military use. According to its Web site, the agency "provides timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives," and is a member of the Department of Defense's Combat Support Agency.
Well... I'm confused (nothing new). Whether it's google or Nasa or MS, their programs use outdated material. I would think that the government with it's real-time capabilities wouldn't need anything from any of the companies. Hell, it's often been said that the NSA under it's 10 acre complex have computers that are way ahead of what's available on the consumer market. I guess they are only good at evesdropping on our phone calls and watching me jack-off as one of their hundreds of satellites passes overhead. OMG... i take that back,, I might be blacklisted from flying on planes not protected against terrorists.
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|I can see it now: Just when they click on some link to process something like food delivery to a famine-stricken region, a message will appear: "This feature is only available in the Enterprise Premium Edition..."
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|Perhaps they (NGA) plan to use their own imagery with Microsoft's software?
I doubt the DoD would be using substandard (relative to their own spy-satellites, UAVs) commercial satellite and aerial image data…
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|What? Not Google Earth? Wow, I thought Google was the best! hahaha..
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|Looks like a great way to spend our tax dollars. They even have a site just for rijp.
http://www.nga.mil/ngakids/intro.html
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|hmm.. is PC_Tool in disguise?
Methinks they have their wires crossed or its a conflict of interest, because that site supports Google, not MSN Search.
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|I need no disguise, rijp.
*sheesh*
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|I guess only the people who speak the loudest and say they will not do evil things turn out to be the most evil of all.
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|WTF? When did this turn into the betaphilosophy forum?
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|I don't care whether they considered Google Earth or not, but why in the world isn't the government using World Wind, developed by its own NASA?
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|maybe cause world wind is still in beta? maybe too untested? or maybe the servers cant handle the increased load.
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|More like it doesn't work all that well.
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|Google and Microsoft contract commercial imagery. I'm sure that NGA rather not deal with that.
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|Thank God they will not be using Google Earth.
Google is the devil.
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|You said it brother.
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|Google may be the devil but microsoft is the devil as well. So it's something like: who is more of the devil?
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|The lesser of 2 Evils!
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|I thought foozball was the devil. :)
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|But why?
It's the same with these damn presidential elections...
Why vote for the lesser of two Evils, when you can vote for the Greatest of All Evils???Cthulhu '08!
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