Behind The Maps - UltraCam

Posted By: Mark Brown | Jul 5th, 2008 @ 4:30 PM | 71,432 Views | 13 Comments

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Welcome to the inaugural episode of a new video series called, "Behind The Maps". In this series we'll explore all of the technology that makes up Virtual Earth and meet the scientists and engineers who bring Virtual Earth to life.

In this episode we go to Graz, Austria and meet Michael Gruber who invented the UltraCam aerial camera and Bernhard Reitinger who created our UltraMap software. We'll spend some time getting the details on this camera and software and get an up close look at both.

Tags: Behind The Maps, Virtual Earth

Rating:

Mark Brown
Microsoft Web Platform

Hope you all enjoy my first episode of this series.

Chadk
excuse me - do you has a flavor?

In reply to Mark Brown

#Jul 6th, 2008 @ 5:13 AM

Wow, that is pretty damn amazing. That is a huge camera! :O

Mark Brown
Microsoft Web Platform

In reply to Chadk

#Jul 6th, 2008 @ 2:38 PM

Yes and damn heavy too. You definitely need two people to pick it up at nearly 150lbs. Smiley

Ion Todirel
buuu

way to go, thanks!

dentaku

That's fascinating stuff and I like how there's finally a video on C9 that I actually understand just about all of Smiley

I hope we get more of Canada on Virtual Earth soon. Nova Scotia is just a blurry mess at the moment.

Mark Brown
Microsoft Web Platform

In reply to dentaku

#Jul 6th, 2008 @ 8:04 PM

Haa, funny. I just met with someone from NS who said the same thing. I have to say that as someone who is half Canadian (mom) I need to push for some love for my friends and family in the GWN.

ye110wbeard
I never met a computer I didn't like. Just don't tell my wife!

So hop to it! More pictures of Canada. It's not all just snow and ice (Well maybe North North North North North Winnipeg)

Hello Half Canadian, I'm a pure American that is almost Canadian. I just can't speak Yankee anymore... Wink

Been up in Ontario WAAY too long.... Tongue Out

Damn I could go for a Dunkin Donuts right about now.

Yeah, damn. That's a BIG camera. So....er... I'm guessing it won't run of "Energizers" eh?

Smiley

dentaku

In reply to Mark Brown

#Jul 6th, 2008 @ 11:38 PM

People are usually amazed when I show them the birds eye images. I just wish Virtual Earth 3D still worked on my computer. I just keeps asking me to install it even though it already is. Oh well, I've been meaning to re-install my OS for a while now.

Virtual Earth can keep doing all kinds of amazing stuff but if the general public doesn't use it or doesn't think it's useful because their part of the world isn't covered it will just get ignored in favour of Google Earth.
Virtual Earth should be concentrating on expanding it's coverage and getting more people interested in it FIRST, then adding new features, not the other way around.

K0ogle

In reply to dentaku

#Jul 7th, 2008 @ 5:26 AM

why didn't you guys get a group team portrait shot taken with that beast of camera while you were standing in front of it? get it stored on the spare 500gb hdd they must have had lying around for you to take back home Big Smile