ESRI Software Drives New National Geographic Interactive Atlas.REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1999-- ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., Redlands, CA, www.esri.com) The world's leading developer of geographic information systems (GIS) software, including programs that plot ZIP codes and addresses, demographic information and detailed, color-coded data. Tuesday announced that the popular new Web site launched by National Geographic last week was developed using ESRI geographic information system geographic information system (GIS) Computerized system that relates and displays data collected from a geographic entity in the form of a map. The ability of GIS to overlay existing data with new information and display it in colour on a computer screen is used primarily to (GIS) software. A new interactive atlas at www.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine is the electronic companion of the seventh edition of National Geographic's well-known Atlas of the World. To extend National Geographic's renowned cartography cartography: see map. cartography or mapmaking Art and science of representing a geographic area graphically, usually by means of a map or chart. Political, cultural, or other nongeographic features may be superimposed. to the Web, National Geographic teamed with ESRI to develop a highly innovative Web site to allow people to access maps and geographic data online. ESRI is the world's leading developer of GIS software, and this project utilizes ESRI's latest Internet mapping technology, ArcIMS. "The Web site will be the gateway to digital maps of value not only at home, at school, and in the office, but as the site develops, also to professionals in conservation, forestry, real estate, agriculture, health care, and many other fields," said Allen Carroll, chief cartographer for the Society. "The launch of a new, powerful map site on the Web harnesses the latest digital technology to a century of National Geographic's renowned cartographic car·tog·ra·phy n. The art or technique of making maps or charts. [French cartographie : carte, map (from Old French, from Latin charta, carta, paper made from papyrus expertise to present nothing less than map tools for a new millennium," said National Geographic Society National Geographic Society U.S. scientific society founded in 1888 in Washington, D.C., by a small group of eminent explorers and scientists “for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge. President John Fahey. Features of the interactive atlas, known as Map Machine, include dynamic maps of geographic data organized by themes such as political, cultural, physical, and weather. Users will find, for example, maps and information on recent earthquakes, transportation density, political boundaries, ecological regions, land use zones, and natural hazards. The site also features electronic versions of atlas maps and country statistics drawn from the latest Atlas of the World updated as necessary. ArcIMS is a powerful software tool that allows organizations to serve dynamic maps on their Web sites. Because National Geographic is using this tool, visitors to Map Machine will be able to interact with maps, including the ability to pan and zoom from global to local scales, and search an index of over two million global place names. They can create, print, and share countless maps by choosing the desired theme, scale, and area of coverage. Jack Dangermond, ESRI president, said, "ESRI is pleased to work with National Geographic to provide powerful digital mapmaking tools via the Web. National Geographic's effort brings geography into our daily lives, and the impact it will have on our collective geographic knowledge will be impressive." In the near future, Map Machine will be a continuously updated source of map information, including not only changes to names of places as they occur, but also daily updates to weather maps and even satellite images of the earth. Much of this information will be provided by the many federal agencies that maintain and update maps in the public domain including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Noun 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - an agency in the Department of Commerce that maps the oceans and conserves their living resources; predicts changes to the earth's environment; provides weather reports and forecasts floods and hurricanes and , National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), civilian agency of the U.S. federal government with the mission of conducting research and developing operational programs in the areas of space exploration, artificial satellites (see satellite, artificial), , Jet Propulsion Laboratory “JPL” redirects here. For other uses, see JPL (disambiguation). Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a NASA research center located in the cities of Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, near Los Angeles, California, USA. , U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and , and others. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion