An Intuitive 3-Step Process

EarthWhere allows users to quickly find the data they need and deliver it in a format they need it in. This is accomplished in an intuitive 3-step process.

Search

First, a user searches for a location on the earth based on their project requirements. The system allows the user to select an AOI (Area of Interest)—a polygon which defines a project area. Once the user has defined the AOI, either by drawing with the cursor or importing an ESRI shapefile, the system displays a list of source files that are available from the archive. The user can individually turn on and off selected source files to determine the optimum dataset for the requirement.

Once cataloged, users can quickly find the data they need using common search criteria including geographic location (find imagery within my area of interest), acquisition date/time, resolution, sensor, etc.

EarthWhere supports a wide variety of data sources in their native formats and projections. Most projects require data from multiple data sources, which can be normalized into a single scene to the projection and area required.

Define

Once the user identifies the data elements and the AOI, the next step is to define the output. EarthWhere produces output using a server-based image processing engine that performs five basic functions:

• Combine
  This function combines data from multiple tiles and multiple data sources.
• Reproject
  This function reprojects the output into a variety of the most widely used datums and projections.
• Resample
  This function resamples the output to a user defined GSD (Ground Sample Distance).
• Clip
  This function clips out the data within the defined AOI.
• Format
  This function produces a file in the format the user specifies.

Within the EarthWhere application, the user selects the various settings for these functions, which define how the output will be generated. Besides the standard data formats and projections, the user can define colorization options to create shaded relief of elevation data and can blend images with scanned maps.

Generate

After setting the output variables, the user can then preview the result prior to generating the actual dataset. EarthWhere displays a reduced resolution of the end-user's requested dataset, allowing the user to iterate through the settings if desired until creating the optimal result. This iteration ability opens new opportunities for users who can now generate exactly the right data for their project.

Based on the preview, the user can then submit the job to the image-provisioning server. When completed, EarthWhere alerts the user via email. Within the body of the e-mail, a URL to the completed dataset provides immediate access to the results. In minutes, users provision complex datasets directly to their desktop, providing immediate answers to their questions.