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Pentagon Has a 3-D View to a Kill
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
By Declan McCullagh / Wired
Ben Polen contributed to this report from Crystal City, Virginia.

The U.S. Geological Survey used to sell NIMA maps to the public, but halted the practice after the Sep. 11 terrorist attacks.

America's military is turning to advanced hardware and software that generates virtual environments of war zones such as Afghanistan.

High resolution sattelite photography can yield detail terrestrial photographs. These can then be used to create 3-D models like this one of the San Diego airport.
Photo Credit: Harris Corp.

The Pentagon is already using applications such as Anteon's Topscene system to compile aerial imaging, geologic, and terrain information and assemble the chunks of data into a 3-D scene that lets military planners and pilots preview missions before they take place.

3-D wire frame models of the San Diego airport can be rendered from sattelite images.
Photo Credit: Harris Corp.

At an event on Tuesday organized by Silicon Graphics, Anteon representatives said Topscene can inject classified intelligence data into the mix and let troops navigate the virtual scene from ground level to 40,000 feet at speeds up to 1,400 miles per hour.

Silicon Graphics CEO Bob Bishop said the event, held near the Pentagon in Crystal City, Virginia, was designed to highlight "the role of technology on the digital battlefield."
(More: Wired.com News Source)
2001 © Wired.

Dan