Satellite view of Wikimapia. Satellite map of Russia online. Drag and Drop Control
The evolution of maps, navigation and orienteering is taking place in our time. Now! The first travelers and pioneers used paper maps, maps drawn on stones, wooden planks, leather and other objects. At present, few people imagine themselves without electronic navigation, satellite maps, cell phones ... New technologies are coming.
Let's try to understand some of the possibilities that technologies in the field of observation and navigation provide us at the present time. Let's look at history.
Creation of the first artificial Earth satellites
The idea to use satellites as repeaters arose long before they were launched into Earth orbit. first satellite.
For the first time, the engineers of fascist Germany tried to bring aircraft into the upper atmosphere, creating a guided missile "weapon of retaliation".
The Nazis did not achieve their goals, but attracted the attention of many specialists to the development of rocket weapons. People began to think about the possibilities of using guided missiles for scientific purposes.
One of the officers of the British army, science fiction writer Arthur Clarke, in 1945 published an article in the magazine "Wireless World", where he proposed the principle of satellite communications and the possibility of turning such missiles into "unearthly relays."
On June 26, 1954, Korolev presented a memorandum to the Minister of Defense Industry, Dmitry Ustinov, " About the artificial satellite of the Earth».
Work has begun on the ISZ project.
October 4, 1957 at 22:28 Moscow time, Sputnik-1 was launched into orbit. He began to give the first signals from space immediately after separation from the last stage of the rocket. It was a metal ball half a meter in diameter with a simple radio transmitter.
In 1967, the Russian satellite TV system "ORBITA" began to operate. It allowed one program of Central Television to be transmitted through an artificial satellite of the Earth: Channel One.
Satellite maps in real time
The discovery of space began with interactive maps - photographs of the Earth received from a satellite. This significant event took place on August 17, 1959, thanks to the American artificial satellite "Explorer 6". The era of satellite photography has begun.
Let's focus on services that have open access.
If someone is content with real-time satellite maps, then there were those for whom this seemed not enough. Employees of the studio of interactive systems from the "Georgia Institute of Technology" went further and proposed real-time planetary observation project in 3D view.
Depending on the time of day, you may see either a very high-quality broadcast or a dark screen. If the second option, then you just need to try again later, since everything depends on the location of the satellite at the moment.
Planet earth in real time online
Also, services such as Google Maps have appeared, which remain the most accessible resource for the average layman.
(To move around the map, zoom in, zoom out, change the image angle, use the navigation in the form of arrows and signs + and - at the top of the map. Try also to control the map by holding the right mouse button)
You can view world maps and satellite photos, determine the coordinates of any point on the planet, measure the distances between objects, calculate the area and get directions with the help of new satellite maps.
(The map can be enlarged or reduced)
If Google Maps provides static information, that is, satellite images are not shown in real time, then there are devices that provide such an opportunity.
For example, using the Baikal satellite receiver, you can get photos and satellite maps in real time.
Satellite weather receiver "Baikal" is designed to receive images of the earth's surface from meteorological satellites located in low-orbit and geostationary orbits operating in the frequency range of 137-138 MHz with frequency modulation of the signal in APT (NOAA15, NOAA17, NOAA18, NOAA19) and WEFAX (METEOSAT7, GOES). The receiver can be installed both on stationary and mobile objects, for example, on a boat, yacht, sea or river vessel, icebreaker or car. Picture reception is possible even while driving.
Services, services, discoveries…
With the help of Google Maps and other platforms, enthusiasts come up with more and more new services:
Several startups are developing services similar to projects from Google. One of them is the American company SkyBox, which launches satellites into space. The goal is to make real-time Earth observation more accessible. The company demonstrated its vision for the future of the project with a video showing China's Beijing Capital International Airport, filmed by the Skybox satellite.
There is currently one satellite in orbit. A total of 24 satellites are planned to be launched to cover the entire planet. The satellite weighs only 120 kilograms, and its size is 60 * 60 * 90 centimeters. Shooting detail - up to 90 centimeters per pixel.
To develop this system, navigation systems, satellite transponders, web cameras, such services as Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth will be used.
They allow obtaining spatial information about the earth's surface in the visible and infrared ranges of electromagnetic wave lengths. They are able to recognize the passive reflected radiation of the earth's surface in the visible and near infrared ranges. In such systems, the radiation falls on the appropriate sensors that generate electrical signals depending on the intensity of the radiation.
In optical-electronic remote sensing systems, as a rule, sensors with constant progressive scanning are used. Can be distinguished linear, transverse and longitudinal scanning.
The total scanning angle across the path is called the angle of view, and the corresponding value on the surface of the Earth is called shooting bandwidth.
The part of the data stream received from the satellite is called the scene. Schemes for cutting the stream into scenes, as well as their size for different satellites, have differences.
Optoelectronic remote sensing systems conduct surveys in the optical range of electromagnetic waves.
Panchromatic images occupy almost the entire visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum (0.45-0.90 microns), therefore they are black and white.
Multispectral(multizone) imaging systems form several separate images for wide spectral bands ranging from visible to infrared electromagnetic radiation. The greatest practical interest at the moment is represented by multispectral data from new-generation spacecraft, including RapidEye (5 spectral zones) and WorldView-2 (8 zones).
Satellites of the new generation of high and ultra-high resolution, as a rule, are shooting in panchromatic and multispectral modes.
Hyperspectral shooting systems form images simultaneously for narrow spectral zones in all parts of the spectral range. For hyperspectral imaging, it is not the number of spectral zones (channels) that is important, but the width of the zone (the smaller, the better) and the sequence of measurements. So, a survey system with 20 channels will be hyperspectral if it covers the range of 0.50-070 μm, while the width of each spectral zone is not more than 0.01 μm, and a survey system with 20 separate channels covering the visible region of the spectrum , near, shortwave, mid and longwave infrared regions, will be considered multispectral.
Spatial resolution— a value that characterizes the size of the smallest objects distinguishable in the image. The factors affecting the spatial resolution are the parameters of the optoelectronic or radar system, as well as the height of the orbit, that is, the distance from the satellite to the object being photographed. The best spatial resolution is achieved when surveying at nadir, while deviating from nadir, the resolution deteriorates. Satellite images can have low (more than 10 m), medium (from 10 to 2.5 m), high (from 2.5 to 1 m), and ultra-high (less than 1 m) resolution.
Radiometric resolution is determined by the sensitivity of the sensor to changes in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation. It is determined by the number of gradations of color values corresponding to the transition from the brightness of absolutely "black" to absolutely "white", and is expressed in the number of bits per pixel of the image. This means that in the case of a radiometric resolution of 6 bits / pixel, we have a total of 64 color gradations, 8 bits / pixel - 256 gradations, 11 bits / pixel - 2048 gradations.
Navigation maps may be needed in a variety of situations. Either you are lost in the forest, or you are looking for the necessary street in the city. A service that can help you deal with this is Google Maps. It consists of a couple of applications. Namely: from the site Google Maps and Google Transit (program for laying the route). Thanks to the fact that Google transmits data directly from the satellite, with the help of these maps you can find out the detailed route scheme, house numbers, street names, as well as how to walk or drive (by car, bus, bike) to your destination.
This service is a great guide covering many areas of life: from traveling to planning a walk or going on vacation.
Appearance
The map for users can be displayed in two versions:- traditionally ( topographic map, analogue of Mercator);
- satellite imagery(not in online mode, but made some time ago).
A sister project to Google Maps - Google Planet (corresponds to the globe) complements the service of images of the Earth's poles.
Peculiarities
Not all countries disclose information about the location of their facilities. Therefore, places on the map where there are classified areas, shaded. These include, for example, the White House, the Capitol.Different resolutions on the map have different plots of land. The lower the population density of the territory, the less details are known about it. Some places on the map are hidden under the clouds. Although not all objects were taken from the satellite. Images of some of them were obtained thanks to aerial photography from a height of 300 meters or more. In such places, the detailing of the terrain reaches high values.
Service interface
Google Maps is very easy to manage. This app was made for people and that's how it works. On the left side there is a button to switch the appearance of maps ( topographic or satellite view). And on the right side of the screen, the user can find zoom buttons ( increase and decrease).The system allows its users to enter the address or name of an object and obtain information about its location, address, coordinates, appearance. For some zones, the service of recognizing “what is there” is available, while Google Maps will show which object (gas station, museum, shop, theater) is located there.
Google online maps very widely used javascript service. New sections of the map are displayed on the page as the user moves it around the screen. If the address of a specific object was entered, the page reloads and the location of the searched place is displayed on the map with a dynamic red marker icon.
In order for the map to be hosted by the owners of other sites, Google announced a free service: API Maps(Application Programming Interface) in 2005. This map can be added to any area of the site. There are currently more than 350 thousand of them around the world.
About Google Maps
As of 2011, Google Corporation announced that it provides its mapping service to more than 150 million customers. This makes the service one of the largest and grandest Internet navigation services.Interactive Google Maps is a free service provided courtesy of Google Corporation that does not contain ads, but only provides high-quality and verified information about the location and purpose of objects around the world.
Look at the world map from a satellite very entertaining, because the view of the Earth on satellite maps is very different from what we are used to seeing on ordinary geographical maps. The only drawback of such a map is that such a satellite map of the world is, rather, a satellite photo, and not a map in the full sense of the word, since the borders of states are not indicated on it. It is difficult to call such a map geographical or physical. Here is one example of such an unusual card.
One of the world-famous services eliminated this drawback and marked the borders of countries and the names of cities on a satellite map. Google Maps (Google) provides the ability to use a world map from a satellite is free. The map is an interactive satellite map of the world that visitors can use online from their computer monitor.
Google satellite world map online
:
(You can zoom in and out with the + and - signs)
it detailed map satellite world. You can zoom in, zoom out or move the map using the control panels located directly on the map. However, you cannot download such a map, unlike the previous one.
But you can look at such a map from a satellite on the Yandex Maps service
Satellite world map from Yandex maps online:
(Use + and - to change map scale)
Now, any point in the world can be seen from a satellite, and perhaps soon we will be able to observe the earth in real time, around the clock. Given the pace of development of map services, this should happen in the near future.
Satellite maps of the world can also be found in articles.
The surface of the Earth can now be monitored continuously. In addition, access to viewing satellite images is provided. Among the many applications for such actions, Google Earth online in real time has the greatest popularity in Russia.
Yandex maps can be called as the main competitor. Their developers are Russians, due to which the cities of Russia are worked out with the greatest accuracy. Due to the available functions, for large settlements you can view the level of Internet congestion, as well as numerous geodata and demographic data. Google provides access to traffic, as well as all information on land plots only in the United States.
Online viewing of the Earth from a satellite
Google Earth online from satellite in real time is displayed on the manufacturer's website. In order for the plugin to fully work and display all the main elements, it is recommended to use the Google Chrome Internet browser. In some situations, it will be enough to refresh the page so that everything opens correctly.
The main advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a developed application for users, through which you can view satellite images in any direction. This provides an opportunity to move away from the classic browser, but simply download the application in advance and use all its features. In addition, there will be much more functions and properties in it. If desired, you can open a three-dimensional globe in virtual mode.
Main advantages
If you pre-download Google Earth online, and not view maps in an Internet browser, customers receive a full range of positive aspects, which include:
- Create screenshots of a specific location, as well as record high-definition video.
- To search for a piece of land or a building, just enter the name or specific coordinates in the search bar.
- Move between "favorite places" by saving them in advance in the settings.
- In order to subsequently be able to work in the program in offline mode, it is necessary to perform preliminary synchronization via the Internet.
- From object to object, you can move the flight simulator. This option provides more and more convenience for each user.
- In addition to the earth's surface, you can open access to other bodies in the heavens, like the Moon or Mars.
This is only the minimum list of advantages purchased by customers of online maps from a satellite.
View modes
As stated earlier, google maps available not only through the Internet browser, but also through the application. With the plugin you can use interactive maps in any web browser. Specified address embedded in the resource program code. In this case, the entire planet, as well as a specific selected region, can be displayed. In the latter case, you will have to enter the appropriate coordinates.
Management is carried out by means of the keyboard and mouse. Together with each other, they allow you to zoom in or out, adjust the cursor while moving. In addition, there are additional icons (“+”, “-”) on the map.
The map view modes include the following:
- Satellite landscape. Here, the features of the planet's surface are more interesting.
- Geographic - in the form of a scheme that allows you to study incoming images in more detail.
- Physical - display of streets with names, cities.
The main requirement for stable operation and instant loading of maps is a high-speed Internet connection. You can also use the offline mode, but even here you will initially have to use the Internet to download.
