NASA, Japan Release Improved Topographic Map of Earth
Posted on October 20, 2011
NASA and Japan released a significantly improved version of the most complete digital topographic map of the Earth earlier this week. The map, called a global digital elevation model, was produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
Images were collected by the Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument aboard Terra. California's Mt. Whitney, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west side of Owens Valley, is pictured above. At 14,505 feet (4,421 meters) in elevation, it is the highest point in the contiguous United States. You can see a larger version of the above image here.
NASA also released this video, which shows a flyover of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Take a look:
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