14 DAY TRIAL // If you just happen to have a 216 mega-pixel large format UltraCamX digital aerial camera lying around and gathering dust, then it's time to put it to good use. Microsoft is opening up Virtual Earth to third-party content, especially aerial photography. Chris Pendleton, Virtual Earth Technical Evangelist, indicated that through the GoVE program, Microsoft is targeting public sector organizations and governments which wish to share aerial images via its platform.
"We're just starting a new program called 'GoVE' which enables municipalities, state and local governments, aerial photographers, carrier pigeons, whoever, to share your imagery with Microsoft for publishing onto Virtual Earth the platform that powers thousands of enterprise applications, not to mention our own Live Search Maps. Now your imagery can be part of the Virtual Earth we're creating. Join in the world changing event that is Microsoft Virtual Earth," Pendleton stated.
Participation in the GoVE program will require contacting Microsoft directly, and an email address is available for this specific purpose: [email protected]. The Redmond company will make sure that the additional third party content does not interfere with the aerial imagery updates it has planned, and provided that the data is not available in Virtual Earth will go ahead and include it in one of the next releases. Publishers will also have to agree to and sign a nonnegotiable data release for their materials.
"Contact us for delivery logistics. We've found it easiest to put the data on an external hard drive and ship it. When we receive it, we'll put it in the queue for processing and mosaicking, ingesting and incorporating into the next release," Pendleton said.
It will take Microsoft one to three months to get the imagery ready for inclusion in virtual Earth. Microsoft will, of course, offer GoVE participants full credit and attribution for the sources of the aerial imagery.