Terraserver.com
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TerraServer is a commercial website specializing in aerial and satellite imagery which was originally launched in 1997. It is owned and operated by TerraServer.com, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company was previously named Aerial Images until May 2002 when the assets of Aerial Images were sold and the company renamed itself TerraServer.com, Inc.
Aerial Images was part of the original project that involved Microsoft and Compaq as a demonstration of the real-world scalability of SQL Server. Aerial Images brought in satellite imagery from Sovinformsputnik (the Russian Space Agency) and GeoEye.
After the agreement ended in January 2000, the operations split into two pieces. Aerial Images kept the TerraServer.com domain name to create a commercial site selling custom selected imagery. Microsoft went forward with their own imagery project, that provides access to United States Geological Survey imagery. The Microsoft project has used the TerraServer brand name in a variety of ways including terraserver.homeadvisor.com, terraserver.microsoft.com, and terraserver.msn.com. In 2003, the Microsoft rebranded itself as TerraServer-USA. Because of the name similarity, there exists a lot of user confusion between the two sites. However, TerraServer.com, Inc. is the sole owner of the registered trademark TerraServer.
TerraServer allows full viewing of all imagery at 8 meters and above. Views below that level are reserved for subscribers. TerraServer also sells image downloads in JPEG format, prints on photographic paper, pre-made posters, and a few other items. TerraServer has several image sources covering the entire continental United State, high-resolution color imagery around major international cities, and 15 meter satellite imagery worldwide.
