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If you're looking for a high-resolution satellite image of your home, Microsoft TerraServer may be where you want to go today. It's not "live," but it is free and the photos are clear. The TerraServer interface lets you select a location by geographical coordinates, place name, or by clicking a spot on a world map; then you can zoom in or out. Not all corners of the globe are documented, but your U.S. hometown is probably there. Microsoft implemented this archive to provide access to satellite images created by the USGS and Spin-2. At the USGS site, we learned about digital orthophoto quadrangles or DOQs -- aerial photos in digital format. DOQs are used in a variety of geographic
information systems (GIS) as the base for illustrating different kinds of data. Spin-2, on the other hand, offers commercial satellite imagery from declassified Russian images as part of a Russian-American collaborative venture. If you need to purchase photographs or download digital data from TerraServer, you'll find this a cost-effective alternative to custom aerial photography for business or scientific applications. Flying so high with a spy in the sky has never been easier. If you like the view from afar, be sure to browse the Earth Pictures subcategory of Yahoo!'s Astronomy category for other great snapshots from up above it all.
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