Something Different

This week, I thought I'd try something a little different with my blog post and put together a short movie. So, for this "video blog" I decided to walk through the process of downloading USGS digital elevation data and NAIP imagery using the National Map Viewer. These files were opened using ENVI software and multiple files were mosaicked together using the seamless mosaic workflow. Finally, a three-dimensional flyover of the scene was created using the motion controls available in the ENVI 3D surface viewer. Three-dimensional visualizations can be a great first step when with working with imagery before moving on to perform more in-depth image analysis tasks. They enable a much more natural reading of the landscape and can be used to derive crucial information about a scene that might otherwise be missed. My hope with this short video is to show just how easy it can be to download freely-available data and begin working with it to gain an understanding of an area of interest. So, I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear how other folks are using freely-available data to visualize areas that are of interest to them.