Global Connection is a joint project of Carnegie Mellon University, NASA, Google, and National Geographic. The project’s long-term goal is to help us learn about and meet our neighbors across this globe, and learn about our planet itself.
This project currently contribute the following:
- Providing imaging support for disaster relief efforts
- Publishing National Geographic content in Google Earth
- Creating gigapixel panoramas for sharing and exploration
According to the project, everyone can take your panoramas picture using an ordinary digital camera. Of course, you need a so called “Gigapan camera“. The Gigapan camera is a simple robotic platform for capturing very high-resolution (gigapixel and up) panoramic images from a standard digital camera. Sponsored by Google, CMU and the NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group, the Global Connection Project has also developed software which places you inside the panorama and lets you explore.
The cost of Gigapan camera is only cost you $279 and you can then share it on www.gigapan.org.