The National Geographic Society is providing a gift to America's
children by sending every school in the United States a large,
laminated, updated map of the world. Space program technology from
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, played a pivotal
role in the creation of the satellite map images.
Each of the nation's more than 100,000 public and private schools will
receive the two-sided map within the next six weeks. One side of the 1.2
x 1.8-meter (4 x 6-foot) map shows the political world as of June 1998;
the other side is a digital image of the physical world based on images
collected by satellite. The latter was made possible in part through
JPL's digital imaging expertise, which helped create a seamless physical
world map out of more than 500 separate images. To do so, JPL drew upon
its decades of unique experience in the enhancement and production of
images of other worlds sent back by spacecraft from throughout the solar
system.
Cartographers at National Geographic Maps relied in large part on a JPL
team led by Dr. Nevin Bryant of JPL's Cartographic Applications Group
for guidance on working with digital data in order to create the
satellite map of the world.
The partnership between the National Geographic Society and JPL was
facilitated through JPL's Technology Affiliates Program, one of the
Lab's several technology transfer arms. This program is specially
designed to help American businesses and other institutions utilize the
knowledge and skills of the space program's scientists and engineers.
For information on buying the map ($39.95, order number M8I22001C), call
(800) 368 2728. Schools that have not received a free map by the end of
October should write to: School Map Giveaway, National Geographic
Society Education Foundation, 1145 17th St. NW, Room 2430, Washington,
DC 20036-4688.