A team of students set out to model for Google Earth the entire campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The project was a huge challenge: terrain was not uniform, & satellite images of the campus were outdated. Therefore, the team took the extra mile and used BALLOON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY (BAP) to take aerial pictures of newly built infrastructure that Google Earth imagery does not show. Check out how they did the BAP at ------ >>>>> http://picasaweb.google.com/JHUinGEarth/Balloon_Aerial_Photo <<<<<----- The planning execution of BAP took about 1 month. A camera hacked with a timer circuit was attached to helium balloons and sent up to 200 ft. It proved to be a difficult endeavor, since slight winds lead to several crashes onto trees and roofs; and in one occasion a BB gun and crane/lift was needed to retrieve the balloons caught on trees. The aerial pictures were photo-stitched and edited using Adobe Photoshop; creating a top-down view of the newly built DECKER QUADRANGLE (check model in collection). In addition, blueprints of every building and topography measurements were obtained. The team is composed of students David Hung, Conor Kevit, Jeffrey Lin, Mike Loecher, & Steve Wang. Special thanks to Student Technology Services, Digital Media Center, Reid Sczerba, Campus Security, & the Office of Facilities Management for making this project possible.
http://picasaweb.google.com/JHUinGEarth/Balloon_Aerial_Photo |
