TerrainTool

[Mike McCombe]

TerrainTool now has a new home at 
http://ubss.org.uk/terraintool/terraintool.php and a new version (1.06). New 
features include support for the ASTER satellite data and two New Zealand 
coordinate systems (NZMG and NZTM).

Compared to the Shuttle's SRTM, the ASTER data provides higher resolution 
(30m versus 90m) increased coverage to +/- 83 degrees latitude (SRTM is 60N 
to 53S) and far fewer "voids" (missing data caused by shadowing, 
particularly common in mountainous areas). TerrainTool will now let you use 
SRTM data (as before), ASTER alone or SRTM with ASTER to fill in voids.

Like SRTM, ASTER data is royalty-free but you have to register with NASA or 
their Japanese partners and go through a rather elaborate "ordering" process 
to download it. Rest assured that no money changes hands during the 
acquisition of this data!

Many thanks to all who offered web space for TerrainTool and particularly to 
Graham Mullan and Simon Lee at UBSS for their help in setting up the page.

Best regards,
Mike