A collaboration between NASA and the Japanese trade ministry has resulted in the publication of the most comprehensive terrain map of the earth, ever. Covering 99 percent of the earth, the Global Digital Elevation Map includes 1.3 million images with only 30 meters between each measured elevation point. All of the images were taken by Japan’s Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (codenamed Aster) which resides aboard the Terra satellite. Data users interested in using the data can download the entire data set from NASA. The best previous topographical map of our planet, created by NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, covered only 80 percent of the earth’s surface.
