Curtin’s Department of Spatial Sciences has decided to get its name on the map \u2013 or more accurately \u2013 on the globe.<\/p>\n
In April of last year, the department had the words Spatial @ Curtin painted in four-metre high letters on the roof of one of its buildings – making it visible from space.<\/p>\n
And to\u00a0motivate people to find it, they’re giving away a prize to the first person that spots it using Google Earth<\/a>.<\/p>\n Professor Bert Veenendaal, Spatial Sciences Head of Department, says it’s a great method of promotion.<\/p>\n ‘Given that we are a “spatial sciences” discipline that uses aerial and remotely sensed imagery, geographic information, mapping, etc. we thought it would be good to use our discipline’s technology.’<\/p>\n ‘I had it done by a professional painter who prepared it properly and used paints that withstand the sun and rain.’<\/p>\n ‘We don’t know the update schedule of Google Earth imagery, but it does appear to occur with increasing frequency,’ he said.<\/p>\n ‘Google Earth imagery for Curtin region was only just updated a couple of months ago to imagery dating to around July 2008 – it was more than a year older than that previously.’<\/p>\n While the sign can not yet be seen on Google Earth, Professor Veenendaal said it was up on\u00a0 Near Map<\/a>, a new company he believes uses arrays of digital cameras mounted on small aircraft to capture images similar to those provided by Google Earth.<\/p>\n ‘Near Map have started flying high resolution imagery – down to 3 cm resolution – for all of the Perth region every month since earlier this year,’ he said.<\/p>\n