Fillmore, CA and Victoria, BC - June 16, 2006 -- Solid Terrain Modeling (STM), manufacturer of the world's most accurate 3-D solid-terrain models, has just completed the installation of a stunning new model of the entire province of British Columbia under the beautiful glass-and-iron canopy of Victoria's historic Crystal Garden.  The model can be viewed from many levels, and allows visitors to see British Columbia as it actually looks from outer space   every geographic feature in vivid color and exquisite detail. 

Consisting of 100 separate curved panels, the model was created from digital elevation and imagery data obtained from satellites orbiting the earth.  Each panel is individually shaped so that the model shows the actual curvature of the earth.

The British Columbia model is larger than a "doubles" tennis court and is the world's largest physical-terrain model ever created from digital data sources.  It is the centerpiece of the BC Experience, the Crystal Garden's magnificent new geographic discovery center that allows visitors to navigate through the physical and cultural wonder that is British Columbia.  The BC Experience opens to the public on June 26.

About STM Models
STM produces the world's most accurate, full-color, 3-D solid models of geographic terrain.  STM models provide a level of comprehension not found in any other mapping technology.  People can gather around an STM model and view it from any angle.  They can discuss it, touch it, and point to specific features on it.  As they do, everyone in the group "gets" it -- the scale, distances, terrain, coloration, points of view, sight lines and more. 

To produce a model, STM uses digital elevation and imagery data for the selected geographic area.  The elevation data controls STM's highly calibrated cutting machine as it carves the model into high-density plastic foam.  Then STM's printing machine applies the image data (as a photo) directly onto the model's surface.  The result is an exact replica of the geographic area -- in breathtaking detail and in brilliant color. 

STM models are used by law firms, emergency response groups (fire, police, search and rescue), land management offices (construction, civil engineering, real estate, and recreation), developers, transportation agencies, utilities (oil, gas, hydro), architects, museums, military, government agencies (federal, state and municipal), the U.S. Department of Defense and others. Seventeen STM models are now on display at the National Geographic Society's Explorers Hall museum in Washington, DC, including a 52-foot x 6.5-foot model of the Grand Canyon. 

Photos by Bruce Obee. 

Another image can be viewed by going to http://www.bcexperience.info and clicking on News and then clicking on Times Colonist: B.C. Experience is on the map

Source: www.Mapuser.com

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The model is the centerpiece of the new "BC Experience" geographic discovery center, and is located under the beautiful glass-and-iron canopy of the Crystal Garden. The BC Experience (www.BCExperience.info) allows visitors to navigate through the physical and cultural wonder that is British Columbia. The Grand Opening for the BC Experience will be held on Monday, June 26.

WHAT THE BC MODEL LOOKS LIKE

The BC model is a literal transcription of the best geophysical data that modern science can provide today and offers visitors the unique opportunity to see how our planet looks from space.

The most remarkable feature is its accurate representation of the curvature of the Earth. Because of this curvature, viewers on lower levels see the great arc of the horizon rather than the ends of the model.

In order to appreciate both the "big picture" and the exquisite details included in the model, visitors can view it from various levels and

locations to take in all of the natural splendor of British Columbia the

beautiful mountain ranges, the wide valleys, the penetrating fjords, the mighty rivers and their tributaries, the blue lakes and the green islands all in vivid color. They can even see the contours of the ocean floor beneath the coastal waters. Evidence of glaciers, earthquake-prone fault lines, agriculture, forestry, cities and even roads can be seen clearly.

To augment the information provided by the model, fourteen flat-screen electronic GeoStations are mounted on balcony railings surrounding the model. The touch-screen GeoStations provide visitors with instant access to in-depth geographic information on scores of locations in British Columbia.

HOW THE BC MODEL WAS BUILT

Consisting of 100 separate curved panels, the model was created from digital elevation and imagery data obtained from Earth-orbiting satellites. Using the elevation data, the panels were carved from high-density foam by STM's highly calibrated custom cutting machines. The completed panels were spray coated white and then, using the imagery data, an image of the geographic area was applied directly onto the surface of each panel by STM's unique printing machine. Because each panel was individually shaped to accurately represent the curvature of the Earth, no two panels are the same shape. The finished panels were assembled onsite and installed over an intricate steel grid that includes individual supports for each panel. These supports allow each panel to be adjusted so that it fits perfectly with the adjacent

panels.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BC MODEL

The BC model is unique in both size and shape. It was manufactured from than 260 Million elevation data points and is covered by more than 100 Billion droplets of ink. At a scale of 1:99,000, the terrain on the model surface is vertically exaggerated by 50 percent while the curvature is an accurate one-to-one representation of the Earth. This model represents approximately 1/190th or 0.52% of the Earth's surface.

The model's 100 panels are arranged in a 10-by-10 array with each panel having a unique shape. The overall shape of the model is defined by a section of a sphere that is divided into panels along "great circle" lines. A "great circle" is a cartographic concept that provides the shortest distance between two points, and is defined as the intersection of a plane that passes through two points on the surface of the sphere and the center of the sphere.

Each panel of the model was "cut" along the great circle lines created by planes that pass through the center of the sphere and the corner points of each panel. The result is that the panels fit together almost seamlessly and any visible seams between panels appear as long, smooth curves when viewed from above, with the long edges providing the most pronounced effect.

The source data for the model was processed by WorldSat International and is of two distinct types: a digital elevation model (DEM) which provides height measurements on the surface of the Earth, above or below sea-level, at regular intervals of about 90 meters; and satellite photographs collected by the U.S. Geological Survey's LandSAT 7 sensor. The LandSAT imagery was mosaiced (stitched together) and color balanced by Robert Stacey of WorldSat. Once the master files for elevation and color were completed, they were cut into 100 sections and re-projected from the standard system of latitude/longitude into 100 panel-specific coordinate systems that combine the differential horizontal and vertical scaling factors along with the curvature of the Earth.

ABOUT SOLID TERRAIN MODELING AND STM MODELS

Lawrence Faulkner and Mark Fisher spent 10 years developing a revolutionary, patent-pending technology to produce the world's most accurate, full-color, 3D solid models of geographic terrain. In August 2000, they founded Solid Terrain Modeling Inc. to bring their spectacular models to the marketplace.

STM models provide a level of comprehension not found in any other mapping technology. People can gather around an STM model and view it from any angle. They can discuss it, touch it, and point to specific features on it. As they do, everyone in the group "gets" it -- the scale, distances, terrain, coloration, points of view, sight lines and more.

To produce a model, STM uses digital elevation and imagery data obtained from Earth-orbiting satellites or from airborne sensors for the selected geographic area. The elevation data controls STM's highly calibrated cutting machine as it carves the model into high-density plastic foam. Then imagery data controls STM's huge printing machine as it applies the image directly onto the model's surface. (Other images, such as maps, photos, graphics, and text can also be printed on a model.) The result is an exact replica of the geographic area, in breathtaking detail and in brilliant color. Since STM's manufacturing systems are highly automated, a 4-foot by 8-foot model can be completed and shipped in as little as ten days.

STM models can be any size and can range in subject from the topography of a single hillside to the geography of an entire country, continent or ocean. They are extraordinarily useful for any application that requires an understanding of geographic terrain.

STM models are used by law firms, emergency response groups (fire, police, search and rescue), land management offices (construction, civil engineering, real estate, and recreation), developers, transportation agencies, utilities (oil, gas, hydro), architects, museums, military, government agencies (federal, state and municipal), the U.S. Department of Defense and others.

STM MODELS HAVE BEEN USED FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF FUNCTIONS. THESE ARE A FEW:

Several fire departments use STM models for training, and onsite at actual wild fires to track the movement of a fire and plan deployment of resources.

The World Court used an STM model to help determine the boundary between Honduras and Nicaragua during a dispute between those countries.

In a Nevada lawsuit, two STM models were used to track the flight of an airplane through a mountainous area just prior to its fatal crash. Using precise information obtained from the FAA, the exact flight path and point of impact were determined. Numbered rods were inserted into the model to depict the plane's exact location and elevation as it flew.

The Department of Defense uses STM models of areas throughout the world that have military significance.

An STM model of Salt Lake City, Park City, the surrounding area and the venues was featured at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Developers use STM models to show how a proposed development will look in its actual surroundings when completed. A model can be extremely useful for obtaining development approval and in sales displays.

Many museums and interpretive centers use STM models. Eighteen STM models are on display at the National Geographic Society's Explorers Hall museum in Washington, DC, including a 52-foot x 6.5-foot model of the Grand Canyon.

Solid Terrain Modeling is located at 340 Fillmore St., Fillmore, CA 93015.

Phone is: 805-524-7307. Fax is: 805-524-1973. Web site is: www.stm-usa.com.