Some days the magic works

I don't know how I never found out about a valuable local (UT) resource until today. The Mid-American Geospatial Information Center (MAGIC) provides access to NASA remote sensing data which is combined with Texas-based developments in leading-edge information technology, computer visualization techniques and Internet2 data transmission network.

"One goal of the MAGIC program is to develop a rapid response capability to provide remote sensing data to address a broad range of applications in the region. This effort builds upon a cooperative effort between the University of Texas and and the Texas Geographic Information Council, a group with representatives from many Texas agencies and universities. To support that goal, UT-CSR operates a direct broadcast satellite receiving station for rapid acquisition of data from orbiting satellites. UT-CSR also downloads data from the NASA EOSDIS and the USGS EROS Data Center in South Dakota via the high-speed Internet2 network."

This information has provided rather useful during emergency response events. The interface with Google Earth is quite nice. I was able to search for a latitude/longitude to see if the Texas Civil Air Patrol had taken aerial photos of a couple of areas we were concerned about.