] There developers creating "virtual Earth"
]
] The Department of Defense is commissioning a re-creation
] of the entire planet from online-sim maker.
]
] As a rule, the developers of There prefer calling their
] creation a "virtual world" rather than a "game."
]
] Now it looks like that statement will no longer be
] hyperbole.
]
] According to a report on the BBC and HomeLAN Fed, the
] Department of Defense has commissioned the Menlo Park,
] California, company to create a replica of the entire
] planet. According to the report, the Earth sim will be to
] scale, featuring real-world distances--so if a user's
] avatar wanted to spend three months riding a bike around
] the Australian coastline, it could.
]
] Besides offering simulated warfare, the virtual Earth
] will also help soldiers hone their social interaction
] skills and practice noncombat duties like peacekeeping,
] policing, and reconnaissance. Although the only city
] currently in the sim is Kuwait City, the Defense
] Department plans to add many major metropolises by the
] time the Earth simulation goes live in September 2004

Cool! -LB

There developers creating 'virtual Earth'