Digital 3D Map example showing Mt. Everest. Image courtesy of JAXA.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will compile a global digital 3D map that it claims will have the highest precision in the world, by compiling some 3 million data images acquired by the Advanced Land Observing Satellite “DAICHI” (ALOS).

The digital 3D map will have a precision of five meters in spatial resolution and five meters height accuracy, which will enable them to express land terrain all over the world.

JAXA has been compiling about 100 digital 3D maps per month as part of the engineering validation activities of DAICHI.  JAXA research and development in the area of full automatic and mass processing map compilations, has allowed engineers at JAXA to predict that it could soon process 150,000 maps per month.

JAXA will start the 3D map compilation in March 2014, with the aim to complete the global 3D map in March 2016. JAXA will commission the compiling work and service provision to NTT DATA Corporation.

JAXA will also prepare a free global digital elevation model (DEM) with a lower spatial resolution of about 30 meters, with a view to publish it as soon as it is ready. JAXA expects that its data will become the base map for all global digital 3D maps.