Our latest release of TerraExplorer 5.1.2 introduced new support for the Time element. This feature allows you to define the life span of each object in the project by setting its start and end date and time. An object is only visible when the current project time is within this range. The current date and time can be modified through the new Date and Time slider displayed on the 3D window.

There are two ways to add time elements to objects. You can import KML or KMZ files that already contain the TimeSpan or TimeStamp tags. Or you can use the TerraExplorer Time Stamp tool to define start and end dates and times for selected objects or groups.

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In our last few SkylineGlobe product releases, we invested a great deal of time and effort developing the interfaces between our products and other OGC open standards, products and data. We began by enabling our 3D client application (TerraExplorer) to add feature layers from OGC Web Feature Services (WFS) and raster and elevation layers from OGC Web Map Services. Next step was adding support for OGC KML and KMZ files. In the latest TerraGate 4.5 release, our OGC Compliant WMS and WFS enable you to share all your map image and feature data with any application that reads the standard OGC WMS and WFS protocols. Our latest TerraExplorer release features a significantly improved KML loader.

Naturally, development of these new features entailed significant resources and time on our side – invariably at the expense of other, seemingly more exciting features. So why, you may ask, are OGC open standards so critical?

It is true that for applications that manage all their data internally, open standards don’t provide any meaningful advantage but many applications today need to communicate with other data sources. Compliance with OGC standards insures interoperability.

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For more than 12 years, Skyline has been one of the leading companies in the 3D-geospatial visualization and analysis arena. Throughout these years we’ve strived to set the industry standards, featuring new and revolutionary technologies, while also providing solutions for our customers’ day-to-day problems.

Our goal, in this Products and Technology blog, is to offer you a peek at some of our newest features that will soon be coming on the market. We’ll offer insights regarding relevant technological issues, and share some tips and tricks, courtesy of our professional services team. 
 
I will be authoring this blog, along with my colleague, Eylon Sirotkin. I’ve been with Skyline for 12 years and have managed Skyline’s Development and Support for the past five. Eylon heads our International professional services and support group.

I hope you will enjoy this new section of the Skyline web site and visit often to learn about all of the great things that will soon be coming your way. I recommend subscribing to our RSS feed to follow us in your favorite news aggregator application.