Mapping the World from Boulder, Colorado - By Nathan

  The Bing Mobile (BITs) group in Boulder, Colorado is constantly developing new areas to bring revenue to Bing and relevance to search through processing and interpreting imagery.  As well, the BITs (Bing Imagery Technologies) group is leading computer vision algorithm development for future Bing Maps initiatives. We are lighting up the Mobile and Local Search experience with real world search, navigation and discovery of information across all available devices and experiences, including aerial, oblique and street side images.  However, not only does our team process imagery and find way to add relevance, we also design, develop and produce the cameras which capture it, including the #1 market share aerial camera in the industry todayThe group consists of world class image processors, a casual team doing serious work and while we don’t strive for an environment where we are a bunch of sharks waiting for blood in the water, we bring solutions, not problems to the conversation.  We are data based and freshness matters, so much that we plan for the day where a day all it takes from acquisition to live data on the web.  Our intentional and intelligent Software Development Engineers and Program Managers believe that great isn’t good enough and they continually strive to understand all the words in our images.  Because of this, our users will be able to see anywhere from anywhere – we work with search to make sure that every cube provides a thousand blue links.  The BITs team is currently in the process of acquiring new, high-resolution imagery of the entire continental United States and Western Europe; this is the “Clear 30 Project” with our partner, Digital Globe.  The project started this summer and is scheduled to be completed in just 18 months (which is the first time these areas will ever be aerially mapped at that high of resolution in that short of time.)  In addition to that, we are partnered with Navteq to field a fleet of cars in North America and Western Europe to ramp up our street side imagery collection.  Our group splits into multiple teams, including Global Ortho, Synthview, Digital Surface Mapping/Digital Terrain Mapping, Streetside, Image Processing and Ultracam, which will be expounded upon next time around as we explore the world of orthographic imagery and our Global Ortho team. Keep checking out our blog and learn more about our team as we map the world.