ATLAS | Dillard

Dillard buildings modeled by DigitalCUrrents on Google Earth

The 3-D models of Dillard University created by ATLAS DigitalCUrrents students this summer are now viewable on Google Earth, which is an accurate digital representation of the Earth that combines satellite images and models to allow people to explore the globe virtually.

Google reviewed, approved and uploaded the student models just as the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached. Dillard University, a historically black liberal arts college located in New Orleans that has had academic partnerships with CU and ATLAS since 2002, was heavily damaged when the hurricane struck on Aug. 29, 2005. The university has spent the past three years rebuilding and remodeling.

In the summer of 2008, as part of the Digital CUrrents educational program of the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) at ATLAS, eight students from North High School and Thomas Jefferson High School in Denver used Google’s SketchUp 3D modeling program to digitally model the campus buildings. Prior to the high school students arriving on the Boulder campus, a team of CU-Boulder students and faculty traveled to New Orleans to gather digital source material for the project.

“It was an eye-opener about how events from the past three years have changed their lives,” said Adam Bach, one of the ATLAS students who traveled to New Orleans. “For me it was a great opportunity to bring awareness to a big topic.”

The program was funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Via West, the Musk Foundation, Apple, the Denver Public School System, Dillard University and Google.

To access the models, make sure Google Earth version 4.3 is installed. Go to Layers (on the left panel) then 3D Buildings, then Photorealistic (click on the box by Photorealistic). Enter Dillard University in the Fly to: data.