It doesn't matter if there is a war there, as was the case recently when Vexcel Corp. produced its second project, a model of Baghdad, Iraq, with bombed palaces shown in red (below). Nor does it matter if the country objects.

Vexcel builds models from data with 60-centimeter resolution. Models have 1-meter vertical and 1 to 2-m horizontal accuracy, depending on latitude. A few GPS points taken on the ground are sufficient to reference them. Wolfgang Walcher, director of Vexcel's Mapping and GIS division, says accuracy and price is comparable to models built from aerial photography. "The paradigm change is no longer being dependent on local aerial survey firms," he says.