Dreamspark

DreamSpark is an excellent initiative by Microsoft to enable students access premium Microsoft software at no charge. We have already seen its roll out in other countries.

DreamSpark India is live and kicking now. It allows students in India to download Microsoft developer and design tools at no charge. Students can access software like: Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, Windows Server 2003, SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Expression Studio.


Here is simple procedure to get going:

* Select and Visit partner location near your place.
* Show your college ID card & collect software DVD.
* Then get verified & enter 25 digit key found on the DVD.
* Login using Live ID and complete verification process.
* Download License keys from DreamSpark website.

(I am not sure if they are actually giving it right now, but the current status in NIIT website shows they are indeed supplying Dreamspark Dvds to college students.....)

If you are not able to get those, you can get the express editions from The following link

http://www.microsoft.com/express/

India's Answer to Google Earth

ISRO launches Bhuvan

The Indian Space Research Organisation has finally launched BHUVAN which potentially is a competitor to Google earth. Bhuvan, an ambitious project of ISRO was started to take Indian images and thematic information in multiple spatial resolutions to people through a web portal through easy access to information on basic natural resources in the geospatial domain. Bhuvan showcases Indian images by the superimposition of IRS satellite imageries on 3D globe. The degree of resolution showcased is based on the points of interest and popularity, but most of the Indian terrain is covered upto at least 5.8 meters of resolution with the least spatial resolution being 55 meters from AWifs Sensor.

Bhuvan Features

• Visualise 2D and 3D image data along with rich thematic information on Soil, wasteland, water resources etc.
• Fly to locations ( Flies from the current location directly to the selected location)
• Heads-Up Display ( HUD) naviation controls ( Tilt slider, north indicator, opacity, compass ring, zoom slider)
• Navigation using the 3D view Pop-up menu (Fly-in, Fly out, jump in, jump around, view point)
• 3D Fly through (3D view to fly to locations, objects in the terrain, and navigate freely using the mouse or keyboard)
• Drawing 2D objects (Text labels, polylines, polygons, rectangles, 2D arrows, circles, ellipse)
• Drawing 3D Objects (placing of expressive 3D models, 3D polygons, boxes)
• Snapshot creation (copies the 3D view to a floating window and allows to save to a external file)
• Measurement tools (Horizontal distance, aerial distance, vertical distance, measure area)
• Shadow Analysis (it sets the sun position based on the given time creating shadows and effects the lighting on the terrain)

Really fascinating that India is also trying something...Na?

(source - pluggd.in and PTI)