urban tactical planner vs. fat crayons

the nytimes reports today that u.s. soldiers now have a new weapon at their disposal in iraq...the urban tactical planner provided a:

three-dimensional virtual tour of a mazelike section of Mosul before the
first troops from the First Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and the Iraqi
National Guard began capturing insurgents last month.

Not
only did the commanders simulate flying overhead to practice
air or ground
approach routes, but by zooming down they also saw buildings and streets and
spots where soldiers could assemble with some protection from sniper fire.

The images are not clear enough to make out people. But schools, mosques
and other important buildings were highlighted. Even ditches or other barriers
that might slow down an approach were marked.

The Urban
Tactical Planner is just one of a number of military and
intelligence tools
that use high-resolution commercial imagery. From relief efforts in Sudan, to
mission planning for Air Force flights and Navy ship movements across the world,
space-based imagery by private companies is now playing an essential role.

"It is the encyclopedia for minutia of Mosul," Mr. Feser
said in
a telephone interview from Iraq, after he used the imaging system to help his
brigade prepare for its mission in Mosul. "Before what we had was a map with
markers and acetate. It was like being a kindergartner with fat crayons."

well, the nytimes quote has formatted as a poem, and perhaps it is...