Eric Hackathorn has an article in Federal Computer Week about NOAA’s venture into Second Life, using it to host data & visualizations of various phenomena.
Second Life provides the interface, the building tools and the world. It is like an [Internet service provider] hosting a Web site and providing basic tools to design Web pages. The number of regions NOAA utilizes is a function of how much money we invest. Most of the design work is done in Second Life, but more and more, we take advantage of 3-D animation programs like Maya, Blender or SketchUp.
Currently the project is maintained by 3 FTE’s and half a dozen subcontrators, with a budget in the mid to low 6-figures.
