A 3-D map that accurate will have vast military, research, civil, and commercial applications, ranging from tighter low-flying routes for strategic aircraft to better-organized search and rescue plans during earthquakes to more accurate city planning and land use assessments. Further, while other 3-D topographic maps have been piecemeal efforts, the TanDEM-X mission will be one single, cohesive map of the entire surface of the planet. With the satellites both in orbit, work now is focusing on upping the resolution so allow the rendering of detailed, massive images from the data collected from a single pass overhead.