<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Research	I-Application
Maps	I-Application
(	O
MSR	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
)	O
was	O
a	O
free	O
online	O
repository	O
of	O
public	O
domain	O
aerial	O
imagery	O
and	O
topographic	O
maps	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Geological	O
Survey	O
(	O
USGS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
was	O
a	O
collaboration	O
between	O
Microsoft	O
Research	O
(	O
MSR	O
)	O
,	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
USGS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
site	O
was	O
renamed	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
prior	O
to	O
which	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
known	O
as	O
TerraServer-USA	B-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Microsoft	B-Application
TerraServer	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSR	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
had	O
Urban	O
Areas	O
data	O
for	O
40	O
cities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
had	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
MSR	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
web	O
site	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
permanently	O
close	O
on	O
May	O
1	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
but	O
later	O
changed	O
that	O
decision	O
based	O
on	O
requests	O
from	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
created	O
as	O
a	O
demonstration	O
system	O
to	O
advertise	O
the	O
scalability	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
Server	I-Device
and	O
SQL	B-Application
Server	I-Application
,	O
and	O
used	O
images	O
from	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Geological	O
Survey	O
(	O
USGS	O
)	O
and	O
Sovinformsputnik	O
(	O
the	O
Russian	O
Federal	O
Space	O
Agency	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
his	O
death	O
,	O
Gray	O
continued	O
this	O
work	O
,	O
developing	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Virtual	I-Application
Earth	I-Application
and	O
began	O
a	O
similar	O
project	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
the	O
Worldwide	B-Application
Telescope	I-Application
.	O
</s>
