[GRASS-user] Which NASA Blue Marble datasets should I used to create a DEM with texture mapping?

[Elvis Dowson]

Hi,
        I have a very basic question. I want to create a DEM of a  
particular region. The DEM is a height field representation, in a  
raster image format. I can directly generate elevation data using this  
information. Looking at the NASA Blue Marble dataset, you have a  
topographic file that represents the topographic data.

Now, after I use the topographic data to reconstruct the 3D surface, I  
need to texture map the 3D terrain with image data. For this I guess I  
could use the normal NASA Blue Marble images without topograhic or  
bathymetric data.

Question 01: What is the use of the NASA Blue Marble images with both  
topographic and bathymetric data? Is it useful for creating a DEM with  
textured data?

Question 02: How does NASA's SRTM v2.0 data fit into all this? SRTM if  
I understand correctly is DEM data. Is SRTM and the NASA Blue Marble  
data set connected in some way?

Best regards,

Elvis Dowson