A Tip: Google Earth

[Patricio Elicer]

Maybe some of you already know it, maybe others don't. In any case, I wanted to share. I'm amazed of what technology is capable of.

Google Earth is free, a software needs to be downloaded

http://earth.google.com/index.html

A quick sample, the Silvestone Racing Circuit, south of Northampton in England:

http://img342.echo.cx/img342/8851/silverstone2gw.jpg

http://img342.echo.cx/img342/1080/silverstone13yg.jpg

[teddygrahams]

My neighborhood is blurry. I saw the satellite data from Microsofts' mapper 8 years ago and I could see much more detail.

[Patricio Elicer]

Originally posted by teddygrahams
My neighborhood is blurry. I saw the satellite data from Microsofts' mapper 8 years ago and I could see much more detail. Yeah, it's a shame that not all places on Earth have a decent resolution, but I understand it will improve over time. I was looking for a particular spot in Germany, but no way!

[mummymonkey]

One of the most impressive features of this software is the terrain layer. Switch this on then use the zoom, pan and tilt controls to fly round the landscape. Mt St Helen in Washington is superb.
The 3D buildings of New York are also nice.

[JR "BOB" Dobbs]

The 3D function is so-so in my opinion. I can't wait for the entire map to be populated with hi-res pictures. I can see my mom's car in another part of the state but can't even see my house in my neighborhood. I'd like to get a look at the giant sequoias in Kings Canyon (among MANY other things). Very cool, by the way, if you haven't downloaded and used it.

[ZeeGerman]

Originally posted by Patricio Elicer
Yeah, it's a shame that not all places on Earth have a decent resolution, but I understand it will improve over time. I was looking for a particular spot in Germany, but no way!

What do you mean, "no way"?
All the relevant places in Germany are perfectly covered :D


http://www.holve.de/pics/ZGHome.gif



Zee

[Kilted_Canuck]

I can see our 4' diameter firepit in our backyard...and I'm in Podunk, Canada! (not literally)

[Patricio Elicer]

Originally posted by ZeeGerman
What do you mean, "no way"?
All the relevant places in Germany are perfectly covered :D
Zee Hey Zee!, that's pretty cool. Your house, your office and your car, all in the same shot.

I was looking for the mythic Nurburgring speedway the other day, located near the Luxembourg and Belgium borders, but was utterly unable to see a thing. Maybe that's a rural area not still covered with high resolution pictures.


ETA: And you use your car for that small distance?. With those excellent and clear roads, you'd be willing to use a bycicle and do some excercise, I guess :).

[headscratcher4]

Originally posted by ZeeGerman
What do you mean, "no way"?
All the relevant places in Germany are perfectly covered :D


http://www.holve.de/pics/ZGHome.gif



Zee

If you live that close, why are you driving and not biking or walking...you slug. ;)

[69dodge]

Originally posted by Patricio Elicer
I was looking for the mythic Nurburgring speedway the other day, located near the Luxembourg and Belgium borders, but was utterly unable to see a thing. Maybe that's a rural area not still covered with high resolution pictures.If you type "Nuerburg, Germany" into the search box, it's there. Not very high resolution, though.

The "Eye alt" number at the bottom right of the image shows how far in or out you're zoomed. Zoom out to about 10,000 ft to get the best view of the Grand Prix circuit just to the west. To see the entire Nordschleife, zoom out to about 30,000 ft and position the GP circuit at the bottom of the screen, slightly left of center, so that you see the words "Hohe Acht" at the top right.

It's not very easy to see. Here (http://www.nurburgring.org/map.html)'s a map, and a link to a higher-resolution satellite photo.

If you turn on the roads layer in Google Earth, it shows up as a thin red line (among many others) and is even labelled "Nürburgring", but only if you zoom in far enough.

[ZeeGerman]

Originally posted by headscratcher4
If you live that close, why are you driving and not biking or walking...you slug. ;)

Two reasons.

1. (official and lame)
I drive the younger of my daughters to kindergarden in the morning (which would be about two image heights up north)

2. (inofficial but true)
It's all the fault of the US - what else, really...
Spending almost two years among you guys and your goddamn car centered way of life has spoilt me beyond recognition. My wife works about five images to the north west and we have two cars. Not to mention that my city is second only to Münster as the most bike friendly city in Germany. Everybody bikes here, even old ladies in their eighties. But no! Two bold attempts of biking to work (one in Pittsburgh, one in the bay area) have convinced me that anybody with such an idea must be dangerously insane. So there :D

Zee

[bigred]

Originally posted by Patricio Elicer
a software needs to be downloaded
>:(

You lost me at hello.

[scribble]

Originally posted by bigred
>:(

You lost me at hello.

then try this:


maps.google.com

Look up an address, then hit the "Sattelite" button.


rock on .

[Patricio Elicer]

Originally posted by 69dodge
If you type "Nuerburg, Germany" into the search box, it's there. Not very high resolution, though.

The "Eye alt" number at the bottom right of the image shows how far in or out you're zoomed. Zoom out to about 10,000 ft to get the best view of the Grand Prix circuit just to the west. To see the entire Nordschleife, zoom out to about 30,000 ft and position the GP circuit at the bottom of the screen, slightly left of center, so that you see the words "Hohe Acht" at the top right.

It's not very easy to see. Here (http://www.nurburgring.org/map.html)'s a map, and a link to a higher-resolution satellite photo.

If you turn on the roads layer in Google Earth, it shows up as a thin red line (among many others) and is even labelled "Nürburgring", but only if you zoom in far enough. Thanks for the tips, I followed your instructions closely, but even there I can't tell I saw the circuit. Maybe my screen's resolution is to blame. The photo on the link is fine.

[Patricio Elicer]

Originally posted by bigred
>:(

You lost me at hello. Here's a link to the download page. Check if your comp meet the requirements.

http://desktop.google.com/download/earth/index.html

Hope it works.

[WildCat]

If you punch in my zip code (60625 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=60625&spn=0.007930,0.009917&t=k&hl=en)) and zoom all the way in, my house is in the exact center of the screen. Pretty cool.

I've subscribed to Keyhole, that works good too.

[69dodge]

It appears they even got the stars right, if you zoom all the way out. (I checked Orion.) Very nice.

But at 180° longitude, the Earth has a black slit that's two thousandths of a degree wide. (Look at land, not water, to see it.) At 0° longitude, the image jumps around when dragging it after, e.g., rotating it, if you're zoomed in sufficiently far. (I was looking for the Greenwich Observatory. Its website says it's at 51° 28' 38" N, 0° 0' 0", but Google Earth shows it at 51° 28' 39.93" N, 0° 0' 6.13" W. There is an explanation (http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.416) for the difference.)

And the poles look funny.

[Kilted_Canuck]

Its an awesome program, but one can tell its still in beta stages. After a few minutes of looking around in highly mountainous regions it starts getting buggy. If you all like this, NASA Worldwind (http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/) might also be up you alley.

[CFLarsen]

Awesome. Simply awesome. I love the way you can fly around the globe, when you search for a new place.

Originally posted by ZeeGerman
I drive the younger of my daughters to kindergarden in the morning (which would be about two image heights up north)

...

My wife works about five images to the north west

I think we have a new way of measuring distance: 24 GIs (Google Images).

[Bikewer]

I'm able to pick out the wishing well in my back yard, as well as the galvanized pool that's leaning up against my outbuilding.
I checked out police station, and could tell the police cars parked in the lot by the light-bar on top.

[CFLarsen]

Originally posted by 69dodge
And the poles look funny.

Hey! No ethnic slurs here! :)

[Patricio Elicer]

Originally posted by CFLarsen
I think we have a new way of measuring distance: 24 GIs (Google Images). Actually the program can meaure distances across the surface of the earth. I don't know the accuracy, but at least we get an estimation.

Tools -----> Measure

[chran]

Originally posted by Patricio Elicer
Actually the program can meaure distances across the surface of the earth. I don't know the accuracy, but at least we get an estimation. I've tried to measure football fields and baseball diamonds and my measurements seem to be accurate to within a foot.