Google Earth

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Holy crap, Batman! Have y'all seen the new Google Earth product?

http://earth.google.com/

This makes any other aerial photos such as Terraserver darned near obsolete. The resolution is amazing, and you can pan, zoom, rotate and even tilt up and down to see 3D resolution! You can pinpoint precisely even the altitude of your cursor! I've attached two screenshots below -- one an overview of Collins Gulch (Alta) & Peruvian Gulch, and another a closeup of Main Chute on Baldy to show just how detailed you can be (and that's not even close to maximum zoom!). The third one shows the hike from Hidden Peak to Mt. Baldy. Of course, I've shrunk them down considerably to fit the Liftlines image upload parameters, but this is amazing.

If you opt for the "Plus" version ($20/year vs free) you can even interface it with your GPS.

Right now the program download has been shut off as too many people were signing up, but keep your eye out for when they open it up again if you want a copy. For example, they shut it down last evening, but opened it up again for a time this morning before shutting off the spigot again.
 

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It looks like the data images they're using for Vermont aren't at as good a resolution as they are for here in Utah...yet...but as an example, here's Jay Peak:
 

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Too bad it's closed actually...

this looks quite better than Google Maps, for resolution... +3D of course.

Jay Peak is very little and in low resolution on Google Maps, while it's a lot better in Google Earth.

I think MSN Earth (or so) will be about the same !?
 
I just had to upload one at full resolution to let y'all see it. It's attached to this message -- click on the "download" link below to view it. It's of Snowbird's Peruvian Gulch, seen in 3D looking south-southwest. Amazing!

It's closed now, but it's been open and closed to new users numerous times over the past 24 hours as they restrict the flow of new users added to the system. Once you've downloaded it and logged in once you're not restricted from using it. So, keep trying!
 

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Frankontour":xneybrz5 said:
this looks quite better than Google Maps, for resolution... +3D of course.

Jay Peak is very little and in low resolution on Google Maps, while it's a lot better in Google Earth.
Click to expand...

Google Earth uses the same data and same resolution photos as Google Maps that are then combined with elevation data and rendered in 3D. The technique is called texture mapping. Since GM is 2-D aerial or satellite photography, shadows play havoc with the perceived resolution. The 3-D representation in GE "restores" much of that lost visual information.

Only certain cites and metro areas are photographed at high resolution. Here's a representation of what areas of North America are high-res.
 
Thanks for the infos, Marc_C

I succeeded to download the program, tonight

Here is a view of Mt Sainte-Anne, one of the ski areas in Quebec with high-resolution, it's really amazing... NICE !
 

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I spent a lot of time viewing Mammoth and Tremblant with GE, it's just such a cool piece of software. I wonder how long it will be before the resort websites start using it to have "virtual fly-overs" of the resort.

My guess is that they won't, just because the photos are not real-time, and they don't seem to have much data from the winter.

Still, this is a great tool for getting a sense of what a resort is like if you've never been there....
 
This is also an incredible software to build some maps showing the location of every ski areas in a region. I did it in just a few hours today for the totality of the province. Really cool !

I'll give you the link when it will be installed on our website, in case there is some interest out of the province ;)

I know that the elevation shown for every point is not super exact, but what a nice way to measure the vertical drop of the summer skiable glaciers in the Torngat range :D
 
Frankontour":2p6szvwu said:
This is also an incredible software to build some maps showing the location of every ski areas in a region. I did it in just a few hours today for the totality of the province. Really cool !
Click to expand...

I've done the same for all of the backcountry routes in Little Cottonwood from the data on Wasatch Touring Map II. I need to get the Wasatch Touring Map I to do Big Cottonwood Canyon next. It's cool to just "fly" from line to line checking them out.
 
One more way to spend hours in front of the computer! It's interesting what's available in high resolution.

Mt. Baldy ski area is hi-res but 10,000 ft. Baldy peak just up the ridge is not. San Gorgonio is hi-res, Mt. Waterman is not.

Aspen is hi-res, Vail is not.

The Grand Canyon is hi-res, Yosemite is not.

Some of the low-res views with good contrasts are still impressive: Mont Blanc/Chamonix/Vallee Blanche for example. Andrew also found the Blue Hole where we went scuba diving off Belize over Thanksgiving.
 
I heard this on the radio this morning...

For some of us that like to explore the French Alps with Google Earth, there is an alternative with more detail. The site is currently 2D, but will be in 3D in a few months.

I'll wait a few days before getting on the site, the site is overwhelmed by potential users.

Patrick, geographer :P


France launches 'Geoportal' rival to Google Earth

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060623/tc ... 0623153123

PARIS (AFP) - France has unveiled a new website offering high-resolution aerial imagery of its entire territory, in a bid to mirror the planetary success of the US pioneer in the field, Google Earth.

President Jacques Chirac chaired the official launch of the Geoportal -- found on the website http://www.geoportail.fr -- a free service which allows users to zoom in to within 50 centimetres (20 inches) of the ground, a first in Europe.

"This is a step forward for all citizens, which places France at the forefront of new technologies," Chirac said at a ceremony in Paris.

Unlike the US service Google Earth, which offers views of the entire planet but high resolution only for certain areas, the Geoportal covers the whole of France's territory, on the mainland and overseas.

Developed by the state-funded National Geographic Institute (IGN), it will let users switch from aerial views of a site, to detailed maps, charts and geological data -- with a three-dimensional tool to be added in the autumn.

The six-million-euro (7.5-million-dollar) project aims to reproduce the success of Google Earth which has been downloaded by some 100 million people since its launch a year ago.

The Geoportal was built using 400,000 aerial photographs compiled and updated every five years by the IGN -- as well as 3,700 maps -- with only certain sensitive or military zones left blurred.

Users can run a search by town or street name or by keying-in a tourist site or natural feature and in some cases can click through to multimedia files with relevant video or photo archives.

Would-be users faced initial disappointment however, as a surge of connections caused the service to crash shortly after its launch.
Click to expand...
 
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