Google Earth Satellite Images ...but

[MasterofHera]

SWIMBO and I have been packing our bags for the trip to Oz and Googled a few of our destinations. They seemed OK to us.
We then tried a destination that we actually know in the middle of rural Wiltshire. Postcode did not show accurate location, although we did find the location by visual scanning about 600 yards from Google's indication.
Nice pictures, no way I would even consider using for navigational purposes.

 

[BrendanS]

It was never designed for navigation, so why would you want to use it for that? Why not get a plotter?

 

[rickp]

I do like the new 'Terrain' button though - very nice....

Rick

 

[BrendanS]

Hadn't played with terrain before, good fun!

 

[Stellina]

Try the flight simulator...

 

[BrendanS]

I have, I posted about it on ybw when it became available (back when it was an 'Easter egg' rather than generally available)

 

[Black Sheep]

Nothing wrong with Google Earth.

Your problem is expecting a postcode to resolve to a precise spot - but a postcode is an area. Each postcode does have a lat/long tagged to it, but this might just be the lat/long of the first address in the postcode, or it might resolve to the "centroid" of the area. In rural areas, the postcode could be quite large, so could be a big error.

So the message is don't use postcodes for navigation.

Google Earth is great for getting the feel of an area, particularly good for showing channels in estuary/delta waters. I certainly won't stop using it for navigation /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[roger]

Look at Mariehamn - Aaland Islands

If you look up Mariehamn you will find the road overlays partly in the water! - or at least you did when I looked a week or so ago.
Google has the most fantastic amount of information. Its not surprising that some of it is a little in error.
Its also improving all the time with higher def. views arriving more widely.
I found the pictures useful too and manage dto get a good idea of the Finnish Saimaa Canal from a combination of aerial and ground based pictures.

 

[billywilliams]

You are all probably aware of this, but, if you are viewing an area where there is poor definition such as very West Wales, try Flash Earth for far better pictures.

 

[rickp]

Have you seen the Google Mobile Map thing for phones? It has been updated to take GPS position from an onboard GPS (on things like the Nokia N95) or to use the cell towers as a rough estimate.

See the demo. Gives a very nice circle of uncertainty, even with GPS. As I move my phone away from the window, the circle of uncertainty grows as the view of the satellites diminishes.

Rick

 

[tobble]

postcodes aren't much use at sea anyway /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Seagreen]

Google Earth - its fantastic, but has bizarre effects.

F'rinstance, my boat is actually visible in two places at once, which took a bit of getting used to. Isn't this theoretically feasible in quantum physics? Actually seeing it made me chuckle! Is an email to New Scientist called for?

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[ex-Gladys]

Live Earth is better...