| HanKFranK |
| (User) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 02:12 AM |
|
Google Earth
|
if you haven't taken a look yet, go to www.earth.google.com
takes a modest sized download and you can use the limited service for free.
google has added a new dimension to the web search engine, this one geographic. as i've had it explained, the digital imagery is being streamed via a new torrent-type format that helps it load lightning fast. i'm still working on how to use the features.. spent a lot of time just wowed by how much imagery could be accessed. found old houses i've lived in, found the pyramids at giza, found a little german town i used to live in, the coliseum in rome, ground zero in nyc... they've even got 3-d models of the buildings in nyc so you can view the skyline. if they start rendering the terrain on elevation models and get the meter-resolution type hi-res for more of the country.. well, i'll never stop looking at it.
this is a hell of a technological breakthrough.
| Clark |
| (Meteorologist) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 02:19 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Try checking the terrain check box and go over to the Grand Canyon, then turn the elevation angle down almost to level with the ground. The way the terrain features look is pretty cool. Even the slight rises here in Tallahassee are noticeable, with the Capitol Bldg. on the highest hill in downtown -- as it actually is here.
They've got the buildings for about 30 cities in total; Denver is another, as is Atlanta. It's got a few mileage checking features in it -- I use that myself to mark the distance between two points on a hill and then hover over both of them to see the difference in terrain, as I like to bike up a lot of hills here in town. There are a few that are up over 10%...one in particular that's 13% or so for 1/4 mile -- that's steep. There's a lot more to it...try going to Washington DC and go into the feature box at the lower left and have it show rail/transit lines -- your own free map of the metro system. The restaurant listing is huge in this, better than I've seen with even the for-pay programs. It's even got some high-res photos of places in other nations...Bermuda looks nice, as does Sydney.
All in all, well worth the time and download. I've been using it for a couple of months now on my laptop...easily can kill two hours with that thing.
| Big Red Machine |
| (Storm Tracker) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 02:34 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Truly is one of the most amazing pieces of technology ever. I've loved messing with it. (and the add ons are great too).
Also easy to calculate bird's eye distance w.
| dem05 |
| (User) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 02:51 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
How do they do this for free? Amazing!
| Hootowl |
| (Weather Hobbyist) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 11:09 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Ohhhhhhhh I love it! This will be fun. Just had a few minutes to mess with it - but I think I could spend hours!
Thank you so much.
Have you ever played with Terraserver? Not as neat as google - but it's fun to "see" places you have been.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/
Dotty
| Jax Chris |
| (Weather Watcher) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 11:56 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
In a similar vein, try pointing your browser to http://moon.google.com/. For proof of a certain theory, try zooming in all the way...
Jax Chris
| native |
| (Weather Guru) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 04:14 PM |
|
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Unbelievable! I literally went right into my backyard! Amazing, absolutely amazing. I know what I'm doing with my down time! Thanks!
| Ed in Va |
| (Weather Master) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 04:35 PM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
I could only get a fuzzy pic...what am I doing wrong?
| Ed in Va |
| (Weather Master) |
| Fri Aug 19 2005 04:47 PM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Did another search, which was much better.
| Random Chaos |
| (Weather Analyst) |
| Wed Aug 24 2005 01:07 AM |
|
Re: Google Earth
|
Yeah, it's fun. Been using it since the day it came out.
Now on another note, have you tried Google Moon?
http://moon.google.com
Make sure you zoom all the way in! I realize Jax said the above, but now comes an even better twist!
If you're interested in off-planet employment (and a great joke), click on "More about Google Moon" and then "Lunar Hosting and Research Center" in the text. Make sure you read everything there!
| bobbutts |
| (Weather Hobbyist) |
| Fri Oct 21 2005 02:04 PM |
|
|
Re: Google Earth
|
I wrote a little program last night that grabs the latest vortex data message and plots the point in google earth. It's a netlink so it should update within 10 minutes or so anytime http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAREPNT2.shtml changes. Data before today is incomplete, but it *should* pickup all the messages from here on out.
http://bobbutts.mine.nu/vortex/netlink.kml
Also anyone who doesn't have it should check out this:
http://www.paulseabury.com/tropModels.kmz