[Claymore]

Hi,
I have just discovered Google Earth and find it great for checking out areas for field trips etc but can anyone tell me why the picture quality is rubbish zoomed in on Scotland? its great for the Dales etc but i wanted to check out Machrahanish on west coast but cannot get clear images
its not just the highlands either down where we are Southwest Scotland you can only zoom in a little before the image quality goes.
Any tips?
Cheers
Brian

[Keith Dickinson]

Some areas are not pictured in high resolution due to the original photo not being high res... or so I was told. There's also the tale that near US military establishments the resolution is poor, which seems to be true for Menwith Hill in Yorkshire, you don't get good res at all round there.

[Gordon]

Brian,
some times (often, I find!) the system below - Microsoft - has better picture quality than Google Earth/Google Maps. There are still areas of lo-res pictures but I think coverage for Scotland might be better.

http://maps.live.com/

cheers
Gordon

[Mono]

It is all down to the quality of the aerial photos available and who does what deals with the different websites.

Some areas of Scotland are very bad, but it was same here in the Lakes a few years ago it was crap but slowly it's getting better.

[Claymore]

Typical, I find it very interesting to see from above my old houses etc in england to see how they have changed etc LoL i was amazed at how much Blackpool has changed since i last visited approx 15 years ago (i'm sure i spotted a red aircraft on the sea front but it may be my eyes LoL
I had a laugh telling my niece in France i had flown over her house and taken a photo of her house (she hadn't heard of Google Earth)
Ah well little things please little minds?
Cheers and thanks for the Maps Live link
Brian

[Howard King]

I have started to use FEEDJIT maps - see http://feedjit.com/

I have the script embedded in all my templates for current pages besides providing a map of visitors to my site if you click the button "Satellite" the map changes to a satellite images

As you zoom in I have found that around 90% of my searches have had full coverage right down to maximum zoom - don't give up on a zoom if the area of the map you are interested in at a particular scale of zoom is not covered. Often I have found areas not covered at one scale are covered at others.

I recommend it to all who have a web page

To see how it operates in relation to a web page visit my pages at
http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/home_stub.php
you will find the map icon in the right column - just click on the map and enjoy - It shows location of last hundred visitors only and is constantly updating.
However the flags representing the visitors are not 100% spot on they seem to show the location of the server used rather than that of the visitor

[Big Phil]

Originally Posted by Howard King

I have started to use FEEDJIT maps - see http://feedjit.com/

Quite possibly missing the point, but isn't that just Google Maps?. Anyone can customise them using the API for their own purposes.

[Howard King]

On Feedjit it says only - powered by google -

I don't think they are the same in compilation - I have both this and Google Earth - the images and resolution on arrival at max zoom are different on each for the locations I have viewed. For My own house for instance I could not get the resolution I wanted on Google on Feedjit I could

google appears to be pure satellite in strips where as Feedjit and other similar programs appear to incorporate aerial photography as well

[Big Phil]

Originally Posted by Howard King

On Feedjit it says only - powered by google -

I don't think they are the same in compilation

Google Earth and Google Maps are different things. Feedjit is just adding its own traffic information to Google Maps as far as I can see. See Google's terms of use link on the map.

[KnockerNorton]

The images on Google Earth are not captured specifically for Google Earth, they're bought in from a variety of surveying sources. Naturally, most of these sources want images in the populated areas oif the country, or over arable land etc. Hence the areas around cities, and those in the SE are much better quality and more up to date than remote areas of Scotland. The images are constantly updated though, so keep checking back, but it may be a while before anyone flies west Scotland in detail. You can also buy an upgrade, although i don't think this has better imagery, just better functionality.

If you look over the Sahara area of Africa you can clearly see the flight paths of the aircraft (long strips).

Other free programs are essentially the same set-up - only getmapping.com has flown the country with its own planes, and they charge. But the resolution is very good (about a metre, I think). I took the liberty of zooming in on Machrahanish Golf Club, which will cost you £5:
http://www1.getmapping.com/webshop/W...64400&y=620600