Resolution does vary
Central WV has less resolution than does, say, Pittsburgh.
Jim
I’ve decided, For Now …
to use ‘Microsoft TerraServer Imagery’ program. It currently serves my needs. Thanks again for ALL the great input.
Great to hear!
I have not used the MS product directly but Coastal Explorer integrates with Terra Server imaging and it is indeed neat to see the actual terrain superimposed on top of my planned route before I go there…
Memphis, try this one and let me know
what you think, I’ll be interested to see what you think…
39 23’ 12.66"N
76 02’ 19.29"W
I live on Grove Point Camp and launch on the Sassafras River at the beach at the end of the dirt road
let me know if you can make out the boat house that sits on the beach?
try this one, too
http://maps.live.com/# and click on aerial view and use the + and - in the left column to zoom as low as 30 yards
Here’s what my boat house and beach and Sunfish rack looks like from 150 yds elevation
http://tinyurl.com/dmgu9a
the URL didn’t translate
so go to the maps.live.com/# aerial view and type in
Buena Vista Drive, Earleville, MD 21919
then zoom in and scroll West along the beach to get to my boat house.
great find
Wow, that Live Search site has much greater resolution. I think you have found our new aerial photo champion. Thanks a lot for posting that. Do you know anything about where they get their photos from or what they plan to do with the service? Is it going to remain free, and is anything more available for a fee? I wonder if you can get downloads calibrated like maps for use in gps-mapping programs? I guess I should go prowl around their site some more to get those answers.
I’ve seen some sites which specialize in shore-line photography which have better detail that Google Earth (Washington state, California) but only on the coast. This service seems to cover everything, although not everything is the same quality. In your area, the “aerial” tab shows very good detail but the “bird’s eye” tab is deactivated. Near my favorite river, the “aerial” tab shows only poor quality but the “bird’s eye” tab shows incredible detail, down to near 1000 to 1 or possibly better.
Google Earth shows its limitations in your area. The resolution near your house is very poor, only about 30,000 to 1 or so. However, that is mainly due to a quirk in the photography set used – perhaps the plane was pressed for time and just turned too early, or a few frames near the end of the roll got ruined, because everything around you (starting about 2 miles east and 1 mile south) is much better, like 3,000 to 1. Only the tip of the peninsula you live on got cut off.
By the way, how long have you lived on the Eastern Shore? My mother’s family was from Rock Hall, about 20 miles southwest of you, and I spent parts of several summers up in that area when I was a kid. We used to go swimming sometimes at Betterton Beach, right across the Sassafras from you.
military installation maybe?
I just surfed around Google Plus a little bit and there seems to be a blanket around the Aberdeen Proving Grounds which is 5.2 miles WNW of me. Take a look at Betterton for example, eastern part is clear western part is out of focus. DC and Baltimore are clear.
I paddled at Rock Hall two months back and love the area. Very quaint village and miles of shoreline. I’ll be stopping there for water on my trip South in May. I came out here to the Eastern Shore 6 months ago to help a friend and wound up staying. Unlimited kayaking possibilities here and I can paddle year round.
could be
That could be. I understand Cheney had them blur out the VP residence at the Naval Obseratory.
By the way, I just checked, and the Naval Obseratory is visible again! News stories say the change was made Jan 18 as a routine data update and is unrelated to the change in administration.