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Birdseye Satellite Imagery: A new direction for Garmin Custom Mapping?


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Seems like half a solution. Nowhere am I seeing that you can use these maps on your computer the same way I use NG topo now, and even Garmin Mapsource Topo/City Navigator. I don't plan trips on a 3" screen. I plan them on my computer.

 

What I'd want out of Garmin is a all in one solution. Computer maps, GPS maps and such. They actually look like they are stepping out of the GPS market and into the subscription market. I'm not all that likely to follow them there. Garmin, It's been a fun ride, but it's looking like it's coming to an end.

 

Your jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts.

 

They are "frontending" another companies satellite imagery (i.e. making it available) for use on their products. The imagery is very similar to the content in the NG "superquads" and configured in much the same way. Garmin is providing an additional way to take advantage of their products and their technology by making additional imagery available to some of their very best products. You'll continue to be able to do all of your planning on basecamp while also doing all of the importing and exporting of maps and imagery there as well. basically giving you more powerful choices, not limiting you or changing the way you wish to use your Garmin GPS.

 

If you're an outdoorsmen it will blow you away with the ability to see actual ground cover, and trail networks with or without contour lines representing changes in the "lay of the land". It has totally changed the way I plan to hunt or go on an extended hike because now I can "see" the actual topography before I leave and can make more informed choices about the difficulty of the area I'm going to hunt or hike. I select the maps and imagery on my computer, plan my routes and select waypoints on my computer BEFORE I leave and transfer them to the GPS AFTER I've laid it all out to my satisfaction. It's a truley amazing way to plan your outdoor experience.

 

Give it a look see before you discount it altogether.

 

Be safe.

 

N

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I've seen the imagery being provided. At the altitude level these are at, the resolution is great on PCs for 3m resolution. It's when you start getting down closer to the imagery it starts to blur and pixelate which becomes useless on small screens such as the GPS where 1m-0.5m resolution is more desirable.

The thing is that the GeoEye satellite imagery is at 0.50-meter resolution, not 3 meter and work quite well with a handheld such as in the topic of this thread or even an EarthMate one. They preform exactly the same as aerial flown images. The Garmin BirdsEye imagery is also submeter.

 

I'm not sure what you have seen, maybe this:

Port-au-Prince_PN40.jpg

from this maybe: DigitalGlobe

I came to the realization where you got the imagery from. This is not where I saw other imagery. I did not download what DeLorme had to offer as I am not on any SAR effort in Haiti. Nice poke, but not a fair comparison when taking a low resolution screenshot to demonstrate.

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I came to the realization where you got the imagery from. This is not where I saw other imagery. I did not download what DeLorme had to offer as I am not on any SAR effort in Haiti. Nice poke, but not a fair comparison when taking a low resolution screenshot to demonstrate.

That image is linked directly from the source, DeLorme's website, I took no low resolution screenshot. Just right click on the image to get it's URL, it's no secret. I have no idea what you've seen. It was a question, not a poke at you or DeLorme. There's plenty of 0.5m and better satellite imagery that looks fine on handheld gps sized screens, I would think you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and an aerial flown image Edited by coggins
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So if a subscriber let his subscription lapse, would all of the imagery that he loaded onto his unit go POOF! and disappear? Do you have to keep paying the subscription, year after year, in order to keep using the imagery that you downloaded? I guess we will find out next month for sure.

 

when will this be released?

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So if a subscriber let his subscription lapse, would all of the imagery that he loaded onto his unit go POOF! and disappear? Do you have to keep paying the subscription, year after year, in order to keep using the imagery that you downloaded? I guess we will find out next month for sure.

 

when will this be released?

 

site says MARCH 2010. Some on this thread said it would go live 2/18 I think.

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I've been monitoring the Garmin Birdseye and Basecamp pages on a regular basis and all is quiet. I was hoping for some news on the release earlier in the month, but guess the good news is that if they're going to deliver in March we've only got a short wait left...

 

My fear is that no news/promotion may potentially mean the release has been pushed back.

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Ummm, you use Basecamp to load them, so they should be visible in Basecamp......

 

They are not maps, BTW, but aerial or satellite images.

 

That's correct, they are supposed to be visible in the new Basecamp that's to be released at the same time ase Birdseye so map management and planning should be no different than with earlier editions of Basecamp, just addition of imagery. I'm really looking forward to this.

 

Be safe.

 

N

Edited by Native20559
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Ummm, you use Basecamp to load them, so they should be visible in Basecamp......

 

They are not maps, BTW, but aerial or satellite images.

 

That's correct, they are supposed to be visible in the new Basecamp that's to be released at the same time ase Birdseye so map management and planning should be no different than with earlier editions of Basecamp, just addition of imagery. I'm really looking forward to this.

 

Be safe.

 

N

 

BaseCamp still crashes with Windows 7. They just fixed this with MapSource 16.0.2 Beta and need to incorporate the same changes in BaseCamp. Don't hold your breath.

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Well, this is sort of out now... software updates for the compatible units and a software update for BaseCamp (at least for PC) have been released. I've managed to download some imagery and transfer a chunk of 'low' quality data to my Oregon 400t and I have to say... wow. The 'low' quality data looks excellent. Really impressed and wish that I was able to purchase a subscription...

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Well, this is sort of out now... software updates for the compatible units and a software update for BaseCamp (at least for PC) have been released. I've managed to download some imagery and transfer a chunk of 'low' quality data to my Oregon 400t and I have to say... wow. The 'low' quality data looks excellent. Really impressed and wish that I was able to purchase a subscription...

 

The new BaseCamp is working well and the imagery I am downloading is great too for the US. You can download anything you want in BaseCamp. It will send a small 'demo' file of Birdseye imagery to your Oregon. Can't figure out why Garmin isn't selling subscriptions yet-- I am ready to buy!!! Garmin, please add an "add to cart" icon on the Birdseye page so we can subscribe.... Please!!!

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Well, this is sort of out now... software updates for the compatible units and a software update for BaseCamp (at least for PC) have been released. I've managed to download some imagery and transfer a chunk of 'low' quality data to my Oregon 400t and I have to say... wow. The 'low' quality data looks excellent. Really impressed and wish that I was able to purchase a subscription...

 

The new BaseCamp is working well and the imagery I am downloading is great too for the US. You can download anything you want in BaseCamp. It will send a small 'demo' file of Birdseye imagery to your Oregon. Can't figure out why Garmin isn't selling subscriptions yet-- I am ready to buy!!! Garmin, please add an "add to cart" icon on the Birdseye page so we can subscribe.... Please!!!

 

Wow! Great imagery, looks great on the Oregon 300! Super easy to use...just draw the box on the screen and it downloads...waaaaay easier than the DeLorme map-cutting and downloading. I have screenshots but don't know how to post them.

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Well, this is sort of out now... software updates for the compatible units and a software update for BaseCamp (at least for PC) have been released. I've managed to download some imagery and transfer a chunk of 'low' quality data to my Oregon 400t and I have to say... wow. The 'low' quality data looks excellent. Really impressed and wish that I was able to purchase a subscription...

 

The new BaseCamp is working well and the imagery I am downloading is great too for the US. You can download anything you want in BaseCamp. It will send a small 'demo' file of Birdseye imagery to your Oregon. Can't figure out why Garmin isn't selling subscriptions yet-- I am ready to buy!!! Garmin, please add an "add to cart" icon on the Birdseye page so we can subscribe.... Please!!!

 

Wow! Great imagery, looks great on the Oregon 300! Super easy to use...just draw the box on the screen and it downloads...waaaaay easier than the DeLorme map-cutting and downloading. I have screenshots but don't know how to post them.

 

It is really easy to select and area and download and looks really impressive.

 

So far, it appears that once you select an area and download that selection, you have to send it to the device all as one selection and cannot send just part of it (like selecting only half of the imagery). Hopefully this is just something I haven't figured out yet.

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