Using Google Satellite Maps?

[+PC Painter]

I've placed a cache that I'm ready to submit, but the detail on the map where we are supposed to verify the coordinates, is not very good. So I went to Google and typed in the coordinates, then zoomed in on the satellite image. It marks the spot maybe about 50 feet away from where I took my coords...and I was careful to make sure the coordinates were written down carefully, and I had an accuracy of 9 feet...so I knew it was close and on a sunny day with a clear view to the south.

 

Question is....do I trust my own coordinates? How accurate have you all found the Google Satellite imagery to be, if you have used that?

 

I do NOT want to be one of those CO's who has his coords off every time he puts out a new cache.

 

Thanks in advance!

[+Viajero Perdido]

Never rely on the satellite images for placing a cache. In some places they're off by quite some distance.

 

GPS is the only reliable way. (And if you're using a phone, that's another whole topic...)

[+PC Painter]

Never rely on the satellite images for placing a cache. In some places they're off by quite some distance.

 

GPS is the only reliable way. (And if you're using a phone, that's another whole topic...)

 

Ok...thank you for your timely help. I will trust my coords, since I am rarely very far from the caches I'm looking for...and therefor I do tend to trust my readings.

[+*GeoPunx*]

Never rely on the satellite images for placing a cache. In some places they're off by quite some distance.

I agree

 

And if you're using a phone, that's another whole topic...)

I disagree with this. Phones have (obviously)come a long way.

I only have four hides but the coords for all four were taken with my phone.

No one has had any issues with them.

Phones(at least mine) no longer rely on cell towers for their GPS capabilities.

I can be in an area with zero cell reception and still be locked on 18-22 satellites.

Yes, that means I can't look at real time info in those situations(I save offline maps for those situations).

My .02

 

Brian

*GeoPunx*

[+PC Painter]

Welp...I submitted the cache....waiting for it to be activated. If there's anyone in the San Diego area, watch for a new cache to pop-up in the Santee area today...and if you have probs finding it, I left some contact info on the cache listing.

[+PC Painter]

Well...whattaya know...it just went live as I typed that!

 

http://coord.info/GC47TCB

[+*GeoPunx*]

Good luck!

I'm clear across the country though.

No arm chair logging for me.

[+dprovan]

Unless you have reason to question the accuracy of your GPSr, then it's the preferred coordinates. As I recall, the guidelines stress that you use a GPSr to get the coordinates, but I'm not sure what degree, if any, that's intended to discourage the use of mapped coordinates.

 

As Viajero Perdido mentions, the space view isn't always accurate. In my area, for example, the 45° view -- which is standard in most of my area -- is always off by more that 20', typically much more. On the other hand, the straight down view is accurate enough that I often use it to double check what my GPSr told me. When the space view leads me to doubt my coordinates, I'll take the coordinates from the space view and then go out to see where my GPSr takes me using them. If it leads to the GZ, that tells me the original reading my GPSr gave me had a problem.

 

Of course, checking the space view is always a good idea because it's a way to make sure you haven't made a mistake copying what you got from your GPSr so that you're about to post coordinates two blocks away from where you hid the cache.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

My iPhone at times can be more accurate than my GPS. My GPS is a little older though (Garmin GPS V)

 

If you are a little doubtful on any part of the cache, just make a note, or ask on the cache page for folks to report their coordinates. This was actually somewhat common in the early years of the game. Aerial images back then were hard to come by, so GPS verification was more common.

 

Aerial (not actual satellite images despite what Google/Bing/Yahoo, etc. label it as) are fairly accurate, but I agree with the earlier statement that one should NOT trust them beyond their own GPS readings.

 

Did you only use Google? Try Bing, use the aerial AND bird's eye. Many of the browsers are using different aerial photography companies and/or different dated maps which could help to see if there is a consensus of your situation.

[+T.D.M.22]

 

Did you only use Google? Try Bing, use the aerial AND bird's eye. Many of the browsers are using different aerial photography companies and/or different dated maps which could help to see if there is a consensus of your situation.

 

Got a point there....If your GPSr is the only thing appearing "off" and the maps/iPhone whatever appears to be right on, then it probably is off. After all if it walks like a duck....

[+*GeoPunx*]

Whoa! I had never even thought about using Bing before.

Just tried it and the ability to rotate the camera on the Bird's Eye view is fantastic!

I learned something new today.

Thanks!

 

Brian

*GeoPunx*

 

*spelling*

Edited March 16, 2013 by *GeoPunx*

[+*GeoPunx*]

Just found a drawback to Bing maps.

The Bird's Eye view map is really, really old.

The view of my house has a shed in the backyard that has not been on my property in about 5 years.

Google's looks to be from just last year.

Just an observation.

I didn't mean to get too off topic.

[vagabond]

First off I'd do a couple of walk ins at least, and see how they compare.

Now back when I started and prob until about 2005 or 06 I used photomap and it seemed pretty accurate, it helped a lot on finding shortcuts to caches.

[+TheWeatherWarrior]

Just found a drawback to Bing maps.

The Bird's Eye view map is really, really old.

The view of my house has a shed in the backyard that has not been on my property in about 5 years.

Google's looks to be from just last year.

Just an observation.

I didn't mean to get too off topic.

Wait until you rotate it. In some cases I've noticed each of the four points of the bird's eye option is of a different year. Even noticed some are winter, some are summer.

 

Bing still has traditional aerials as well.

[+PC Painter]

Good news, the FTF advised me that my coords were spot on and her phone and gps both agreed.

 

That's a good indication that my faith in my Samsung Galaxy S3 is well placed. I've never seen it be any less accurate than my cousin's "big boy" as she calls it (her proper gpsr).

 

Thanks for all your input everyone. My gut told me not to trust the google satellite image.

Edited March 17, 2013 by PC Painter

[+*GeoPunx*]

Samsung Galaxy S3

That's exactly what we use.

Great phone!

[+PC Painter]

Samsung Galaxy S3

That's exactly what we use.

Great phone!

 

Seriously...it should be an iPhone killer...if iPhone folks would give it a look. IMO, it's easily the best phone I've ever seen or used.

[+terratin]

Never rely on the satellite images for placing a cache. In some places they're off by quite some distance.

 

GPS is the only reliable way. (And if you're using a phone, that's another whole topic...)

That's not quite true. In a city the GPS signal bounces around quite a lot due to buildings, in such areas more often than not GE is more accurate than the GPS, despite taking multiple GPS readings. This at least goes for where I live (Copenhagen) and I'm assuming it's also true for a number of other cities.

 

Having said that, the difference between GE and the averaged GPS readings seldom is more than 10m, so -especially with a good hint- not something to really worry about.

 

Cheers,

 

Mr. Terratin

Edited March 17, 2013 by terratin

[+dprovan]

That's not quite true. In a city the GPS signal bounces around quite a lot due to buildings, in such areas more often than not GE is more accurate than the GPS, despite taking multiple GPS readings. This at least goes for where I live (Copenhagen) and I'm assuming it's also true for a number of other cities.

Very good point. When I'm caching in a city, I always try to look at the locations ahead of time from space because I know my GPSr isn't going to help much. And I'm hoping the CO did the same thing.

[+Don_J]

Welp...I submitted the cache....waiting for it to be activated. If there's anyone in the San Diego area, watch for a new cache to pop-up in the Santee area today...and if you have probs finding it, I left some contact info on the cache listing.

 

Well...whattaya know...it just went live as I typed that!

 

http://coord.info/GC47TCB

 

Gotta love those So Cal reviewers. By the time you are done reading the email that says it could take seven days for your cache to be published, your cache is already published.

[+Don_J]

Simply put, relying solely on satellite map images is going to get you in trouble sooner or later. I was of the opinion that I would never use images over my trusty old GPS unit, but I had hidden that one cache that I simply could not nail down coordinates for. Despite how many times I took readings, after walking away my GPS would not bring me back. I finally went home and looked at Google Earth and put those coordinates in my reader and it brought me right to my cache. I published the cache with those coordinates and a year later, have not had a complaint.

 

Despite that, I still wouldn't rely on it without testing it. I have 35 miles of track data that I accumulated with my GPS on a hiking trail that runs the length of one of our local mountain ranges. I can see the majority of the trail on GE and some parts of it are aligned perfectly with my track, while others are obviously misaligned by up to 50'.

 

I have also seen images of through streets that suddenly shift as the next image is stitched in.

[+*GeoPunx*]

Despite how many times I took readings, after walking away my GPS would not bring me back.

This is how I have nailed down all of our (only 4)hides.

Take coords - Walk 100 or so feet away and try to go back.

I keep doing that until I get less than 9 feet variance.

Then, I have my wife do the same thing and see what we get.