Is there a way to point the Geo-Location data to the latest Google Earth terrains? I want to build a Royal Robins tribute model on the El Cap spire but the details from the Geo-Location capture are very poor and I assume much older.
Here’s a side by side using Google Earth’s recent data set. It’s pretty remarkable and the spire I want to place a model on is very detailed.
Thanks!
A similar question was addressed in another recent topic. Since Google sold SketchUp to Trimble several years ago, SketchUp only has access to the public Google Earth API. Sometimes there are limitations that do not occur in Google Earth.
I guess - the question remains as to where are they getting the data? If you use Google Earth or just Google Maps, the new terrain data is readily available. It’s like they’re pointing to an old data server from Google and perhaps that’s the problem, there’s no API for it? I thought Google made all that PD. Earth Pro is free now.
My search shows imagery up to abt 2013. GE has a historical time slider you can see imagery back to 1998.
Search of the USGS GNIS ( Geographical Names Information) shows:
EL Capitan; ID 259807; Feature Class Summit; County Mariposa CA; Lat 374403N, Long 1193316W; El. 7569 Ft. ( Lat and LOG in DMS) Using this data you can call up the USGS data sheet and get more detailed info and it may have the lat / long to two place seconds). If you want to enter accurate SU geo location use data sheet to get the more accurate info. The Su xy data will then be referenced to that origin. You will have to open the USGS home page, look at right side for data sets, select that and enter the name , lat and long. you may get more than one but the target shown show 1 in the H_V numbers or name?
My thought: the data used is shown at bottom of imagery. What happens is user contracts with sat owner and request data processed to a certain level of accuracy. For the fast elevation changes in that area the data will not be super accurate.
First cut at location and data grab based on 37.731710 N and 119.636633 W this puts origin very near the road at the base of the mntEL capitan.skp (2.0 MB)
Correction I pinned the top of summit. The USGS station I used at 37.729194N & 119.655047w at based on side of road,
The data set direction above misleading will redo tomorrow:cry:
Jamie:
Rather than try to repeat what is already well documented it is best to give you link to read at your own leisure.
The info. contained in this is detailed so don’t assume just cursory look will suffice. Towards the end the author gives a link covering the 3 main projection used you should read. 15. Control Points and Datum Shifts | The Nature of Geographic Information
@JamieClayz, as explained Geolocation maximum zoom not as detailed as Google Maps - #5 by Barry it’s the API limitation: what Google can use internally is not the same as what we get through the API, whether we were internal to Google or not using the same API we have now. And Google imagery and terrain data is NOT public domain. Read the Google link provided in the forum post above.
Jamie:
Not only is the imagery not public domain but the government controls the resolution limit of over head imagery. When I worked in that field we were doing good at 1 ft. impulse response. If I recall changes were made to change the limit this year to small cm range. I do not know of new sat designs have come on line to work at that level yet. Usually it takes in the 5 year range for new design. In addition when you start to under stand the details it is much more complex effort than you think. Just a simple fact the Sats do not trace a simple path like most folks think. Geo potential variations causes them to wander some as they “go around.”. Ground processors are just as important as the sat design.
With all the issues with terror I am some what surprised I have not heard any thing. Want to bet that some thing not going on under the table?
