Google Earth

[SwampDonkey]

You do have pretty much the same data Jeff. I don't know if it is online assembled in a GIS format like GEO NB though. Probably you have to be able to assemble it yourself in a GIS to see it all on screen (using something like ArcExplorer - free). I downloaded a bunch of data for up at your woodlot last year. I don't know if your property boundaries are digitized, I bet they are someplace. 

[Magicman]

I use these two frequently:

http://www.bing.com/maps/

http://explorer.arcgis.com/

[Jeff]

I just checked those and the aerial views of my place are even older than Google. I can tell the age by sliding over to me sister's and seeing the trails and fields there.  With Bing I can see where my nephew went out in the east field and did countless laps with the quad and left a big circle in the hay,  That was around 2004

[Raider Bill]

Map Quest has the most up to date aerials of my place in Tenn. but they are 2 years old.

[SwampDonkey]

Some of the guys at the marketing board showed me aerials one time they could zoom in to what looked like a couple hundred feet. You could tell with great certainty what the actual tree species was. You were looking right at the tree crowns in your face. It was high res.

[Geoff Kegerreis]

I love Google earth.

I particularly love the fact you can get reasonable imagery about anywhere globally using that tool - some imagery is not that high of resolution.

You could even use it to find land in back woods Peru, not sure if that would help.

Any GIS project starts out with an image - it is not necessary for it to be georeferenced even - because there are ways and means to get that done on aftermarket software.

Sometimes there is better imagery available than what google earth supplies, but I have used their imagery in professional reports I have published and I just saw a solicitation for a 200,000 ha tract that used google earth imagery. 

Navigation has come a VERY long way during the beginning of my career when I was using a hipchain, compass and clinometer (on the steep parts) to determine area and our only imagery was flown by an airplane every few years or so - and we had to use a stereoscope on the matching photos. 

I wonder if they even teach those methods in forestry school any more.   

[Geoff Kegerreis]

Map Quest has the most up to date aerials of my place in Tenn. but they are 2 years old.

Check TNDOT.  The last time I did a job there, they had aerial imagery that was good precision and shot that year.

Available to you near the Nashville Airport - or you can just call and/or e-mail them.  I had to purchase the imagery on a CD.  It worked for me.

They may capture photos every year - not sure on this.

[Tom]

I just go by the Gulf station get a new free map from the office while the guy that pumps gasoline fills the car up with Good Gulf and washes the windows and vacuums out floorboards.

It's been a while, and my map is pretty tattered, so I guess I need to get back to town and get another one.  Some of this new map paper falls apart when you fold it a few times.  They just don't make it like they used to.

I looked at the new tool that Swamp Donkey uses and they must fly mighty low.  They don't even show Orlando or Miami.  What good is that?

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff, they have new 2010 imagery for Michigan, might not be on the servers yet. I got 2005 photos off the government website this past July. I don't know now where they are stored, I see all the other layers here in one folder but the MrSID's (aerials) seem to be gone for some reason.

I checked the Michigan state GIS site and the latest Satellite imagery is 1991-1997, the aerials are 2005.

http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/?action=thm

[SwampDonkey]

I looked at the new tool that Swamp Donkey uses and they must fly mighty low.  They don't even show Orlando or Miami.  What good is that?

They fly at 12500 meters Tom and the images are in MrSID format with resolution of 1 meter. You can zoom in to around 5000 meters and things remain clear.

Wish I could help you out with Orlando.

[Tom]

That's probably the problem then.  Mr. Sid hasn't been to Florida yet.  ....and meters don't work down here. 

[SwampDonkey]

Tom, have a poke around in here:

http://www.mapwise.com/maps/florida/aerial-photo-satellite.php

[Tom]

That can't be any good, Swamp Donkey.  They only use one contour line. 

[SwampDonkey]

Maybe it's flat.

[Jeff]

I can see yer truck Tom.

[Tom]

So is my Gulf Map, Swamp.

Yeah, it's still parked in the front yard with the fuel drum on it.  I swear I'm gonna make a smoker out of that drum one day.  

[Tom_Averwater]

I use GE a lot. They updated it in our area June 29 2010 . They have a picture of  me bailing hay and my brother in another field raking . Pretty cool.30 miles north GE is 2 years behind . There should be a new road where it isn't .

[SwampDonkey]

I created a 3D Terrain map from the data available of that GEONB site.

Bird's eye view of the Upsulquitch River.