Downloading satellite photographs, PC, iPhone and Garmin

[Ent]

Hi

I am interested in downloading satellite photographs for my PC, iPhone and Garmin, for route planning. Running into the usual brickwalls.

Garmin provides Birdseye maps but you need a subscription and frankly as I found with Garmin maps I am not keen to shell out money to simply find that that is has some rather disastrous flaws done purely to "protect" Garmin and make their customer's life miserable like their idiocy of their map protection system. Already think they will only download to the units memory, not the SD card, so limited memory space already. To download them on the PC you also need to plug the unit into the PC for purely copyright reasons so demonstrates once again Garmin does not give a hoot how miserable it can makes its customers' lives

Google Earth is great but you need to have access to internet and burn huge download limits every time you want to look and scan around an area. Again, Google's "copyright protection system" stymies what would be a great solution. If internet was always available and data not so expensive to download then ok but this is not the case. At least Google Earth is otherwise free and when working very good.

For me an iPhone an app that can act as a GPS and use the satellite photographs would be great say from NASA's website. Trouble is Google Earth limits the amount of data that can be cached. Hence, can not be relied upon. What I want is something I can arm chair test and not find that when in the bush the latest photographs are of cloud cover.

I am happy to shell out money but not prepared to be made a victim by third rate copyright protection systems so beloved by software companies.

Has anyone had any success?

Cheers

[Son of a Beach]

MapQuest Open Aerial (OSM style) may be worth a look. I don't really know anything about them or if they have any decent coverage of Tasmania.

[Ent]

Hi SOB

I will check them out. It would be good to get a source of satellite maps to play with. Back up the OSM mapping I have been doing and also get a feel for what I am seeing from above when on the ground. Might find out it is a great tool for off track walking or works of fiction. You never know until you never go

Cheers.

[Miyata610]

I often browse an area using google earth on my iPad and then take a few screenshots as images. Then I can carry these images with me on my iPhone when out walking. I know it's not what you want but it does offer a solution of sorts.

[Ent]

Hi

Thanks to anonymous PMer I had a play with the Garmin view of the world. O'boy, the small screen and low resolution of the Garmin 62s tends to make this option rather a non event. Also due to the tile effect and I think as Tony pointed out the limited number of custom maps this will crash and burn on those limitations alone. Also it did not play nicely with my OSM downloaded maps. Ok, nice try Mr Garmin but no banana. Sort of figured that might have been the case but great have a play to confirm this.

Now, that leaves the iPhone and PC. Still following through on the Mapquest option but still ancient geek to me at this stage.

Cheers

[Ent]

I often browse an area using google earth on my iPad and then take a few screenshots as images. Then I can carry these images with me on my iPhone when out walking. I know it's not what you want but it does offer a solution of sorts.

Hi Miyata610

Sounds like a reasonable work around. I am planning to use the satellite photographs for spotting a campsite. Still remember at Oenone Lake being no more than forty metres away from a great spot but you would not have known it due to the scrub. If I can find a few possible locations from the satellite than less mucking around at ground level, well at least that is the plan.

Cheers

[frenchy_84]

Trimble Outdoors, is a free app for iphone, i havent had a chance to use it properly yet, however it does seem to allow 500mb of cached images and it also gives you UTM coordinates as well as lats/longs

[Ent]

Hi

Frenchy

Will download and play with it to see if that gives enough detail. 500mb might be enough assume that the cache does not magically disappear. The problem with cache is you as a user have no great control over when stuff is cleared out.

Cheers