russingram
01-27-2007, 12:15 PM
I'm interested in aerial photography for land development purposes. One of the most common uses is determine tree canopy. The county I live in requires us to use "the latest aerial photograph" to determine existing canopy, then save at least 20%. This usually means we have to use the county's aerial photography database from 2004, because it's too expensive to take new photos. That's what got me interested in using RC to take the photos - sometimes, the land has been partially cleared since the photos were taken, and then we have to prove to the county that we can't use their photos - a brand new photo would be the simplest proof!
Anyway, that's all just background for why I'm interested in AP - I'm still in the research stage, and haven't bought any equipment. One thing I was wondering about was a good way to display the photos, and I found out that Google Earth has a way to insert aerial photos as an "overlay". Has anyone tried this? The photos don't become public, they're still on your computer, you're just using Google Earth as a viewer. Another cool thing that can be done, using Google's free 3d modeling tool, Sketchup, would be to model a building or house, then photograph the house from all angles, and overlay the appropriate photo on each face of the 3d model, then insert this into Google Earth. Imagine being able to "fly" the customer around a 3d model of their house or building!
Anyway, these are just some ideas I've had while researching the different aspects of aerial photography - you guys have a great forum here, and I've learned a lot.
Thanks,
Russ
Anyway, that's all just background for why I'm interested in AP - I'm still in the research stage, and haven't bought any equipment. One thing I was wondering about was a good way to display the photos, and I found out that Google Earth has a way to insert aerial photos as an "overlay". Has anyone tried this? The photos don't become public, they're still on your computer, you're just using Google Earth as a viewer. Another cool thing that can be done, using Google's free 3d modeling tool, Sketchup, would be to model a building or house, then photograph the house from all angles, and overlay the appropriate photo on each face of the 3d model, then insert this into Google Earth. Imagine being able to "fly" the customer around a 3d model of their house or building!
Anyway, these are just some ideas I've had while researching the different aspects of aerial photography - you guys have a great forum here, and I've learned a lot.
Thanks,
Russ