Wanna order your Ground2K4 background bitmap for free?

[Holger 0]

Hi all,In an ongoing effort to make myself indispensable...No, wait, wrong start! Try again! ;-)I'm happy to see that more and more people seem to be interested in starting their own projects with Ground2K4. Unfortunately, many quickly get frustrated by the difficulties of finding and setting up - in lat-long WGS84 - a suitable background image.So, here's my idea and offer:For all my G2K4 work I've been using free Landsat satellite imagery in various formats. There are thousands of these images (as geocoded spectral "bands") available from all across the world here http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp and on other sites. The resolution of 15 or 30 m is not good enough to model inner-city road systems or airports but it's perfect for working on larger areas that you'd like to enhance with more accurate lakes, shorelines, rivers, highways, etc. (It's always a good idea to have topographic maps handy for helping with interpreting some of the tricky spots (e.g., shadows or dense developments) in the satellite image.)Each Landsat image covers about 150km x 150km; while it's possible to process the whole image most projects will need much smaller areas, which are easier to use in G2K4 anyway.I have the commercial software and expertise to generate G2K4 bitmaps very quickly, usually within one hour from the time I start searching for a suitable image. Since I'd like to see more poeple doing G2K4 work I'd be willing to process approx. one background image per week and upload it to the AVSIM library, in the Scenery Design section. The processed .bmp's are usually about 5-10MB compressed (i.e., too big for sending as email attachments) and posting them in the library as public domain would allow others to use them for testing, splitting the task, or doing their very own project.Please let me know what you think about this idea! Anyone who likes it and is serious (!) about starting a project please go ahead and provide the desired corner coordinates (lat/long) for your area as a reply to this post.I know that others have the means and expertise to offer the same "service" so perhaps we can eventually share in the effort, if there actually is a demand for it ;-)Each zip package will include the .bmp and a small text file with the corner coordinates; that's all you need to load and get going in G2K4 (or other scenery design software).I'll only process Landsat satellite data (sorry, Terraserver image requests need to be handled by someone else) and can offer the following three "products". The screenshots below are compressed .jpg so the quality is worse than what you'll see in Ground2K4.This is the 15-m panchromatic (visible light) band; good detail but grey scale onlyhttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/63765.jpgThis is the 30-m true-color composite (Bands 1, 2, 3). Obvious advantage of real-world colors but the visible-light bands have less inherent contrast than the infrared bands.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/63766.jpgThis is a 30-m false-colour composite (Bands 5, 4, 3). More contrast than above but strange colors, which may make landclass work - if desired - more difficult.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/63767.jpgCheers, Holger

[Paul Kane 0]

Hi Holger,You're on!! I'll post the coords as soon as I get home. I live in Vancouver,Wa and have wanted to "spruce up" the area for awhile. I'll use this opportunity to delve a little deeper into G2K4 :-)Thanks for the offer Holger! Oh, and don't think you're getting away with just a bitmap, I'll probably have a gazillion questions once I get started :-)

[1mikel151 71]

"Oh, and don't think you're getting away with just a bitmap, I'll probably have a gazillion questions once I get started :-)"Oh man, you're in trouble now Holger! LOL :-rollHey bro, thanks for the new Alaska enhancments, really awesome job! (as usual)Regards, MichaelKDFWhttp://www.calvirair.com/mcpics/PBTMCa.jpgCalVirAir International VACougar Mountain Helicopters & Aviation[link:www.cgrmthelos.com]Cougar Mountain Helicopters

[larshgf 2]

Hi HolgerNever doing scenery-design before. Yuo gave me the hint with Christian Stock's excellent tutor concerning TMF. Thank you!!I would like to try making some modification on three greek islands (Skiatos, Skopelos, Alonissos). Left upper corner is N39 17 17 E023 22 44Right lower corner isN39 02 56 E023 02 24Maybee it's too big an area for you offer. Will you let me know.Thanks a lotLars FrederiksenDK

[Guest C_Fumey]

Hello HolgerThanks for your offer, some of us will appreciate.Manuel Cabedo has found a way to avoid GROUND2K4 crashes when zooming with big bitmaps : in the configuration display panel select 16 millions of colours instead of 32Christian

[Holger 0]

Hi all:thanks for the feedback thus far; good to see there's some interest ;-)Christian, thanks for the tip. My crashes usually happen when I'm panning and G2K4 attempts to load another of the temp bitmaps. Then again, I tend to have three applications running at the same time ;-) I'll give the 16-bit setting a try. Mike has a good point - thanks for the nice words about Glacier Bay, btw! Thus, I'd like to emphasize that this offer has NO strings attached - to either side!!! I don't expect delivery of a finished product, co-authorship, or stuff like that - it's 100% your project. At the same time, I'm just helping with placing a bitmap in Ground2K4 not with the project itself. Please don't flood me with emails!There are plenty of detailed posts and discussions here, a good tutorial, and many helpful people in this and other forums to answer questions. Paul, send me the coords and I look into it.Lars, I had a quick look at those Greek Islands and there are some images available. Below is the low-res preview of the best of the bunch: Landsat 7 ETM+, WRS-2 Path 183 Row 033, taken on 1999-08-06. Since there's lots of water the bitmap should compress well. I could just clip the group of islands as requested or include a few sections of the neighbouring mainland as well. Let me know.Also, please let me know which of the three types of "products" you'd like. I have some projects of my own where I have two separate project files, one with the 15-m grey scale (for roads and other detailed features) and one with the 30-m color composite (for landclass etc.). I'd be happy to do this here as well but you'd have to pick one of the two types of color composites.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/63900.jpgCheers, Holger

[larshgf 2]

Hi again Holger,I could use a bit more if it's possible. All of the Sporadic Islands and a bit of the mainland including the town Volos.It would the be....Left upper corner isN39 29 55 E022 44 33Right lower corner isN38 37 51 E024 52 40Maybee I need som advice along the process!!Kind RagardsLars FrederiksenDK

[Holger 0]

Hi Lars:The extended coordinates shouldn't be a problem. Advice is available in this forum 24/7 ;-)You forgot to mention the format you'd like to have the image in.Cheers, Holger

[larshgf 2]

Hi Holger!1: What do you mean with "Advice is available in this forum 24/7"2: How do I decide which format I'd like to have the image in? Unfortunately I'm a total novice on this subject! Sorry..Cheers, Lars

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Holger,You were already an important member of this community. Now you will undoubtedly be indispensable. Do not go on ski holidays anymore!Wonderful offer. Thanks very much. I do have a small project in mind - the entire world! Are you up to it?In the meantime, the darn Caribbean must be redone in its entirety, including a new altitude mesh replacing the ugly misaligned default. Preferably, the bitmaps would be of individual islands so that projects could be more manageable, and include both the 15 m. and 30 m. images. Also, it is important to show the small stone islets that surround them, as often these are obligatory reporting points for pilots. Do you need specific coordinates for such images? (A note to our friends at the Flight Simulator Development Team: Water Flattens must be destroyed!)In addition, I do have a number of other projects either in the works or planned: - the Parque Nacional de Cana

[Holger 0]

Hi Lars:sorry, I've been living too long in North America ;-)"24/7" refers to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's a common phrase to indicate that "service" or products are availabe round the clock.With "format" I meant which of the three types of processing as shown in the pictures above. It depends on what features you'd like to capture/model with Ground2K4. Like I said, I can upload the 15-m greyscale bitmap plus one of the two 30-m color composite types.I will include a brief guide how to set up a new Ground2K4 project with these bitmaps.Cheers, Holger

[Holger 0]

Hi Luis:Well, it looks to me like you're looking for your own personal G2K4 assistant ;-)I was going to to the entire world on Wednesday but since you've already taken it I won't barge in... Could you deliver on Friday?I know you've written this tounge-in-cheek but I'll give you some serious answers anyway (impressive list of projects, BTW):As for the Caribbean, that sounds more like a project for AutoAsm or Jim Keir's "Slartibartfast" (the utility in development that we used for the Glacier Bay coastline replacements).In general, cloud-free Landsat images of the tropics might be tricky to come by but I haven't looked. You're very welcome to pick your pet project and submit the coordinates like anyone else: get in line ;-)If you'd like to browse the Landsat site and pick out a suitable scene, point your weary browser here: http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/index.shtmlCheers, Holger

[larshgf 2]

Hi Holger!I would be glad to create the villages and woods on these small islands in the aigaian sea. The comercial landclasses (FScene and MyWorld2004) don't have these villages and it would be nice to have them there.It sounds good with a little guide. I've got the "Ground2K4_US.doc" that comes with the Ground2K4 program, but it looks a bit heavie for a start. I wonder if this project is too time-consumming?? Well - the only way I can found out is to give it a try!!What am I going to look for on the AVSIM library. What will you call the files?Cheers, Lars

[LuisFelizTirado 33]

Hello Holger,Sure, I am just kidding about the world, some people are already doing Canada, so that is one less worry!Thanks for the link - I just cannot get that site to work. It times me out after about 15 seconds (and tells me that I have been on session for over 20 minutes!), so go figure.http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/64108.jpgI would laugh, but it is not funny.Anyway, here is a list, if you are willing to consider it.AnguillaN 18* 22'W -63* 22'S 18* 10'E -62* 54'St. Martin/Sint MaartenN 18* 10'W -63* 12'S 18*E -62* 55'St. Barth

[rhumbaflappy 113]

Hi Holger.Here's another source of images ( 30 meter landsat bands 7, 4, 2 { red, green, blue } ). Earth Science Application Directorate ( of NASA ) :https://zulu.ssc.nasa.gov/mrsid/mrsid.plDick