Anquet photo maps?

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:27:35 +0000, Peewiglet <[email protected]>
wrote:

I rang Anquet to enquire about this. It seems that the photo map
products simply contain the photo's, and not also a map. Having said
that, it still sounds like good value to me for the price, bearing in
mind the quality of the image I saw in the Lakes last week. I'll be
adding it to my Christmas prezzy wish list, I think

Also, I noticed when browsing the Anquet site last night how
impressive the ordinary virtual landscape looks at 200% zoom. I'd not
really got to grips with the virtual landscape before, but once I'd
realised what it could do I spent a happy hour or so flying round the
Lakes. Lots of fun!



Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

"Peewiglet" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:27:35 +0000, Peewiglet <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> I rang Anquet to enquire about this. It seems that the photo map
> products simply contain the photo's, and not also a map. Having said
> that, it still sounds like good value to me for the price, bearing in
> mind the quality of the image I saw in the Lakes last week. I'll be
> adding it to my Christmas prezzy wish list, I think
>
> Also, I noticed when browsing the Anquet site last night how
> impressive the ordinary virtual landscape looks at 200% zoom. I'd not
> really got to grips with the virtual landscape before, but once I'd
> realised what it could do I spent a happy hour or so flying round the
> Lakes. Lots of fun!
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
> --
> ,,
> (**)PeeWiglet~~
> / \ / \
I downloaded their trial version of the photo mapping onto my regular Anquet
package. It looks great and is a lot of fun. You can fly about in it just
like in virtual landscape. You half expect to see people waving at you from
the summits. Beyond this fun value though I'm not convinced of it's
practical value but if you have some dosh burning a hole in your pocket then
what the hell, you only live once.

"Peewiglet" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:27:35 +0000, Peewiglet <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> I rang Anquet to enquire about this. It seems that the photo map
> products simply contain the photo's, and not also a map. Having said
> that, it still sounds like good value to me for the price, bearing in
> mind the quality of the image I saw in the Lakes last week. I'll be
> adding it to my Christmas prezzy wish list, I think
>
> Also, I noticed when browsing the Anquet site last night how
> impressive the ordinary virtual landscape looks at 200% zoom. I'd not
> really got to grips with the virtual landscape before, but once I'd
> realised what it could do I spent a happy hour or so flying round the
> Lakes. Lots of fun!
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
> --
> ,,
> (**)PeeWiglet~~
> / \ / \
I downloaded their trial version of the photo mapping onto my regular Anquet
package. It looks great and is a lot of fun. You can fly about in it just
like in virtual landscape. You half expect to see people waving at you from
the summits. Beyond this fun value though I'm not convinced of it's
practical value but if you have some dosh burning a hole in your pocket then
what the hell, you only live once.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 13:15:36 -0000, "bob watkinson"
<[email protected]> wrote:


>I downloaded their trial version of the photo mapping onto my regular Anquet
>package. It looks great and is a lot of fun. You can fly about in it just
>like in virtual landscape. You half expect to see people waving at you from
>the summits. Beyond this fun value though I'm not convinced of it's
>practical value but if you have some dosh burning a hole in your pocket then
>what the hell, you only live once.
>
In fact, I've just d/loaded the same thing, and I don't think it's
what I saw in the shop. What I saw looked like a cross between a photo
and virtual landscape. I can't work it out. Perhaps it was a different
product, although the display said Anquet. The shop sells Memory Map
as well.

Hmmm...



Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

> Also, I noticed when browsing the Anquet site last night how
> impressive the ordinary virtual landscape looks at 200% zoom. I'd not
> really got to grips with the virtual landscape before, but once I'd
> realised what it could do I spent a happy hour or so flying round the
> Lakes. Lots of fun!

I always print my maps at 200% zoom ......... and run the virtual landscape
at the same setting. It was only in August while in Snowdonia with friends
that I was shown the split-screen function while walking a route. Been
having great fun just creating routes and following the 'virtual route'.


--
sandy saunders @ www.thewalkzone.co.uk

'Mountains or Mole Hills ... summiting still
brings the same excitement'

Peewiglet wrote:

> In the Lakes a couple of weekends ago I saw what looked to me like a
> new Anquet product

Oh wake up PW! I was talking about these a while back!

> I think it must have been one of the new
> photomap products.

Yep.

> Has anyone seen the new photomaps? Does what I've described sound like
> them? Unfortunately, I can't find a decent picture, or demo, on the
> Anquet site: perhaps I've looked in the wrong place?

There is a demo of part of the Lakes for those who already own Anquet.
I can email you a couple of screengrabs if you like.

> Also, can anyone tell me what the new photomap packages actually
> include?

Photo maps. i.e. aerial photographs.

> (See product page above.) On that page there's still a 1:50k
> Northern England for £39.95, but there's also a photomap Northern
> England, also at £39.95. Does the photomap not also have the maps,
> then?

No, it has photos, with some text overlaid on major features to give you
an idea of what you're looking at.

> i.e. is it not possible to have a split screen, half with
> virtual landscape and half with map?

Yes, but only the same map, i.e. the photo map, you can't look at half
photo, half normal map.

Not to worry though, if you already have the normal mapping of the area,
you can draw a route onto it, then switch to the photomap and look at it
in 3D.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk

bob watkinson wrote:

> Beyond this fun value though I'm not
> convinced of it's practical value

Aaargghhh!!! Not another one!!! Of course it has practical value! Use
your imagination!

Firstly, being able to visualise the terrain in 3D is very helpful for
route planning, especially if you want to avoid excessively steep slopes
or to minimise unnecessary re-ascent. Most people aren't all that good
at visualising contours, so the 3D view is particularly useful in that
respect.

Secondly, photo maps provide a lot of information that real maps don't.
The colour of the vegetations can be a good clue, for example heathery
and boggy areas, which are not at all obvious on normal maps.

Forestry is another good one. This does depend on how old the photos
are, but I think may well be more recent than many maps. They can show
areas of forestry which have been cut (not shown on normal maps) and
newly planted areas that haven't made it onto the maps yet. In one
particular location I've been looking closely at I've found a lovely
grassy clearing in a forest which makes a great camp site. I know it's
there because I've been there, and the photo map shows it, but it's not
shown on any of the normal maps.

Another particularly useful feature is footpaths, the representation of
which is often bad on real maps. Just because a footpath is shown on a
map gives no idea of how often it's used. Sometimes a footpath has
disappeared into the undergrowth and no longer actually exists, whilst
newer paths are sometimes not shown. Paths are not always obvious on
photos maps, sometimes they are invisible, but other times they are
extremely visible. I've seen well worn scars that indicate popular
paths that you wouldn't be able to tell from map alone, and other paths
and rights of way that no longer seem to exist. In one forest pic I've
studied I can see deep cuttings in the forest that indicate the well
used paths and tracks, whilst others seem to no longer exist.

Seriously, if you're planning a walk in an unfamiliar area, a study of
the photo map can give a good idea of the best paths to use.

Thirdly, my personal favourite, photo planning! By placing the camera
at ground level (or just above) you can move around the landscape and
find the best viewpoints - you can also adjust the lighting to give a
rough idea of what it may look like at sunrise or sunset (checking how
the shadows fall). These viewpoints can then be marked with waypoints
for future visits. This can save a huge amount of unnecessary legwork
and trial and error in finding good views to photograph. Although you
can do the same thing with the ordinary 3D mapping, the photo mapping
gives a much better impression of what it will actually look like, with
respect to vegetation and the colours of the land.

Oh, and it's fun too! If you draw your route (or download it from your
GPS) you can place the camera at ground level, use the "walk route"
option and pre-live or re-live your walk. It gives a surprisingly good
virtual representation of the real experience, but without the
tiredness, the aching joints, the cold, the wind, the rain. In fact,
you're better of staying at home and doing virtual walks on the computer
instead!

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk

In article <[email protected]>, Peewiglet
<URL:mailto[email protected]> wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 13:15:36 -0000, "bob watkinson"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> > I downloaded their trial version of the photo mapping onto my
> > regular Anquet package. It looks great and is a lot of fun. You can
> > fly about in it just like in virtual landscape. You half expect to
> > see people waving at you from the summits. Beyond this fun value
> > though I'm not convinced of it's practical value but if you have
> > some dosh burning a hole in your pocket then what the hell, you
> > only live once.
> >
> In fact, I've just d/loaded the same thing, and I don't think it's
> what I saw in the shop. What I saw looked like a cross between a photo
> and virtual landscape. I can't work it out. Perhaps it was a different
> product, although the display said Anquet. The shop sells Memory Map
> as well.
>
> Hmmm...
>

I have memory-map and anquet products. There are definite plus points
and minus points with both products.

I originally bought OS 1:50,000 for Memory-Map and I bought Anquet
originally to get the Harvey maps at 1:25,000 but I've since added OS at
1:50,000 (bought at sale prices). I have downloaded demo versions of the
ariel phot data for both products.

Firstly I find that MM works better for use with GPS data downloaded
as active and compressed tracks from Garmin Etrex Summit and Geko301.
Basically the way I work is to use the GPS to passively collect data as
I walk i.e. I don't pre-plan my walks on the computer and then up-load
routes to my GPS. Anquet seems more designed around the concept of GPS
routes planned on the computer. MM allows tracks to be converted to
routes and it also allows you to store a database of tracklogs
accumulated over time.

I find the split screen interface on MM easier to use than on Anquet. In
MM you can have two different sets of map data displayed in the two
windows e.g. you can have 1:50,000 OS in one half and ariel photo at
1:25,000 in the other. In Anquet one half is the 3D view of the map data
in the other half.

The 3D view on Anquet looks better, but the 3D view on MM is easier to
orient and navigate using the mouse.

The height profiling on Anquet is easier to use than MM, but the ability
to print route cards from tracklogs and routes is easier in MM.

Finally "GPS Utility" is an essential tool to manipulate, store, and
export tracks, routes and waypoints for use in either MM or Anquet.


Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

In article <[email protected]>, Paul Saunders
<URL:mailto[email protected]> wrote:
[snip]
> > i.e. is it not possible to have a split screen, half with
> > virtual landscape and half with map?
>
> Yes, but only the same map, i.e. the photo map, you can't look at half
> photo, half normal map.

This is where Memory-Map scores over Anquet because the above is easily
achieved.


Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

"Paul Saunders" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> bob watkinson wrote:
>
>> Beyond this fun value though I'm not
>> convinced of it's practical value
>
> Aaargghhh!!! Not another one!!! Of course it has practical value! Use
> your imagination!
>
> Firstly, being able to visualise the terrain in 3D is very helpful for
> route planning, especially if you want to avoid excessively steep slopes
> or to minimise unnecessary re-ascent. Most people aren't all that good
> at visualising contours, so the 3D view is particularly useful in that
> respect.

sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using contours you
shouldn't be out there. As for route planning if you going to do that using
photographs - well that's just ridiculous
>
> Secondly, photo maps provide a lot of information that real maps don't.
> The colour of the vegetations can be a good clue, for example heathery
> and boggy areas, which are not at all obvious on normal maps.

try looking at the map legend for help on this

>
> Forestry is another good one. This does depend on how old the photos
> are, but I think may well be more recent than many maps. They can show
> areas of forestry which have been cut (not shown on normal maps) and
> newly planted areas that haven't made it onto the maps yet. In one
> particular location I've been looking closely at I've found a lovely
> grassy clearing in a forest which makes a great camp site. I know it's
> there because I've been there, and the photo map shows it, but it's not
> shown on any of the normal maps.
>
> Another particularly useful feature is footpaths, the representation of
> which is often bad on real maps. Just because a footpath is shown on a
> map gives no idea of how often it's used. Sometimes a footpath has
> disappeared into the undergrowth and no longer actually exists, whilst
> newer paths are sometimes not shown. Paths are not always obvious on
> photos maps, sometimes they are invisible, but other times they are
> extremely visible. I've seen well worn scars that indicate popular
> paths that you wouldn't be able to tell from map alone, and other paths
> and rights of way that no longer seem to exist. In one forest pic I've
> studied I can see deep cuttings in the forest that indicate the well
> used paths and tracks, whilst others seem to no longer exist.
>
> Seriously, if you're planning a walk in an unfamiliar area, a study of
> the photo map can give a good idea of the best paths to use.
>
> Thirdly, my personal favourite, photo planning! By placing the camera
> at ground level (or just above) you can move around the landscape and
> find the best viewpoints - you can also adjust the lighting to give a
> rough idea of what it may look like at sunrise or sunset (checking how
> the shadows fall). These viewpoints can then be marked with waypoints
> for future visits. This can save a huge amount of unnecessary legwork
> and trial and error in finding good views to photograph. Although you
> can do the same thing with the ordinary 3D mapping, the photo mapping
> gives a much better impression of what it will actually look like, with
> respect to vegetation and the colours of the land.
>
> Oh, and it's fun too! If you draw your route (or download it from your
> GPS) you can place the camera at ground level, use the "walk route"
> option and pre-live or re-live your walk. It gives a surprisingly good
> virtual representation of the real experience, but without the
> tiredness, the aching joints, the cold, the wind, the rain. In fact,
> you're better of staying at home and doing virtual walks on the computer
> instead!
>
> Paul
> --
> http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
> http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk
>
>

In article <[email protected]>, bob watkinson
<[email protected]> writes
>sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using contours you
>shouldn't be out there.

Says who?

--

Dominic Sexton
http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/

"Dominic Sexton" <{d-sep03}@dscs.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, bob watkinson
> <[email protected]> writes
>>sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using contours you
>>shouldn't be out there.
>
> Says who?
>
Ah, now you're going to tell me that a photo is all you need to keep you
safe in the great outdoors.

> --
>
> Dominic Sexton
> http://www.dscs.demon.co.uk/

Dominic Sexton <{d-sep03}@dscs.demon.co.uk> wrote
>In article <[email protected]>, bob watkinson
><[email protected]> writes
>>sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using contours you
>>shouldn't be out there.
>
>Says who?
>
Who else? The Ordnance Survey. ;-)
--
Gordon

"Gordon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dominic Sexton <{d-sep03}@dscs.demon.co.uk> wrote
>>In article <[email protected]>, bob watkinson
>><[email protected]> writes
>>>sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using contours
>>>you
>>>shouldn't be out there.
>>
>>Says who?
>>
> Who else? The Ordnance Survey. ;-)
> --
> Gordon

Yes but it's probable that Dominic can't read maps at all but still believes
he's safe out there

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 19:35:05 +0000, Mike Clark <[email protected]> wrote:


>I have memory-map and anquet products. There are definite plus points
>and minus points with both products.

<snip helpful stuff>

Many thanks!


Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

bob watkinson wrote:

>> Firstly, being able to visualise the terrain in 3D is very helpful
>> for route planning, especially if you want to avoid excessively
>> steep slopes or to minimise unnecessary re-ascent. Most people
>> aren't all that good at visualising contours, so the 3D view is
>> particularly useful in that respect.
>
> sorry but if you can't visually interpret the landscape using
> contours you shouldn't be out there.

I didn't say that I couldn't. I said that *many* people aren't very
good at it.

> As for route planning if you
> going to do that using photographs - well that's just ridiculous

Of course it's ridiculous, I never suggested planning routes using
photographs, I said that being able to visualise the terrain in 3D is
"very helpful". At least it can be, if you're prepared to take
advantage of the extra information. Maps don't tell you everything.
The information shown is selective.

>> Secondly, photo maps provide a lot of information that real maps
>> don't. The colour of the vegetations can be a good clue, for example
>> heathery and boggy areas, which are not at all obvious on normal
>> maps.
>
> try looking at the map legend for help on this

Ever tried using a map in the hills? The ground symbols are vague,
ambiguous and generalised at best. Easy moorland walking is shown with
the same symbols as atrocious ankle breaking tussock grass. Many bogs
are not shown at all, and don't talk to me about gorse, bracken and
heather! These sorts of things are far more obvious on a photo map, and
more up to date.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk

On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 16:59:19 -0000, "Paul Saunders"
<[email protected]> wrote:


>Oh wake up PW!

<fx: jump!>

>I was talking about these a while back!

Um.....

<PW wriggles, guiltily...>

[...]
>There is a demo of part of the Lakes for those who already own Anquet.
>I can email you a couple of screengrabs if you like.

That would be great, thanks! I'll try dropping you a line.

[...]
>> (See product page above.) On that page there's still a 1:50k
>> Northern England for £39.95, but there's also a photomap Northern
>> England, also at £39.95. Does the photomap not also have the maps,
>> then?
>
>No, it has photos, with some text overlaid on major features to give you
>an idea of what you're looking at.

Ahaa....

It sounds good to me, but I'm now unsure about what I saw in the shop
in Ambleside.


Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

Peewiglet wrote:

>> There is a demo of part of the Lakes for those who already own
>> Anquet. I can email you a couple of screengrabs if you like.
>
> That would be great, thanks! I'll try dropping you a line.

Well try harder! Come one, I'm waiting to post them to you, but your
email address doesn't seem to work. ;-)

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 00:55:45 -0000, "Paul Saunders"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Peewiglet wrote:
>
>>> There is a demo of part of the Lakes for those who already own
>>> Anquet. I can email you a couple of screengrabs if you like.
>>
>> That would be great, thanks! I'll try dropping you a line.
>
>Well try harder! Come one, I'm waiting to post them to you, but your
>email address doesn't seem to work. ;-)

Hmmm.... I did write, though. I'll try again. Hang on a mo...


Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \