Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[elevenaugust]

Hi all!

I see Neki's last post about the relative positions of the pole#15 and #16 on Raj's pictures.
We both worked on this on OMF and I was just wondering if he's still searching for these poles; because I'm about to materialize an old project about this research: create a grid of the whole SF-Palo Alto-Saratoga-Capitola area at the better Google Maps resolution.

I know it's kind of crazy due to the number of quadrant to identify and to look at; but as you surely know it, I can't believe that this pole doesn't exist at all.
Moreover, while lots of people searched for these pole last year, I believe that nobody have done a methodical job, like I intend to do.

Technically, in order to be the more accurate as I can, I proceed like this:
1- I take a general screenshoot of an area with GE at an altitude of 1.39km, with the Lat/Long grid.
2- I point it with a big Blue marker as "Grid 1", "Grid 2" for the next....etc.... and we can also mark each compartment as "A1...B6, etc... like a chessboard



3- Each square on Google Maps at the third threshold below the sign "+" is equal (A little more, in fact, but it doesn't matter) to TWO squares on Google Earth; the more difficult task being to properly align Google maps to Google Earth.
4- I check each Google Earth quadrant with Google Maps (also with Streetview if necessary or/and available) then mark the result with a  small color marker:
- Green if there's nothing interesting
- Yellow if more checking is needed
- Orange if it's worth a trip on the spot.
- Red if strong evidence.

- Blue for the number of the general GRID.

Of course, one need to create a master grid of all the grids.

I'll make today some tests and post the results here.

Feel free anybody to check any quadrant you want and post the results here, so I can update the grid.

Here's the Grid n°1, with all the coordinates:

[elevenaugust]

Some first results:



Lots of green dots!

General situation of Grid n°1 in Capitola area:



It tooks me something like 1 hour to check this. It's also easier to proceed only with Google Earth at first, zoom in and out and check if necessary with Google maps and Street View.
I looked at all the area marked in green very closely.
I see only benefits:
1- We are sure not to miss something
2- We don't have to tell ourselves: "Damn!! Did I already checked this area??"
3- Everyone can help.

I'll proceed firstly by checking again (!) all the Capitola area (Soquel, Aptos, Rio del Mar, etc....), then extend my research to the coast down South and North up to SF.

Any help will be much appreciated.

[elevenaugust]

Update n°2 for the grid n°1.



Only one yellow dot at 36°58'29.30"N 121°57'32.99"W
I marked it because of its position, partially hide by trees.
But after checked it with Google maps, no match:
- Not good trees
- Not a "flat" lamp
- No power poles like in Raj's picture.

Tomorrow, I'll create Grid n°2 to 5 and finish to check Grid n°1.

[elevenaugust]

Here are the grid n°2 to 5:









And the general situation in Raj's area:

[dixonf]

Those maps are not up to date....In Capitola, the map in my area is at lest 7-years old......Now, I think the key is the street light. That is what I've been looking at. I find an area with those kind of street lights ansd search that location.

[elevenaugust]

Those maps are not up to date....In Capitola, the map in my area is at lest 7-years old......Now, I think the key is the street light. That is what I've been looking at. I find an area with those kind of street lights ansd search that location.

Yes Franck, I agree that the key is the street light and that's the first thing I look at when I check with GE or Google Maps.
In my "Grid n°1", I haven't found any lamps like in Raj's photo; they are different, more bulbous, less flat.....

BTW, here's the results for the Grid n°1:


I pointed out 5 interesting locations (Not THE location, of course, but somewhat similar...)
1- 36°58'29.30"N 121°57'32.99"W
Not the good lamp.
2- 36°58'42.55"N 121°57'19.24"W
Street lamp partially hide by trees but no power poles around there and no street view available to check.
3.1 and 3.2- 36°58'35.50"N 121°57'00.00"W
Two interesting street lamps at the crossroad between Bay Ave and Monterey Ave, and with power poles at a turn.... Unfortunately, no street view available here again. I pointed them in orange as they seems to be the most interesting spot for this grid.
Maybe it worst a check on the spot, Franck, what do you think?? (I know the whole area has been checked again and again, but who knows??)
4- 36°58'33.61"N 121°56'55.96"W
Another street pole partially hide by trees, on Park Ave. This Park Ave is very interesting 'cause of the Sequoia trees (like one can see them in PICT018).
Anyway, not a good lamp.


The KMZ file:

DivShare File - GRID.kmz

Grid n°2 ongoing....

[elevenaugust]

Edit:
Frank, I found with Streetview on Google Maps this construction parking on the 41st Ave.
If I remember correctly, when we were here on May, we saw this construction.
Maybe it could help to define the date of the update??

[10538]

Google Streetview is basically useless.  The most important and probable parts of Capitola (because of street angles) are missing.

[elevenaugust]

Yes, however could help to identify Street lamps.

Google Earth is more useful.

If only I could be American, I would spend my week-end looking for poles...

 

[elevenaugust]

Here are the results for grid n°2:



and the general view for now:



I will not give anymore the exact coordinates, as they all are on the KMZ File:

DivShare File - GRID2.kmz

5, 6, 7 and 8: Interesting view of lamp streets in the 41st Ave., partially hide by trees; however no match since the lamp is bulbous.



Grid n°3 ongoing....

[onthefence]

I will not give anymore the exact coordinates, as they all are on the KMZ File:
DivShare File - GRID2.kmz

Are you sure that you saved all the points?  I only see one green point in that file.

edit to add: you can also use the drawing tools in Google earth to draw boxes around regions that more closely resemble roadways. See Add->Polygon.

[elevenaugust]

I will not give anymore the exact coordinates, as they all are on the KMZ File:
DivShare File - GRID2.kmz

Are you sure that you saved all the points?  I only see one green point in that file.

edit to add: you can also use the drawing tools in Google earth to draw boxes around regions that more closely resemble roadways. See Add->Polygon.

  Yes, I open it myself with this file and it's ok, Numbers did you have the same problem??

EDIT: Ok, I fix it, seems like I only saved temporary files; here's the new link:

DivShare File - GRID2.kmz

Thanks for the drawing tools advice, I'll use it to define the grids.

Anyway, here's how I proceed:
- I use the GE grid at an 1.39Km altitude which define squares of approximately 0.6*0.4; each GRID contains 15*21 squares.
- I trace an horizontal line all along the first top grid line with the tool "ruler", then move down a notch.... and so on.
- I zoom into the first two lines to fit my screen (22") and scroll all along this area to check for poles.

[onthefence]

Nobody here want to take part??

I can help. Are the green squares the ones that you already searched? Do I have to plant my own flags?

[nekitamo]

Hi, 11a!

I welcome your initiative, as systematic and distributed search seems like the only way to finally find those poles - or to be reasonably sure where they aren't, at least. I used to click at some random spot in the area now and then and search from there, but without luck so far (and luck is what this method is based on ).

Here is something I was toying with in GE after seeing your "search pattern" (GE path shaped the same way):

Code: [Select]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.2">
<Document>
<name>Untitled Path.kml</name>
<Style id="sh_ylw-pushpin">
<IconStyle>
<scale>1.3</scale>
<Icon>
<href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/ylw-pushpin.png</href>
</Icon>
<hotSpot x="20" y="2" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>
</IconStyle>
</Style>
<Style id="sn_ylw-pushpin">
<IconStyle>
<scale>1.1</scale>
<Icon>
<href>http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/kml/pushpin/ylw-pushpin.png</href>
</Icon>
<hotSpot x="20" y="2" xunits="pixels" yunits="pixels"/>
</IconStyle>
</Style>
<StyleMap id="msn_ylw-pushpin">
<Pair>
<key>normal</key>
<styleUrl>#sn_ylw-pushpin</styleUrl>
</Pair>
<Pair>
<key>highlight</key>
<styleUrl>#sh_ylw-pushpin</styleUrl>
</Pair>
</StyleMap>
<Placemark>
<name>Untitled Path</name>
<styleUrl>#msn_ylw-pushpin</styleUrl>
<LineString>
<tessellate>1</tessellate>
<coordinates>-122,37,0 -121.975,37,0 -121.975,36.9995,0 -122,36.9995,0 -122,36.999,0 -121.975,36.999,0 -121.975,36.9985,0 -122,36.9985,0 -122,36.998,0 -121.975,36.998,0
</coordinates>
</LineString>
</Placemark>
</Document>
</kml>
Click on "select" above the code, copy-paste it into notepad and save as i.e. search.kml, then open it in GE. I manually created this path by editing this field in notepad and used the nearest round coordinates of 37°N / 122°W as a starting reference point:

<coordinates>-122,37,0 -121.975,37,0 -121.975,36.9995,0 -122,36.9995,0 -122,36.999,0 -121.975,36.999,0 -121.975,36.9985,0 -122,36.9985,0 -122,36.998,0 -121.975,36.998,0
</coordinates>

It is not hard to calculate new coordinates in your head this way at the same time as you type them in notepad, but it would be even easier if we make a simple program to do it. Maybe we could generate such paths for each quadrant of your grid and distribute them among us?

Oh, and another thing - set touring camera options in your GE to lowest and slowest, select this path and press play or select "Play Tour" from the menu. Nice, isn't it?

[10538]

Hey Frank,

I identified the main tree in the Ty pics on the left as a "Pacific Madrone". 
It's easy to remember the name.  Ma-drone 

BTW,  I saw this posted to ATS.  It reminded me of Ed.  Pretty cool , eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XevJR7biQE8

This was taken in Fremont, CA.