Being LiDAR instead of still shots offers there advantages that I hadn't considered last night.
This could all you could go for a jog in your living room in your own virtual neighborhood in Summer despite having 4 feet of snow outside your door in January. Or it could be used by government and public services in a virtual environment to test access time in a warehouse environment or figure out the best method of entry into a building for the pre-crime division.
With LiDAR over still images there are [I]virtually[/I] endless possibilities.
Each is useful in its own way. My main beef is with how outdated satellite images are. In my area, several new skyscrapers have been going up over the last few years and both Apple and Google Maps still show them as vacant lots. Not helpful. Both of these companies have billions laying around in the bank - they can afford to pay for more current satellite imagery.
1) What's the cost-benefit of updating satellite images more than every few years? My guess is that it's simply not worth it at present time.
2) I wonder if there are any LiDAR satellites that are digitally mapping terrain and buildings from orbit so that the use of periodic planes over some cities for FlyOver can be dropped. Is that even a reasonable option for LiDAR?
1) What's the cost-benefit of updating satellite images more than every few years? My guess is that it's simply not worth it at present time.
Not necessarily the satellite images, but the aerial images - the ones you see when you zoom into an area. As I noted in my original post, I live in an area with massive recent development and none of it is visible in Apple Maps. Where we have a new art museum and numerous new skyscrapers, Apple Maps shows vacant lots.
It's not a technical limitation but a business one. The companies who own the satellites charge a premium for the most current and highest resolution imagery. The highest resolution data is probably controlled by the military and is not for sale at any price. Also, once you zoom into an area you're almost certainly viewing imagery photographed from planes, not from satellites.
Google and Apple pay a fee for the image data you see in their maps, much of which is years out of date or of low resolution. It would probably be cost prohibitive for them to provide near real time images, but I suspect there's a middle ground where they can secure much more current data than what they have now at a cost that they can easily absorb.
I predict five to fifteen new troll accounts whose only posts regard Google “doing it first” regarding street-level photography.
Then again, this is probably just Apple’s self-driving car, set to go to market in Fall 2016, completely obliterating Google’s timeframe.
I did notice DED's article failed to mention how he has spent the past 3 years (or more) calling Street View 'creepy' and how Apple's approach (useless 3D flyover) was a superior solution.
You know back in the old days people actually did refer to the box as the CPU. (Monitor, CPU, keyboard and mouse)
And in the regular world I accept the interchange of Computer, RAM, Memory, CPU, Hard Drive, Mother Board, Computer Boxy Thingy, but on a tech forum if one says that Apple made CPUs 25 years ago I assume that is what they mean.
Obviously this isn't the same concept/technology as what Google has done, which is pretty archaic. If anything, it will be actual 3D which will integrate seamlessly with flyover, not point and click images with horrendous transitions. Insanely ambitious, but I wouldn't put it past Apple. Within a year they could probably have all major population centers in the US mapped out in 3D at streetlevel.
Obviously this isn't the same concept/technology as what Google has done, which is pretty archaic. If anything, it will be actual 3D which will integrate seamlessly with flyover, not point and click images with horrendous transitions. Insanely ambitious, but I wouldn't put it past Apple. Within a year they could probably have all major population centers in the US mapped out in 3D at streetlevel.
Being able to integrate with FlyOver will be nice as a way to getting to certain street level views from a global position the way Google Earth can zoom in starting from a world view, but I would think there is a lot of detail that can't be shown well, or shown at all, once you get buildings that are over several stories in height. Does this mean Apple's solution will have upward facing cameras to map the upper sides of buildings above the standard street level view?
That's as far as I can zoom in, but with street level LiDAR that would have to *pop* me onto the street level without a decent transition effect without some clever computations or capturing the areas their FlyOver isn't able to capture properly due to the obstructed views.
Not necessarily the satellite images, but the aerial images - the ones you see when you zoom into an area. As I noted in my original post, I live in an area with massive recent development and none of it is visible in Apple Maps. Where we have a new art museum and numerous new skyscrapers, Apple Maps shows vacant lots.
Probably an early use of drones once the regulations get sorted out.
Probably an early use of drones once the regulations get sorted out.
Lol, that's true. I am so tempted to buy one but I'm afraid they're about to regulate the fun right out of them, which would be unfortunate after such an expensive purchase.
Just imagine how it'd be on here if it were the other way around. People would probably be calling for the murder of all the engineers involved.
When google stole Apple's greatest invention in 2008 all gloves came off.
Fandroids can wave their iPhoneys around and scream "Apple has no more the innovations!" All they want.
I want to see an Apple email, Apple youtube and search.
Apple should bring Giggle to their knees!!
Thing is, this’ll probably result in an enhanced Flyover. Since planes can’t get low enough to, well, get between buildings and see the street, they’ll likely composite these images into Flyover to let you zoom in further.
And Apple could incorporate a smooth transition from Flyover to street-level. 2-d overview of the whole route, Flyover showing context, street-level so you know what your destination should look like.
Google's street level maps are terrible. You don't see enough of the environment around your route.
That's as far as I can zoom in, but with street level LiDAR that would have to *pop* me onto the street level without a decent transition effect without some clever computations or capturing the areas their FlyOver isn't able to capture properly due to the obstructed views.
Exactly. High-level Flyover, with plenty of context, when you want it.
Low-level door-by-door view when you're nearing your destination.
With smooth transition between them, through Siri commands or automatically as you progress.
Comments
This could all you could go for a jog in your living room in your own virtual neighborhood in Summer despite having 4 feet of snow outside your door in January. Or it could be used by government and public services in a virtual environment to test access time in a warehouse environment or figure out the best method of entry into a building for the pre-crime division.
With LiDAR over still images there are [I]virtually[/I] endless possibilities.
1) What's the cost-benefit of updating satellite images more than every few years? My guess is that it's simply not worth it at present time.
2) I wonder if there are any LiDAR satellites that are digitally mapping terrain and buildings from orbit so that the use of periodic planes over some cities for FlyOver can be dropped. Is that even a reasonable option for LiDAR?
1) What's the cost-benefit of updating satellite images more than every few years? My guess is that it's simply not worth it at present time.
Not necessarily the satellite images, but the aerial images - the ones you see when you zoom into an area. As I noted in my original post, I live in an area with massive recent development and none of it is visible in Apple Maps. Where we have a new art museum and numerous new skyscrapers, Apple Maps shows vacant lots.
Rob Enderle...how can someone claim to be an analyst and not see what this is ?
High res street view imagery applied as textures is coming to maps.
Enderle is actually one of the worst.
My bad ... but maybe they were ripping the 6502's out and using them ...
Ok point accepted ... But that is all before Elon
I saw one of those. I wondered what that was on the roof.
I predict five to fifteen new troll accounts whose only posts regard Google “doing it first” regarding street-level photography.
Then again, this is probably just Apple’s self-driving car, set to go to market in Fall 2016, completely obliterating Google’s timeframe.
I did notice DED's article failed to mention how he has spent the past 3 years (or more) calling Street View 'creepy' and how Apple's approach (useless 3D flyover) was a superior solution.
I saw one of those. I wondered what that was on the roof.
Apple computers. He stated Apple CPUs 25 years ago.
My bad ... but maybe they were ripping the 6502's out and using them ...
You know back in the old days people actually did refer to the box as the CPU. (Monitor, CPU, keyboard and mouse)
And in the regular world I accept the interchange of Computer, RAM, Memory, CPU, Hard Drive, Mother Board, Computer Boxy Thingy, but on a tech forum if one says that Apple made CPUs 25 years ago I assume that is what they mean.
Obviously this isn't the same concept/technology as what Google has done, which is pretty archaic. If anything, it will be actual 3D which will integrate seamlessly with flyover, not point and click images with horrendous transitions. Insanely ambitious, but I wouldn't put it past Apple. Within a year they could probably have all major population centers in the US mapped out in 3D at streetlevel.
Flyover™ + Drivethru™ = new Apple Maps
Being able to integrate with FlyOver will be nice as a way to getting to certain street level views from a global position the way Google Earth can zoom in starting from a world view, but I would think there is a lot of detail that can't be shown well, or shown at all, once you get buildings that are over several stories in height. Does this mean Apple's solution will have upward facing cameras to map the upper sides of buildings above the standard street level view?
That's as far as I can zoom in, but with street level LiDAR that would have to *pop* me onto the street level without a decent transition effect without some clever computations or capturing the areas their FlyOver isn't able to capture properly due to the obstructed views.
Apple uses...minivans. I'm still trying to process that.
Using a mini-vac shaped vehicle to scoop up those images!
Nice symmetry.
Not necessarily the satellite images, but the aerial images - the ones you see when you zoom into an area. As I noted in my original post, I live in an area with massive recent development and none of it is visible in Apple Maps. Where we have a new art museum and numerous new skyscrapers, Apple Maps shows vacant lots.
Probably an early use of drones once the regulations get sorted out.
Probably an early use of drones once the regulations get sorted out.
Lol, that's true. I am so tempted to buy one but I'm afraid they're about to regulate the fun right out of them, which would be unfortunate after such an expensive purchase.
When google stole Apple's greatest invention in 2008 all gloves came off.
Fandroids can wave their iPhoneys around and scream "Apple has no more the innovations!" All they want.
I want to see an Apple email, Apple youtube and search.
Apple should bring Giggle to their knees!!
Thing is, this’ll probably result in an enhanced Flyover. Since planes can’t get low enough to, well, get between buildings and see the street, they’ll likely composite these images into Flyover to let you zoom in further.
And Apple could incorporate a smooth transition from Flyover to street-level. 2-d overview of the whole route, Flyover showing context, street-level so you know what your destination should look like.
Google's street level maps are terrible. You don't see enough of the environment around your route.
And things look totally different at night.
...
That's as far as I can zoom in, but with street level LiDAR that would have to *pop* me onto the street level without a decent transition effect without some clever computations or capturing the areas their FlyOver isn't able to capture properly due to the obstructed views.
Exactly. High-level Flyover, with plenty of context, when you want it.
Low-level door-by-door view when you're nearing your destination.
With smooth transition between them, through Siri commands or automatically as you progress.