Archive for December, 2006

Network Link updates

Friday, December 15th, 2006

Following on from the last post about the amazing 3D SpaceNavigator (PE) from 3dconnexion, it has finally inspired me to blow the dust off the experimental solution to Making a View-Based Refresh efficient when tilted?, that I blogged about a while ago.

So I’ve just implemented this on the Geograph Google Earth ‘Wide Area’ Network Link, and the Nearby NetworkLayers, (imaginative names aye?), which along with GB and Ireland Grid Lines Layers any my most used network links.

This should have no affect when looking ‘straight down’ but when the globe is tilted, hopefully the useful information should be better positioned in the foreground rather than extending into the blurry distance.

Feedback welcome…

Navigating a 3D globe the way it should be (probably!)

Friday, December 15th, 2006

I have to admit when first seeing the The SpaceNavigator, on Franks Google Earth Blog, I was a little skeptical that the device could be *that* good, boy was I wrong. In fact I’ve had it just a little over an hour, and hard to put it down, (similar case here). (thanks again to Frank for pushing me into trying it)
IMHO the best part is that it makes ‘User Based’ navigation a very real possibility, it appears its been a possible with the Joystick ‘Controller’ interface for a while, but I’ve never managed to get to grips with it, like I think it should of worked. (this is using a MS Flight Stick so should be quite good, but found it easy to get disorientated*)

Mouse and Keyboard (and an option with Controllers and this device) is still ‘Earth Based’ in Google Earth, which while does make sense, I repeatedly finding myself wishing I could just rotate my viewpoint rather than the ground spot I am looking at. (If anybody is reading this my next request would be for a quicker way to switch GE between the two modes)

Anyway back to exploring the Earth….
*This might be partly due to 3DConnexion making a design decision not to implement Roll. (having said that would like to see it as an option!)

P.S. It seems its not easily available in the UK yet, but the 3Dconnexion’s EU shop do ship to the UK.

Landranger Coordinates

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Not sure if this really deserves a post of its own, but it is mildly exciting to delve back into the Perl of the Coordinate converter

Anyway it can now understand ‘Landranger References’ which are common in some walking books (that’s the main place I seen them anyway!), basically where just the digits of a Grid reference are specified along with a Landranger sheet number.

Example: OS52 894334 which is 894334 on Landranger sheet 52, converted to NN894334 as a standard Grid Reference.