Since our parcel is far from a simple rectangle, this took some doing. I referenced a number of different data sources (county info, plat maps, MLS aerial images) and hand drew the outline of our parcel into Google Earth. Google Earth enables the creation of polygon shapes which can be directly overlaid onto the topography of the 3D land. There is now even a mashup website called Zoom Earth ( ) that combines satellite imagery from multiple sites for the same location you can quickly jump from one source of satellite photo to the next by a quick click. Other options are out there as well, but these two are currently the best and most useful for property analysis. Then Microsoft’s Virtual Earth ( went in a different direction with 2D high resolution “Birds Eye” pictures of many locations taken from north, south, east, and west views looking down at a 45 degree angle. Google Earth ( first raised the bar with its integration of aerial photography onto 3D topographic representations for anywhere in the world. The detail available from free online satellite imagery is getting progressively more amazing.
0 kommentar(er)
