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Convincing OnX or similar to update satellite imagery yearly...

kyler1945

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Messages
6,877
Location
Willis, TX
So I got to thinking the other day - with the technology we have, and the money being dumped into the hunting industry, we should be able to get this done.

I wonder what the cost of getting the images uploaded yearly would be, and if there's enough room in memberships, dues, etc. on an App like OnX to cover that and them still turn a profit.

I would pay double, potentially triple, to have what I know to be an accurate, up to date image of the property I'm looking at.

Yes I still find old data useful. But I'm losing hours looking at features that no longer exist.

Anyone else interested in something like this? Wonder what it takes to put it into motion...
 
I'd be willing to bet they're all pulling from a handful of the same sources. I know huntstand uses the same, exact maps as Google Earth.

But I agree it would be cool. My turf floods periodically. The latest imagery on huntstand shows the whole place covered in water. Can't differentiate roads from creeks.
 
The problem is the imagery doesn't exist on a yearly basis. The high resolution imagery you see in OnX, Google Earth, etc. isn't from satellites but, is actually aerial imagery from planes. The imagery comes from various sources, USGS, County/State imagery projects, etc. and is only available for the limits of that project. That's why if you pan around in Google earth the imagery dates change. To collect imagery for the entire nation at that resolution every year would be almost impossible and definitely cost prohibitive.

Honestly, if you want to yearly imagery of your hunting properties, buying a drone and doing it yourself is an option and really isn't that expensive anymore.
 
Can’t get yearly imagery if it doesn’t exist. One other interesting area is LIDAR data. Still won’t solve latency of images, but LIDAR is pretty cool!

LIDAR would take technical wherewithal to display and one would have to download data and get it into a displayable format.
 
There's not nearly enough money in the hunting industry to fund this. Most of the image data out there is either in the public domain, or licensed from the same small handful of providers who are reselling for a wide range of uses.

Sojourner - it's possible to load lidar data into a free gis application such as qgis, and then get onto a mobile device via e.g. Gaia, mytrails, qgis mobile, and other apps. I have some super detailed elevation maps in limited areas that I have set up for this as it's a bit data intensive and I don't have a great system yet. Having 1 ft contours is handy, and viewing e.g. high precision DEM with the contrast cranked up or raw lidar data of something like a flat swamp seems like it could be useful
 
Here’s an excellent source to get more data than you could possibly want. Provided by your tax dollar none the less... The issue for some will be finding a program to handle this info. I have access to some powerful GIS software I use at work so I’m not really sure what’s available or the regular person. However the info is there...enjoy


https://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx
 
So can someone help an old guy? Do I buy a state and download an app for my phone? How can I view on computer?
 
There's not nearly enough money in the hunting industry to fund this. Most of the image data out there is either in the public domain, or licensed from the same small handful of providers who are reselling for a wide range of uses.

Sojourner - it's possible to load lidar data into a free gis application such as qgis, and then get onto a mobile device via e.g. Gaia, mytrails, qgis mobile, and other apps. I have some super detailed elevation maps in limited areas that I have set up for this as it's a bit data intensive and I don't have a great system yet. Having 1 ft contours is handy, and viewing e.g. high precision DEM with the contrast cranked up or raw lidar data of something like a flat swamp seems like it could be useful

I can get the LIDAR data for NJ, but I have to send an external hard drive in to govt. to get it. I plan on doing it after the season. Too much to d and too little time. Thanks for the info on qgis.
 
I can get the LIDAR data for NJ, but I have to send an external hard drive in to govt. to get it. I plan on doing it after the season. Too much to d and too little time. Thanks for the info on qgis.
MN has a really nice download site for up to 4gb at a time. Good for specific areas.
 
I was thinking about using onx. Until I tried it for florida. They are using USGS topo maps which have 10 - 20 ft contours. I want 2 - 5 and they stated that would be an upgrade later. Guess I just continue using what I have and save the money.
 
Google updates their aerials with a nice regularity. Double check areas of interest against google aerials.
 
So can someone help an old guy? Do I buy a state and download an app for my phone? How can I view on computer?

You create an account, buy a state, and can use it on your phone and computer. Just log in with your email and password. Use the 7 day free trial before you buy. There is a “basic” version you don’t have to pay for.
 
just use Google earth and other free sites, then take a screen shot and save it.
 
I have to say... I really do like OnX.

I prefer google earth overall for the ability to organize into multiple levels of folders and overlay them. BUT.....
my least favorite thing about google earth is having to email, download, and then upload every single track or waypoint from my phone onto the computer, then onto google earth.

The simplicity of OnX is awesome. I track all my waypoints, and the next time I log in on the computer.... there they are.

I do wish they had some other symbol options, like changing colors, a symbol for beds, a symbol for mast/food sources etc... but, it is very close to a perfect product. I will be buying a premium membership after Christmas.
 
I just wish there was an app that let you put a geo-tagged image as a pin. Click on the pin on the map and have the option to scroll through pics you took at the area.

Ask and you shall receive: http://www.locusmap.eu/

I had completely forgot about this app until I read your post. I played with it a few years ago but, started messing around with other apps and forgot about it. Back then It allowed you to import/export various file formats and also allowed you to attach an image to your way points.

I am going to have to download this again and see what they have improved on.
 
Ask and you shall receive: http://www.locusmap.eu/

I had completely forgot about this app until I read your post. I played with it a few years ago but, started messing around with other apps and forgot about it. Back then It allowed you to import/export various file formats and also allowed you to attach an image to your way points.

I am going to have to download this again and see what they have improved on.
Just downloaded it. That makes 3 nav apps on my phone.

Hey, at least they're cheap!
 
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