I see this question asked a lot. How to estimate building heights. I haven't seen a lot of clear cut answers so I created this short (I swear I tried to keep it under 1 minute but I couldn't), tutorial.
I see this question asked a lot. How to estimate building heights. I haven't seen a lot of clear cut answers so I created this short (I swear I tried to keep it under 1 minute but I couldn't), tutorial.
This is great info! Thanks for keeping short and sweet!I see this question asked a lot. How to estimate building heights. I haven't seen a lot of clear cut answers so I created this short (I swear I tried to keep it under 1 minute but I couldn't), tutorial.
This is certainly true for obstacles that are ever-changing (e.g. trees). Static obstacles like Ferris wheels and buildings rarely change though, so the elevations should be pretty accurate in Google Earth in most locations.For example, Google Earth models are sometimes wildly inaccurate, and the topography data is very coarse and gives the rough foliage heights not the ground heights.
This is certainly true for obstacles that are ever-changing (e.g. trees). Static obstacles like Ferris wheels and buildings rarely change though, so the elevations should be pretty accurate in Google Earth in most locations.
LOL, you circled Billy Penn's hat on top of City Hall building in downtown Philadelphia.Step 2:
Scroll around on the map in Google Earth and find the tallest obstacle in the area. In my example below, the tallest obstacle is the top of this building (the red circle). It has an elevation of 597 feet.
I see this question asked a lot. How to estimate building heights. I haven't seen a lot of clear cut answers so I created this short (I swear I tried to keep it under 1 minute but I couldn't), tutorial.
Matching objects to the true horizon (not the mountain or skyline edge) works quite well because it is using the same home takeoff position and the same Mavic sensors that will guide the flight. Any inaccuracy in those sensors will be baked into the measurements obtained, which in this case is a good thing.
So, your best advise is for us to completely ignore the data in Google Earth and estimate the height by looking at the horizon? Or are you suggesting the Google Earth data could be useful if we add X feet/meters to account for errors in the Google Earth data?Like I said, crowdsourcing the data is amazing but not something I can just trust.
Since I know volunteers did not submit data for my house to Google Earth, I checked Google Earth's elevations against the plans from my house. The numbers are very accurate. Will that hold true everywhere? I'm not sure.They rarely change, but they are often designed by volunteers using Sketchup, not architectural drawings or other observational data.
That's nice, but not useful for planning before you get to the site.
So, your best advise is for us to completely ignore the data in Google Earth
I'm not assuming anything. You seem to know a lot about Google Earth data, so I'm simply trying to tap into your expertise. There's no need to get defensive here. We're on the same side, friendSeriously, take a step back and stop assuming that posts raising different methods are diametrically opposed to your own approach. It is not a contest.