In the CADMAN Rd post I asked if anyone had been to BIM? Thanks to a vigilant reader who spotted a feature on the map closer than BIM, West Virginia I found out I have been to BIM, well Bims Rd. Even stranger, thanks to the miracle of GPS and a Garmin Etrex Legend, I know I was there at 11:35, 5th April 2006 and took a photo!
This is Bims Rd, Tasman New Zealand. It's shown dashed but is a forest access road on the satellite map
I attended an IPD/BIM meeting and thought it rather ironic that, due to stupid planning rules that allow you to build several new multi-story office blocks with insufficient visitor parking, I found a park in nearby Cadman Ave (No Exit)*.
I wondered if any New Zealand place names have BIM in them but Google shows the nearest is BIM, West Virginia, USA! Has anyone been there!? I can't as Streetview doesn't go that far!
* Wonders if that will prompt a comment from someone in Florida...At a recent Autodesk Solutions 2009 event Team Blue22 announced they would be hosting a New Zealand "Civil 3D University" in mid-August. It focuses on Autodesk Civil 3D related subjects offering a mix of industry based training sessions and networking opportunities in a format inspired by Autodesk University. It's great to see this kind of opportunity offered locally as the cost & time commitment limits the number of Kiwis who can attend Autodesk University. If you are a Civil 3D user, or considering making the switch, this is a great opportunity to learn from the best. Check out the schedule and registration details at the links below.
Team Blue22 - More info on NZ's First Civil 3D University or Download PDF Brochure & Application Form
I like how Garmin have connected their, proprietary, MapSource GPS software to Google Earth. I tend to prefer editing my Etrex downloads in MapSource but like viewing them in Google Earth. Thanks Garmin, for making it easy.
RobiNZ Personal Blog: The Northern Gateway Toll Road, or 214km for Fush n Chups
Captured with my Etrex, seen below in it's screen mount, downloaded and cleaned up with MapSource then exported (version 6.9.1+) to view in Google Earth
My Google Earth Pro license expired. This was entirely my fault as Google Earth does warn you to renewal time is approaching but I hadn't used it for a while and forgot. However, because our firewall blocked part of the transaction process I was unable to renew it immediately.
You'd think, since there is a free version, it would just revert to "free mode" but not so. It refused to load any data until the license was updated. That was rather embarrassing as when it was needed, it was needed!
Once away from the firewall restrictions the renewal took only a few minutes Next time I'll take more notice of those warnings!
Because of the Kiwi connection, and my favourite GPS, I’ve been following Team Garmin in le Tour de France. It’s been great to see Julian Dean’s brilliant performances, including several top ten stage finishes, on satellite TV. They have even been covered by our mainstream sports media who rarely stray beyond Rugby & Cricket…
There is a race diary on Julian's own site, but sadly no feed, and coverage on the Garmin Team Site where he is referred to as “Kiwi Guy”.
Garmin, the GPS company, have announced they are entering the phone market!
Garmin will take on Apple & Nokia with “the nüvifone”. It promises to merge 3.5G phone/camera/browser with Garmin’s GPS/Mapping technology, slick design and a touch UI. There isn’t much tech detail yet but from their press release the feature set looks promising:
The big questions are cost, battery life (a major limitation with multi-function devices) and, if not for my USA/European readers, will it be available in Asia/Pacific? As a Garmin Etrex owner I know how useful personal GPS can be so combining that with decent phone and mobile web looks like an enticing mix. With evidence of Google photo mapping New Zealand city streets in recent months we will have the database to support it. Come on down Garmin!
Garmin Blog: Garmin's New York Surprise
“As you may have heard, last night was a big night for us in the Big Apple.““The purpose was to unveil our Super Bowl ad and to discuss "the future of Garmin and its products." Seems tame enough.
But we had a trick up our sleeve -- the nüvifone. It's safe to say we took the audience by surprise -- OK, that's an understatement. As we made the announcement, the audience collectively reached for their BlackBerries and iPhones to send the big news back to their offices…
Additional information about nüvifone is available at http://www.garmin.com/nuvifone
Google recently launched a localised version of their New Zealand map. We’ve had basic road/location info since last year but this adds search and links to local directories. It will even help you buy a parrot that’s not “resting”.
Official Google Blog: Haere Mai! Google Maps lands in New Zealand
Today we're pleased to announce the full launch of Google Maps in New Zealand. Although we've offered basic mapping in New Zealand for some time, today we're unveiling a localised and customised site for our users in New Zealand.
It’s a long-haul flight to nearly everywhere from New Zealand. Often you crawl off the plane with a sense of achievement for merely surviving the flight. Spare a thought for the little Godwit “E7” who is about to complete a 30,000km round trip from New Zealand to Alaska.
There have been many theories, and a few myths, about the flight of the Godwit. Many remember it as the symbol for our domestic airline – National Airways Corp – (before it was merged with Air New Zealand) and from popular children’s books.
Satellite tracking and Google Earth combine to enable anyone to see the E7’s track. Many birds were tracked to Alaska, via China, but only E7’s transmitter has lasted long enough to record the remarkable 11,500km journey home direct across the Pacific. Hopefully E7 is here by now and having a good rest.
Makes 14 hours sitting, eating, sleeping, watching movies in a 747 seem rather trivial…
Godwit expected in NZ safe today - Christchurch News - The Press
A feathered harbinger of spring was expected to land safely in New Zealand last night. The 30,000km round trip of the Godwit from New Zealand to Alaska and back again has been tracked by satellite for the first time…
The Pacific Shorebird Migration Project Webpage has maps, information and a kmz file download to view in Google Earth:
http://www.werc.usgs.gov/sattrack/shorebirds/overall.html
Photo Credit N. Warnock
UPDATE 12–09–2007:
Bar-tailed Godwit E7 returns after a marathon flight - Asia-Pacific Shorebird Network
E7 – a female Bar-tailed Godwit fitted with a satellite transmitter at Miranda, Firth of Thames in New Zealand on 6th February returned to the place of tagging on the evening of Friday 7 September (local time) after a logged flight of 29,181 km (about 500 hours of flying). During that time she flew to the Yellow Sea, where she stayed for five weeks before flying to Alaska to breed, then flew 11,570 km back to her regular non-breeding site in New Zealand in about 8 days 12 hours.
I’ve been a TUMONZ (The Ultimate Map Of New Zealand) user for years but must admit I wondered what would become of it with the onslaught of web based maps & virtual earths. TUMONZ have a credible web presence with TUMONZ Live, 2D only, but is there still a role for a local install mapping package that isn’t free?
It’s been a while since last update, TUMONZ Version 2, but now there is TUMONZ Version 3. You could almost name it TUMONZ A.G.E.(After Google Earth). It not only acknowledges Google Earth exists but even embraces it allowing TUMONZ user data to be uploaded to Google’s on-line world.
Arriving on a DVD (CD’s still an option if you must) you get a huge volume of data as the standard map package has many features. In addition to the vector mapping & topographic data of previous versions you get new features including better map drawing (appearance & speed), incorporation of LINZ NZMS260 scanned maps, an improved 3D engine and interface. As before you can add additional detail with packs of photos, property data (owner, area & boundary coordinates) and point of interest map books. These are sold as modules allowing you to buy just the data you need or gathered into various “packages” targeted at specific uses.
The install is simplified thanks to the DVD format– No more disc swapping!
Once installed existing users will be in for a shock as TUMONZ 3 introduces a completely new interface. Compared to TUMONZ 2 it’s simplified which greatly helps new users but a little obscure. With TUMONZ you buy the initial install and data but application updates between major releases are free. I was disappointed to find several features from TUMONZ 2 missing but since then updates have restored some of those. The main pain was the elimination of the image export options which I hope will be added soon. You can install and run TUMONZ 3 without removing TUMONZ 2 and it’s something I’d recommend, especially if you are an existing power user.
So is TUMONZ still relevant? For the casual user I’m not so sure but for serious mappers, or commercial users, datasets like the Property Data (title information for the whole country) which are not available on-line make it invaluable.
There’s more on the UI and new display options in the extended post or view the demo content at http://www.tumonz.co.nz
Continue reading "TUMONZ - Still The Ultimate Map Of New Zealand?" »
If you’ve ever wondered what’s actually going on when you Google Earth, here’s an explanation:
How Google Earth [Really] Works - RealityPrime
I thought there might be some interest, and despite some valid intellectual property concerns, here we are, with "part one" of explaining how at least part of Google Earth works…
I was adding The Warehouse Stores, just locations not models, to Google Earth today and stumbled on ZNO’s stunning Christchurch models. I knew they were working on them but didn’t realise they’d just been released. Zoom in to Christchurch and have a look at their brilliant work!
This kmz file (619 bytes) will get you to Christchurch in http://earth.google.com
ZNO Christchurch is online at Google Earth.
After many many months of hard work ZNO CHRISTCHURCH has made the default layer in Google Earth….
PS: Pity about the use of “Snap Preview” on the ZNO blog. Am I the only one who find it’s annoying, or worse…
If you’re considering visiting New Zealand Google Earth can help. Tourism New Zealand have added a “100% Pure New Zealand” info layer to Google Earth with details on Destinations, Scenic highlights and Visitor Centres. The info links back to their 100% Pure New Zealand.com site.
While checking that out I also noticed Google Earth also now has the full road network and route finding, Google Maps had it some time ago, so you can find those destinations!
Google Earth with kiwi roads!
I first found it via Computerworld
Google Earth Blog: 100% Pure New Zealand Layer in Google Earth
Buried in the new layers added to Google Earth on Monday, was a new sub-layer found under the Travel and Tourism layer. The new layer is the first example of a country getting a built-in GE layer celebrating the travel and tourist spots in Google Earth.
I’m a bit late with this but every time I try imperial based CAD templates or look at database tables that must handle Imperial I’m so glad that about 30 years ago this happened.
30 Years of the Metric System | NZ Ministry of Consumer Affairs
14 December 2006 – Thirty years ago today the metric system was introduced into New Zealand says Consumer Affairs Minister Judith Tizard. The Weights and Measures Amendment Act became law on the 14 December 1976…
You still encounter “Imperial measures” on legacy plans, old survey drawings usually, but it’s getting to be less common. Now we just need to adopt 24:00 time format to get rid of the am/pm stupidity.
It’s amusing that, nearly alone, America persist with “A collection of English units”
From Wikipedia: Countries without the Metric system are Liberia, Myanmar, and USA.
UPDATE 23–11–2006: As per the comments, the images & .kmz model now show the Union building at 47m OAH.
I never thought I’d be modelling a stadium but this shows what a bit of time, Architectural Desktop and Google Earth can achieve.
There has been a fair amount of controversy about a proposal to build “Stadium New Zealand”. This new sports stadium will be located in Auckland and built for the 2011 Rugby World Cup but the $300 – $1,500 million cost, depends who you believe, will endure long after that game is over. This could be considered a local issue but they are considering both “hotel bed” and “airport” taxes so tourists may contribute to this folly.
What I consider to be the most important question, "Do we actually need a 60,000 seat stadium?", seems to be beyond the debate as we simply get the choice of extending an existing stadium, Eden Park, or building on a proposed new Auckland City Waterfront site. The consultation process for this project has been crazy and shown both National & Local Body politics at it’s worst. Tonight on TV news the Mayor of Auckland mentioned taking advice, hearing voices, from the spirit of a long dead and revered former Mayor which shows how weird it, and he, has become.
I oppose the proposed waterfront location as it just seems wrong to put a massive inward focused building in such a prime harbourside location. Some people quote similar stadium locations working in Wellington & Melbourne but, although near the city & water, neither compares. This site impacts all future development in the waterfront and when that land, currently in port use, is made available for public use I’m sure a better activity can be found.
The waterfront proposal has been presented with flashy videos and artist impressions. Given the impact of a bulky/high structure the visuals seem a little bit, to be kind, “creative”.
I’m not alone in thinking this and Architect/Blogger Peter Cresswell (NotPC Blog) provides some evidence. In his post “Stadium drawings deceptive” he shows that Union House (white building with diagonal bracing – indicated by red arrow in the image) is 44m 47m high while the stadium, quoted as being 37m high, seems much shorter in the illustration. Another blogger, Whaleoil, has also commented on this comparing other measures including container crane booms and port lights, both supposed to be about about 30m, to estimate the shortfall.
Curious I decided to investigate. Using Peter’s Union House measure as a datum and the published plan, sections & height of the stadium I created a mass model in Architectural Desktop. I also traced some surrounding building plans (from an image) and used heights estimated from photos to mass them. There are many estimations in the surrounding buildings but Union House (red) is 44m 47m high & the Stadium section is scaled to 37m above ground level and as accurate as working from images allows.
I then used the Autodesk Labs AutoCAD Google Earth plug-in to create a Google Earth model. The result looks somewhat different to the artist impressions released. Have a look comparing that the red mass to the Union Building in the illustration & decide for yourself;
Is the artistic impressions use of height/perspective is rather approximate.... or creative... or maybe, deliberate?
Download Google Earth – http://earth.google.com – and the model and have a look.
File Attachment: WaterfrontStadiumAuckland47.kmz (274 KB)
Related sites & links at: http://www.waterfrontstadium.co.nz/
Have your say: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/stadium/default.asp
Microsoft release their own “Virtual Earth 3D” taking on the current favourite Google Earth.
I’d like to say more but in New Zealand you get a message: “ Virtual Earth 3D (Beta) -- Virtual Earth 3D (Beta) currently does not support your region or language. Thanks for your patience.” then nothing more 
New Zealand benefited from the recent update to Google Earth with high resolution images of Auckland and Wellington replacing some previously cloudy, low res areas.
UPDATE 17:35:52 : Better but not always newer. I was looking at the TWL Sylvia Park location and the old photo showed site-works for the new mall. The replacement is better quality but shows the old storage sheds before any site prep.
Google Earth Blog: Huge Update to Google Earth and Maps Aerial/Satellite Photos - September 8 and 9.
Via the MB Blog I learn Garmin have a blog.
Mindjet Labs will soon (Monday 31/7/06 US Pacific) release an extension that allows you to easily find route information while planning travel thanks to a clever combination of MindManager & Microsoft Virtual Earth. The process uses MindManager topics and relationships to specify the route and it’s easy to do;
Click the hyperlink to view the map and the driving directions. Since Microsoft recently added our street data to Virtual Earth it works well in New Zealand. How cool is that for planning your next holiday… or business trip!
Update 30–07–2006: Trevor Claiborne has posted a neat video demo to The Student Tablet PC Blog
The trademe auction site is probably New Zealand's most visited website. They just have launched smaps which offers street level mapping for all New Zealand.
Although Google and Microsoft have recently added NZ street data smaps doesn’t use either. The data is from Terralink and the map engine is from Kiwi company Projectx Technology – the people behind Zoom In. Go Kiwi!
I’ve been playing with the new Autodesk Labs AutoCAD Google Earth Extension and thought worth sharing the results. This will work with AutoCAD 2007 based products including Architectural Desktop which is what I used. My first recommendation is “Read the Instructions!”. There is some manual set-up to load the arx and toolbar once the install process is complete.
In my ADT “Playhouse” project I created a Project Navigator View which included the shell of the building + some landscape items (path, drive & retaining wall) ready to export.
Laboratory \Lab"o*ra*to*ry\, n.; pl. Laboratories. [Shortened fr. elaboratory; cf. OF. elaboratoire, F. laboratoire. See Elaborate, Labor.] [Formerly written also elaboratory.] The workroom of a chemist; also, a place devoted to experiments.
Autodesk have launched Autodesk Labs, a new “semi-beta” site for customers to try new technologies, prototypes, maybe future products. I say “semi-beta” as they are offered with the usual alpha/beta cautions (don’t install on production machines, use with mission critical data or seek support via dealer/subscription channels) yet are not subject to the non-disclosure provisions that apply to the My Feedback full product betas.
The idea is you can have a play, tell Autodesk what you think, and maybe improve what could become future release products/features. There are two products ready to try:
Autodesk Labs - http://labs.autodesk.com/ or http://www.autodesk.com/labs
Between the Lines: Autodesk Labs!
This is the new and in process public betas and R&D projects site….
Microsoft Windows Live Local (Gasp, what a clunky name) now has New Zealand street mapping and driving route finding. It includes major roads and state highways, along with cities and suburbs but I can’t get it to show street names on the map! (any ideas?)
If you enter two addresses it will locate them and does a reasonable job of finding the shortest or quickest route. The image shows the route from Queen Street to Auckland International Airport (NZAA). Not quite perfect (the first offramp will not terminate on Broadway) but other than that it’s Ok.
Yep, street level mapping for New Zealand & Australia in Google Maps, soon for Google Earth I hope!
Google Earth Blog: Down Under and Kiwis Get Roads in Google Maps
Google Maps Mania: Big News: Google Maps street maps for ALL of Australia and New Zealand!
Rod Drury discovers, according to “The Register”, New Zealand features in Google’s plans for world domination 
Savage Chickens: GPS
Doug Savage does a chicken toon every day
Living in a little country with small population means the international on-line mapping services often show little, if any information. Usually it’s main highway/roads, if that.
zoomIn claim to be “just the best streetmaps site in New Zealand”. They offer simple responsive browsing via the map or context sensitive links, nearly instant street search, a nice interface and simple URL structure.
No excuses for not finding my way to work…
Via (for a great intro/overview): Google Maps - for New Zealand ~ cre8d-design.com
Some map image sources provide georeferenced raster files. They are simply an image created with a corresponding reference file which stores the proper position (coordinates) and scale of the image. If you have AutoCAD Map you can scale images based on this information but a free AAC Solutions utility also makes this possible in AutoCAD/ADT.
Georeferenced images in AutoCAD - www.cadforum.cz
With the AAC Solutions' utility - GeoRefImg - you can automatically place georeferenced raster files (pictures) also in AutoCAD or Architectural Desktop (this functionality is by default available only in Map). Any selected raster image (TIF, JPG, PNG, BMP, CIT format) with a World file is automatically repositioned to its proper position (coordinates) and scale.
If you are in New Zealand you can export georeferenced images, anywhere, any scale, from the consumer mapping product: TUMONZ – The Ultimate Map Of New Zealand,
This is great for location maps as you can quickly get an accurate scale map of anywhere in the country.
NOTE: TUMONZ map information comes from the LINZ (Land Information New Zealand) 1:50,000 topographical vector data set. The only requirement for re-using TUMONZ data is to acknowledge that the image / screen-shot / photograph was supplied / taken / produced by TUMONZ
Back in August after playing with Google Earth I wrote;
“BIM + Global Database + Bandwidth = The Future, Today. A BIM project that extended to a site, or maybe suburban layout, can now be placed in context. Anyone with a broadband net connection can have the world on their desktop today. Your project is part of that world.”
I recently found out that SketchUp made it happen producing a Google Earth Importer/Exporter that enables your SketchUp model to be placed on Google Earth. The screen-shot shows their sample model of Dulles International Airport in the Google Earth viewer (click for a larger view). The banner at their site shows an animated zoom from Google Earth Globe view to their HQ at street level.
What was an idea a few months ago, becomes an impressive reality. A cool 3d building modeller meets a cool 3d world.
SketchUp Google Earth - PRE-BETA
You already know the power and ease of use that SketchUp provides... now there's a new way to view it and share it with your friends, co-workers, clients and your favourite stranger!
I was using Google Earth the other day and noticed in addition to the usual Kilometers, Miles, Feet there was the unit “Smoots”.
What is a Smoot?
According to Wikipedia the Smoot is a nonstandard unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank. In 1958 Oliver R. Smoot was rolled head over heels by his fraternity brothers to measure the length of the Harvard Bridge. The smoot is equal to his height; five feet and seven inches or 1.70 m.
Oliver R. Smoot later became Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
It’s also about how tall I am and I can’t wait to use it on an official form…
This story from the local paper reveals a new use for Google Earth. Dane Hawker decided to take a look at where he goes fishing and found a huge sculpture on nearby farmland.
Is there a catalogue of “Google Earth Art” in other locations?
If you have Google Earth installed, download and double-click on the .kmz place-mark file below and it will fly you to the location. If not, you will need to install Google Earth at http://earth.google.com (Note: It requires a broadband Internet feed).
Download Google_Earth_Art-Snells_Beach_NZ.zip (0.6K)
The kmz is in a zip file as TypePad was changing the file extension on download.
High resolution images for New Zealand are limited and we don’t have the road maps or search data seen in the US maps yet but this sort of application has a huge future.
About Google Earth: Google Earth streams the world over wired and wireless networks enabling users to virtually go anywhere on the planet and see places in photographic detail. This is a 3D model of the real world, based on real satellite images combined with maps, guides to restaurants, hotels, entertainment, businesses and more. You can zoom from space to street level instantly and then pan or jump from place to place, city to city, even country to country.
TUMONZ has another update to support High Resolution Photos of Auckland. Unfortunately only Auckland City boundary (they commissioned the photo’s) so don’t cover the Waitakere City where I live 
If you have TUMONZ the 2005 Tide Data is available. It’s probably been there for a while but I haven’t needed it until now as summer only started on Sunday!
The tide feature in TUMONZ is great, click anywhere on the sea and you get Tide and Moon Phase data for the nearest measurement point. The “flow” is shown as a wave but can point at any time/spot to get precise time/height readings. Major and Minor fish feeding periods are shaded inside the tide-curve according to the solunar fishing times.
TUMONZ - The Ultimate Map of New Zealand. Anywhere. Any Scale. All Vector.
What's New in Version 2.08 ?
- Support for the New Auckland City High Resolution Aerial Photos,
- The ability to enable/disable the advanced plug-ins (GPS Manager, Spreadsheet Data Link) to make TUMONZ even faster loading.
- Reduced the CPU usage while live tracking
- Improved NMEA stability & added manual configuration of NMEA settings.
- Other minor fixes and additions.
Brent's New Zealand Street Maps for Garmin GPS are now available via his new site.
I use them with my Garmin Legend and Mapsource software but they also come with a DOS loader if you don’t have Mapsource. Until Brent made these available Garmin Worldmap was the only up-loadable mapping for Garmin GPS in NZ. Compare the level of detail in the screenshot from Worldmap with Brent’s Street Map (Version 3).
The street data is based on the LINZ database and with the assistance of partners at Where Are We Brent is also adding extra Points of Interest and other data. The older versions are still available to use with low memory GPS. The Legends 8mb memory can hold all the street maps for NZ. Adding the search data (find streets and intersections, POI) reduces this to about 1/2 of NZ. You can decide what to take as the data is split into different map sections so this isnt a big deal
TUMONZ have released an updated map engine (Version 2). This this adds new tools and simpler inteface to the already excellent existing product. I think the biggest improvement is that the core map and user objects can use transparency and textures. Combined with the new "rendering engine" this gives much better display of areas and also street names. Another major improvement for cycling and trampers is the ability to get a true profile of any route or ruler line plotted on the map. This is fantastic although knowing whats ahead isn't always a good thing!
The images show 2 views of auckland, a street view and zoomed in close up of central auckland. The map adds details as you zoom including the optional property data seen here.
Have a look at the TUMONZ web page for more details on whats new
TUMONZ - The Ultimate Map of New Zealand. Anywhere. Any Scale. All Vector.
Continue reading "TUMONZ Version 2 - The Ultimate Map of New Zealand gets better" »
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