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Q & A
Inquiries
Anticipated questions…
Q. Why is there no music on the Virtual Aerial Tours?
A. Sound takes up disc space otherwise needed for
optimum visual quality.
An included music genre may not please everyone.
The added cost for licensed music does not add
substance to the goal of the production, which is
purely visual.
Q. The BD does not always run smoothly, or at all,
when using external BD Drive with Laptop.
A. Make sure that the USB cable is connected to a good
source of power, such as a powered hub. If the disk
drive has a second usb connector for power, use it also.
You can connect to a small cell phone type usb power
supply. This will improve performance immensely.
Q. Cannot always see the trail on Sierra Tours. Cannot
see at all times the exact location of the trail.
A. The trail may not be visible due to terrain and
foliage. Keep in mind that the imagery has a limited
resolution, so just getting closer to the ground with the
viewpoint will not increase the sharpness, it will just get
more fuzzy. The trails were not marked with overlay
lines because it would possibly distract from the overall
appearance during the videos. In addition, it was not
possible to accurately mark the trails continuously with
lines. So having errors is less desirable than using the
frequent arrows to denote the trail location. The main
goal of the presentations is to provide an interesting
and informative portrayal of the trail route and the
surrounding environment, landscape and geography.
Opted for an elevated scenic approach to capture the
essence of the area covered with a minimum of clutter.
The continuous exact location of the trail was not the
intent of using aerial vantage point views, nor was it a
reasonable expectation with this visualization method.
The emphasis is on a REALISTIC SCENIC TOUR, not a
topo map rendition.
BD PLAYER REMOTE CONTROL
Q. How do I operate the remote control for a home
entertainment system. Have a Blu-ray player connected
to a TV, but not always get the Navigation response that
I expect. Some people are new to using players for
interactive video..
A. The remote has several buttons, but only a very few
are essential to navigation.
Virtual Terrain Tours
Web Design: Rick Wilborn Revised May 19, 2018
will update as necessary
Watching the screen, Move
around to the various
link objects then pick
where you want to
go next.
Press the center button
to activate the link. That is it!
These are the Navigation controls. Usually, the label
or arrow on the screen will be highlighted when available
to activate.
To select which one to activate, press the arrow keys
to illuminate, or highlight, the label/arrow you want.
Then, Press the Center Plus Button to make that new
page appear. It is like navigation on a website, but using
arrows instead of the mouse, and the center button like
a left click., or ENTER key
These buttons control the motion
of any video.
Play, pause, stop,
fast forward and backward.
DVD Players are identical in operation.
Q. Why does the forest color appear olive drab with
deep red areas on the Sierra Tours?
A. That is the appearance from the air. Often the green
trees seen from the ground look different from the air
especially at higher elevations.
This may be due to type of trees, the angle of light
reflection and atmospheric effects, but it is realistic.
Even ground based photos looking down upon a
forest area shows the same coloration as the
GIS aerial photos.
Q. What is “GIS”?
A. Specialized Mapping Software and methods that enable
digital elevation data, aerial or satellite imagery, and any
other types of information to be correlated for geospatial
analysis. Additionally, the imagery that is combined with
the elevation data can produce 3D visualization renditions
which can duplicate real earth views with traceable accuracy.
By adding text and or other images, the results are
realistic, educational and meaningful.
Q. What is accuracy of distance measurements shown on
tours?
A. Because of different sources of information
and the mapping methods used, small discrepancies
can be a result. It is difficult to say what percent
accuracy is displayed for any given area, but huge errors
should not be found. Consider mileage to be relative,
and the effects can be heavily influenced by trail condition,
terrain difficulty, elevation gain, steepness, weather,
and altitude. Best to figure that the actual amount of hiking
that would be required might very well exceed that listed for
a given trail or route. At least your legs will suggest that
after the hike! Your estimate of travel derived from
topo maps, and other references may vary. Remember…
An old saying:
“person with two watches never knows what time it is.”
Q. Why are no “GPS” coordinates shown in
the tours?
A. A GPS is great for actual on location navigation,
but seldom does anyone use coordinates for
anything involving recreational ground references.
Maybe ocean treasure hunting would benefit
from coordinates!
Location reference and orientation can best
be achieved by traditional intuitive identification
of landmarks.
In order to relate real world positions or “waypoints” to the
Virtual Tour Imagery, simply view the relationship
of nearby common landmarks with the location.
I have located campsites that I visited many years ago, before
GPS just from remembering and recognizing the places.
The old slides taken on trips help to refresh the details.