Garmin BirdsEye - aerial imagery subscription

Boyd

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Evidently this is not official until next week, but Garmin is rolling out a subscription based download service for aerial imagery on the Colorado, Oregon and Dakota series GPS'es. The subscription will be locked to one device only and costs $30/year.

See: http://www.gpsreview.net/garmin-birdseye-satellite-imagery/

I found the following link and it is working for me now, but earlier I was getting an error message saying the page didn't exist: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=255&pID=70144

BirdsEye™ Satellite Imagery

Part Number: 010-D0699-00
Suggested Retail Price: $ 29.99 USD

Transfer high-resolution satellite imagery to your Garmin handheld device to get a true representation of your surroundings with a subscription to BirdsEye Satellite Imagery.

Use your BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription with BaseCamp™ software to transfer an unlimited amount of satellite images to your Garmin device and seamlessly integrate those images into your handheld’s maps whenever you need them.

Transfer an unlimited number of satellite and aerial images to your device with this subscription and free software BaseCamp™.


FEATURES
High-resolution sub-meter color satellite imagery captures the world in brilliant clarity and detail.

Allows you to layer the Garmin vector maps on your handheld (such as TOPO 100K, TOPO 24K or City Navigator®) with BirdsEye Satellite

Imagery for a real-life view of roads, buildings and terrain.

Makes it easy for hunters to perform preseason scouting, determine placement of stands and locate game pinchpoints.

Helps hikers and campers find trails/trailheads and clearings for camping areas.

Lets geocachers determine the terrain type around a cache and identify parking areas close to the caches.

Allows travelers to view tourist hot spots and landmarks from an aerial view to make excursions memorable without getting lost.

REQUIREMENTS

File Information
The file size of this download varies based on amount of area selected. Downloads may be stored to internal memory or SD™ card.

Use with 1 Device Only
This subscription may only be used with 1 compatible, registered device. The device must be registered in myGarmin to activate the subscription on that device. Please purchase additional subscriptions for additional devices.

Download Times
Not for use with dial-up Internet access or satellite Internet providers. Download times may vary based on area selected.

Product Compatibility
Check the Products tab to see whether this map is compatible with your Garmin device. Map subscriptions are non-refundable and non-transferrable.

Expiration Date
The subscription lasts 1 year from the activation date. You will need to renew subscription after 1 year.

Minimum Requirements
You must have Garmin's free software BaseCamp™ (version 3.0.0 or later) installed on your computer before you can use this subscription. You also need a myGarmin account. If you do not have one, we will require you to create one during the purchase process.

PC
Windows® XP SP2 or newer
1 GB RAM
at least 1024 x 768 display
USB port
Internet access
Mac
Any Intel-based or PowerPC G4 or later Mac OS®
OS X 10.4.11 or later
1 GB RAM
at least 1024 x 768 display
USB port
Internet access
 

Boyd

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Wow... you mean that Garmin is in business to make money? Who knew? :)

Sure, it's not for everyone. I don't know if I will even use it. But it's a nice feature IMO if you have one of the new GPS'es and the $30 annual subscription doesn't seem unreasonable to me.... it's only 58 cents a week. If you don't want to spend the money you can also make your own maps from aerial imagery for free as I have described elsewhere, and I have already uploaded a number of them for the pines at GPSFileDepot.

Unlike evil Garmin, I don't make any money from these.
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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BirdsEye just became available for purchase today. I don't plan to subscribe yet myself, I want to hear some user reports first. You will need to update your copy of BaseCamp and also the firmware on your GPS to use this new service.

Also, Garmin just announced a $50 rebate on several models of the Dakota and Oregon; more info here: See: http://garmin.blogs.com/promotions/2010/03/hit-the-trail-50-rebate-offer.htm
 

NJBill

Explorer
Sep 10, 2008
120
2
Hamilton (Mercer County)
It has my interest and sounds reasonable. Boyd, please keep us in the loop on any feedback.
Thanks as always for all the GPS information you provide and of course your awesome maps.
Bill
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,603
8,181
BirdsEye just became available for purchase today. I don't plan to subscribe yet myself, I want to hear some user reports first. You will need to update your copy of BaseCamp and also the firmware on your GPS to use this new service.

Also, Garmin just announced a $50 rebate on several models of the Dakota and Oregon; more info here: See: http://garmin.blogs.com/promotions/2010/03/hit-the-trail-50-rebate-offer.htm

Boyd,

I can't get the link to work.

Do you think sales are slow or a new model is on the way?

Guy
 

Boyd

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I get a blank page also now. Odd... I think they are just trying to goose sales of a luxury item in a bad economy. I saw an Oregon 450 on sale for under $300 at PC Nation when you included the rebate. That is not such a bad deal IMO.

Note: this post has been updated since it contained incorrect info

The BirdsEye imagery is definitely from the NJ 2007 aerials and it looks quite nice. If you have a compatible gps you can download the full quality images to your computer without purchasing the subscription, but you can't send them to the GPS. I would say they slightly downsampled the original 1 foot per pixel data, but are still true to the claim of "sub-meter" resolution. Updated screenshots are below.

batsto_nj2007.jpg



batsto_birdseye.jpg



batsto_google.jpg
 

Teegate

Administrator
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Sep 17, 2002
25,603
8,181
Look at the shadows on the NJ 2007 vs the BirdsEye images. Do you think that BirdsEye might be using the same data from NJ but just sampled at a lower resolution?

I would say yes. Good catch!

Guy
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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Boyd,

I can't get the link to work.

Try this link: http://garmin.blogs.com/promotions/2010/03/hit-the-trail-50-rebate-offer.html

Actual rebate form is here: http://garmin.blogs.com/files/dakota_oregon_rebate.pdf

Hit the Trail with a $50USD Rebate

Purchase a qualifying Garmin Dakota® or Garmin Oregon®and receive $50USD via mail-in rebate.
Offer is valid for purchases made between 04/01/10 and 06/20/10. Rebate submissions must be postmarked by 07/20/10. Limit five rebates per customer. To qualify for this rebate, please complete the six steps listed on the back or lower portion of this coupon.

1. Purchase a Garmin Dakota 10, Dakota 20, Oregon 450, Oregon 450t, Oregon 550 or Oregon 550t unit between 04/01/10 and 06/20/10. The product must be purchased in factory-new condition.

2. Read and complete this rebate coupon. If you seek more than one rebate, please mail each submission separately.

3. Enclose your original (or a legible copy of your original) valid receipt or invoice. The receipt documentation must show the purchase date, the item purchased, and the name of your Garmin authorized dealer or reseller. PayPal™ receipts are not accepted.

4. Enclose your original UPC barcode cut out from the bottom of the product box.

5. Provide your Dakota or Oregon serial number in the squares below. The 9 digit alphanumeric serial number is located on a black and white sticker inside the battery compartment of the unit. Please temporarily remove the batteries to view this number. The product serial number may also be found on a small black and white sticker on the product box. The product serial number does not contain hyphens (-).

Terms and Conditions: This rebate is redeemable only by residents of
the U.S. and Canada and may not be combined with any other offer
directly from Garmin. Garmin is not responsible for incomplete requests,
loss in mail, postage due or C.O.D. receipts, or any consequential or
incidental damages. Garmin reserves the right to rescind or change this
offer. Rebate is paid in U.S. dollars. Recipient is responsible for any
applicable taxes. Limit 5 rebates per customer. Limit 5 rebates per
purchase. Limit 1 rebate per valid product serial number. Requests for
multiple rebates from groups, clubs, or organizations will not be honored.
Only the actual purchaser of the eligible Garmin product qualifies for this
rebate offer. This rebate only applies to the models listed on this rebate
coupon. The qualifying Dakota units can be purchased as part of a bundle.
Purchases made through online auctions, excluding direct purchases from
authorized dealers, are not eligible. EBay® purchases only valid if
purchase is made from an authorized Garmin dealer. Purchases from
Amazon.com do not qualify for this rebate offer. Refurbished or newly
overhauled products do not qualify for the rebate. Void where prohibited
or otherwise restricted by law.
Garmin recommends making a copy of your receipt and completed
rebate coupon for your records.
Please allow 6-10 weeks to process your rebate request.
 

Boyd

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I just noticed a problem with my 400t after updating the firmware. The street names no longer display on the map, regardless of your settings. Others are reporting the same issue on the 400t at the Groundspeak forums. This issue may only affect the 400t model, not sure since there are several different firmware versions for other models.

Anyway, caveat emptor if you plan to update for BirdsEye. I'm sure that Garmin will fix this, but we may need to wait a bit...
 

NJBill

Explorer
Sep 10, 2008
120
2
Hamilton (Mercer County)
I had just done the update (400t) and can confirm no street names. I was also having problems downloading Birds Eye imagery. I was getting communication errors and then it finally connected. Still was unable though to get the images onto the SD card so as usual got fed up and bailed. Always a struggle for me with updates and changes! Doesn't help of course when the manufactuers release updates and new items with bugs. Amazing how that still happens today. Frustrating.
 

Boyd

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Unfortunately it's a familiar pattern with Garmin. The good news is that eventually they get fixed, and we get new capabilities for our units. The Oregon series has had more updates than any other Garmin model I can think of. What is unusual is that they keep adding new features. I guess that's the price we have to pay.

I didn't try sending any imagery to my Oregon yet. I would expect Garmin's servers to have quite a load with BirdsEye just starting up. That is one reason I was planning to wait awhile before subscribing.

Update: Oregon 300 users are reporting the same problem with missing street names.
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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The BirdsEye imagery is definitely the NJ 2007 Digital Orthophotography re-sampled at lower resolution with more data compression. Here's another example showing my house.

[edit]I'm a moron.... the BirdsEye imagery is actually quite nice... see below.
 

wxkeith

New Member
Nov 25, 2009
3
0
Plainsboro, NJ
From what I've been reading, the paid subscription to BirdsEye includes three resolutions. The "demo" imagery they let you snag is the lowest resolution. I'm thinking of signing up to give it a whirl for a year, so I'll post some samples of the higher resolution imagery if I do.

- Keith
 

Boyd

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Keith: when downloading without a subscription, you need to use the dropdown menu to choose "highest" quality (the default is "high", I didn't realize you could do better). Apologies for the bad info earlier. I have updated my comparison screenshots below. It is definitely the NJ 2007 imagery, and it looks pretty damn good! Only slightly less than the full 1 foot per pixel resolution.

Also, I didn't notice before, you can re-size the initial postage-stamp sized window and download larger areas. It wouldn't do a 1 GB download, but I was able to view reasonable sized images at full quality on my computer. This is pretty cool actually... you can view imagery for free without a subscription! However, it only works if you have a compatible GPS connected to your computer.

nj2007_vs_birdseye.jpg
 

wxkeith

New Member
Nov 25, 2009
3
0
Plainsboro, NJ
Awesome! Thanks for the updated images.

I upgraded to the new version of Basecamp on my Mac last night and I was absolutely *thrilled* to see that it can now cache the built-in topo from my Oregon and let me work with it on the computer while the GPS is hooked up.

For $30/year, I think I might just give it a go for the convenience factor. From what I'm reading elsewhere, it looks like they limit you to ~300MB on highest and ~450MB on high (I assume per section you pull).

- Keith
 

Boyd

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It gets even better... BaseCamp can also read the pre-installed City Navigator maps directly from a Garmin Nuvi, and you can use it to create routes, transfer waypoints, and more.

cn_on_basecamp.jpg
 

NJBill

Explorer
Sep 10, 2008
120
2
Hamilton (Mercer County)
I just noticed a problem with my 400t after updating the firmware. The street names no longer display on the map, regardless of your settings. Others are reporting the same issue on the 400t at the Groundspeak forums. This issue may only affect the 400t model, not sure since there are several different firmware versions for other models.

Anyway, caveat emptor if you plan to update for BirdsEye. I'm sure that Garmin will fix this, but we may need to wait a bit...

Garmin released an update today, appears to have fixed the street names missing issue.
 

Boyd

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Jul 31, 2004
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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Yes, all my labels came back after updating. This inspired me to pull the trigger on BirdsEye. There are some issues with the BaseCamp software, but basically everything worked fine for me and I sent about 450MB of highest quality imagery covering 144 square miles in the Pine Plains/FRM area to my Oregon. The software runs fine on my system (Vista 64 Core 2 Duo 2.8ghz with 6GB RAM) but over on Garmin's forums others are having problems (evidently on 32 bit systems with less memory).

One frustration is that the program gives you no feedback whatsoever when you send the files to the GPS. It warns that a transfer is in progress if you try to quit though. It probably took 15 minutes to send the 450MB file to the Oregon - not as bad as I was expecting after reading other user complaints.

You have to register your GPS before purchasing BirdsEye. Evidently I never registered my Oregon before, but I got a nice surprise after doing so. You get a promo code for 10% off at Garmin.com, and I was able to apply it to the BirdsEye purchase bringing the total cost to $26.99.

There are still some issues with all of this, but I have no doubt that I'll get my $27 worth out of the subscription. And I'll just hope that Garmin continues to fix the bugs and enhance the software so it can reach its full potential.
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
14,154
4,258
Pines; Bamber area
This is a statement on Birds Eye at the Garmin site I noticed today:

"Expiration Date
The subscription lasts 1 year from the activation date. You will need to renew subscription after 1 year. Imagery downloaded to your GPS device during the 1 year subscription does not expire."

Does that mean if I download the entire area in one year, it will always be on my GPS? I thought that you had to sign up each year to view it, which is why I did not like the sound of it at first. I suppose only people like surveyors, realtors, ect. need new views each year?
 
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