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Zoom Level not enough in Basecamp.

Former Member
Former Member over 8 years ago
Why is it that the zoom level is limited to 80 feet? I'm trying to put in underground power lines on a piece of property and even when zoomed all the way in, the map is too coarse to accurately make/edit the tracks. Is there any way to get the zoom level increased? This is quite frustrating and I don't see any reason why this would be limited.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Well I guess there needs to be a limit somewhere and it's not really aimed at the task you have in mind. 80 feet would be more than adequate for most normal tasks, I rarely go down that far when planning hiking routes for example.

    If you have the coordinates of the lines you could try entering them, that may give you what you need.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Why is it that the zoom level is limited to 80 feet? ......the map is too coarse to accurately make/edit the tracks. Is there any way to get the zoom level increased? This is quite frustrating and I don't see any reason why this would be limited.


    Tracks??? presuming from a GPS??? GPS accuracy is going to be far worse.. I tried that over a much larger area (marking out the boundary of a 12 acre area) and the GPS location error can be significant..
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    That's an interesting use of Basecamp.

    I'm almost certain that Garmin didn't write Basecamp for those sorts of uses. If so, it wouldn't be surprising that it doesn't work well for that.

    The zoom level might be based on what level of detail is provided in the maps used in Basecamp.

    It might be a problem for more people if the zoom went much beyond the map detail (where they would see nothing on the map).

    How low should the zoom go?

    Basecamp is free and clearly is meant to encourage the sale of GPS units (not laying underground pipes).
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Wrong tool. Purpose is navigation not trenching. sounds like a professional GPS survey tool is needed
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    Wrong tool. Purpose is navigation not trenching. sounds like a professional GPS survey tool is needed


    au contraire, This is the perfect tool to provide data to a locate company. In fact, a locator from Digger's Hotline was totally thrilled with this information. They only need a 10 foot resolution to accurately find where something is buried. Very difficult to manipulate the tracks when the maximum zoom is 80'
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    What device are you using that gives you 10 foot resolution while you move around creating a track?

    I did some testing for another thread a few days ago and 3 meters was the absolute best accuracy I could get out of an eTrex Venture HCx, a Montana 600, and a Nuvi 765. And it took at least 5 minutes sitting still in one spot to get that resolution. Any movement of the device would kick it up to 4, 5, and even 6 meters almost instantly. It generally took at least another full minute or two of sitting still for it to get back down to 3 meters. My smartphone was even touchier, no surprise.

    Also, what is it you think you will see if you could zoom tighter than 80 feet? Your property boundaries will not be in the map data so what is it you think it will show that would be of use?

    Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you are trying to do?

    ...ken...
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    If basecamp was mean for that it would have a zoom of greater than 80ft.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Better tools for determining location with respect to lot boundaries

    A better approach would be to use your city or county GIS system (provided access available via the internet) as shown in the link below.. The GIS in my area can scroll down to 1 inch = 25 feet.

    http://www.dan-de-man.net/pics/GIS%20Image.jpg

    A huge amount of overlays are available to be activated as shown by the extensive list on the left. These systems typically use aerial photographic overlays rather than satellite photo images..

    Even these systems can have offset errors in the various overlays, and caveats on use of the data as quoted below.

    I recently bought some adjoining land and the adjacent landowner and I walked the land extensively to agree on the new boundaries.. and I used the county GIS system to approximate the acreage enclosed by the new boundary lines for cost estimating purposes... Early in the process I used a GPS to try to get an approximation, but found the error in a consumer GPS is too unreliable. The error will vary based on the geometry and number of the GPS satellites being used at that time.

    A consumer GPS is somewhat OK for rough approximations but for any building, digging, etc on a lot without knowing where, and finding the lot survey marker stakes is fraught with risks.. On the other hand today's electronic surveyor transits are incredible with their laser range finding, inertial reference navigation or using a local differential GPS transmitter on an established ground reference point. I followed the surveyor around with his electronic transit to survey the new boundaries and to close the survey to existing lot lines. Awesome technology to watch.


    MAPPING DISCLAIMER:
    The information on this GIS website is provided and maintained by various agencies, including Orange County departments, municipal governments, state and federal agencies. No guarantee is given as to the accuracy or currency of any of the data. Therefore, in no event shall Orange County Government be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence, or other action, arising out of or in connection with the use of the information herein provided. The website is designed to serve as a secondary representation of real property found within this jurisdiction, and is compiled from the recorded deeds, plats, and other public records, which are the primary sources for this public information. Users of this website are hereby notified that these primary sources should be consulted for verification of the information presented here. The data layers do not take the place of a legal survey or other primary source documentation. Orange County and its vendors assume no legal responsibility for the information on this website. The grid is based on the North Carolina State Plane Coordinate System 1983 North American Datum.

    By Clicking OK I Accept The Above Limitations
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    I'm using a GPSMAP 64st. It report consistently 10' accuracy. I'm doing waypoint averaging for receptacles and meters and often double check them over several days to minimize errors. I have GLONASS and WAAS turned on. The power lines are already in the ground but do not appear on any "map" therefore they are unprotected. My only purpose with this is to document locations and directions to provide to any locator so they can do their jobs easier rather than guessing. It's a tool that works "good enough" for the purpose and being able to zoom down to 20' or so would really help and expand the possible uses. I do not strictly rely on the GPS data and often double check the results, but it makes life so much easier to have the reference tracks.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    What device are you using that gives you 10 foot resolution while you move around creating a track?

    I did some testing for another thread a few days ago and 3 meters was the absolute best accuracy I could get out of an eTrex Venture HCx, a Montana 600, and a Nuvi 765. And it took at least 5 minutes sitting still in one spot to get that resolution. Any movement of the device would kick it up to 4, 5, and even 6 meters almost instantly. It generally took at least another full minute or two of sitting still for it to get back down to 3 meters. My smartphone was even touchier, no surprise.

    Also, what is it you think you will see if you could zoom tighter than 80 feet? Your property boundaries will not be in the map data so what is it you think it will show that would be of use?

    Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you are trying to do?

    ...ken...


    ditto.. consistent with my experience and published accuracy standards..... & when and if it stabilizes I still had offset error...



    http://www.gps.gov/technical/ps/2008-SPS-performance-standard.pdf