Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009 - 27

photos were taken within that time period. When you first see these maps they will most likely be black and white, but when you zoom in very close you’ll be able to see colors, like the green of a lawn. Note: you will be able to do only one step at a time as you proceed. For instance, you can recenter the map, or zoom in or out, but not both at the same time. There are two ways to zoom in and out. One is to click on either of those words on the upper left side of the screen. Another way, which is faster and more accurate, is to go to the box in the upper left hand corner of the screen that says “Map Scale.” Take note of the number that’s in that box and double click on it. Then type in whatever smaller number you want. I suggest you start by going down to about 100,000 the first time. Then click on the word “Update.” On this map you’ll see that you’ve zoomed in considerably, and now there is more detail. You’ll see thin yellow lines which outline townships and city limits. You’ll also see the names of cities and towns. If need be, this is a good time to recenter the map, the same way you did before. Put the cursor on the spot you want to put it in the center of the map and click once. Make sure you click on “Recenter Map” first before clicking on the desired spot on the map. If you don’t need to recenter it, put a smaller number in the scale box, click “Update” and zoom in even closer. You may wish to go clear down to 10,000 if your map is well centered. Or stay with a higher number until you get things centered the way you need them. At this scale you’re going to see even more details. Minor roads, unnamed streets and even driveways will be labeled. You’ll also be able to start to see specific features on the ground such as buildings, bridges, waterways and MARCH 2009 pathways through the woods. One of the highlights of these photos is that they seem to have been taken on sunny days during the winter or early spring when the leaves were off the trees. This helps to distinguish evergreen trees from hardwood trees. But be careful not to be fooled by shadows. Recenter the map again at this time if needed. If you want or need to move a considerable distance in any direction you simply keep clicking on the spot furthest to the edge of the map in the direction you want to go until you get there. You won’t have to click on “Recenter Map” each time though. As long as that’s all you’re doing it will stay set on that function. By now your desired spot should be pretty well centered, so you’re ready to zoom in even more. Try a scale of 5000 and take a look. You should be able to pick out your own house at this range. Next zoom in to 1000. You’ll be able to see quite a bit of detail at this scale, but you’ll also notice that the clarity is beginning to blur a bit. You’ll be able to see cars, picnic tables and things even smaller than that. At this range it’s even possible to see tire ruts in trails. By starting out with a place that you’re very familiar with you’ll be able to identify the objects you’re seeing that you might not be able to decipher otherwise. Individual colors will start to show too. If you want, you can zoom in one more time to about 500. Things are still legible at this scale, but the clarity is becoming quite poor. Anything much closer than this will be very hard to see. Now that you know how to work the controls and can find your own house try it on some other places. Maybe on your camp or favorite boat 27

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2009

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