We cannot (unfortunately) use Google Satellite to directly help us sketch buildings. I’ve spent the past 14 months using Bing (and now a week occasionally using DigitalGlobe) under JOSM to draw the outline of houses throughout Nottingham NG3/NG4. In my neck of the woods, DigitalGlobe is much newer, whilst Bing is less blurry, but Google normally knocks them both into a cocked hat, being both very new & as sharp as a pin (wistful sigh).

SomeoneElse showed me Google-3D — on a laptop/desktop hold down the <Ctrl> key whilst you use the mouse to move the satellite view & you will get 3D rather than 2D (I believe that this is accomplished using the 45° Imagery). I now use this imagery to re-walk the path that I took on my earlier survey + check the backs, etc. of the houses for all the bits that I could not see from the street when making the original survey.

In the past various MPGs have reacted with fury to me taking photographs in their vicinity (and have even tried to cause me serious injury), and there is a link between the location of these characters & missing sections of StreetView. I also know from many, many conversations just how common the irritation/anger is over Google’s street photography amongst Nottingham householders. This next bit will possibly cause their heads to explode.

In ordinary circumstances, pressing the + key on the Google Satellite view will eventually switch from overhead-satellite to StreetView (if it exists), and that change occurs in spite of the 2D/3D setting. I’ve discovered how to get closer without switching. Astonishingly close.

My latest survey has been within Regency Heights north of Gedling Country Park. On a handful of occasions, whilst flying around those streets using Google Satellite view just above the switchover level, I’ve done something that has caused my 3D view to expand enormously. The 45° Imagery page speaks of “high-resolution imagery … for certain locations”. I do not know how to switch up using the mouse, but this is how to do it via the URL.

The following links are all of Thurlestone Drive, Mapperley, and steadily get closer. Notice that the only parameter changing is the a (amplitude?). I’m also pretty sure that the t parameter is the angle:–

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,253a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,127a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,61a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,51a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,47a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,38a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9955827,-1.0999802,33a,35y,144.57h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3

I thought at first that there may be ‘magic’ values for a, but in fact it is continuously adjustable. However, it is possible to choose certain combos (of all parameters) where the result is a black image (no such tile?) or the sky. I think that you will agree that the closest results are astonishing.