Bing Satellite Imagery

  • Indeed. We have clearly stated this on many occasions. I have also seeked legal opinion on the use and distribution of Google, Bing, and Virtual Earth. This is why we don't allow the sharing of any ortho scenery.

    You guys can freely make your own and use it but you can't share it between one another by any public means.

    There is one exception; the use of USGS (NAIP) scenery, we have free clearance to distribute this but you would have to do so on our partner site (flight-sim.org) due to our own storage limitations.

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Hopefully all AFS2 users will use AeroScenery, then all we need to share is our cultivation data :)

    It's good to see our community active

    IPACS Development Team Member

    I'm just a cook, I don't own the restaurant.
    On behalf of Torsten, Marc, and the rest of the IPACS team, we would all like to thank you for your continued support.

    Regards,

    Jeff

  • Hopefully all AFS2 users will use AeroScenery, then all we need to share is our cultivation data :)

    Or perhaps use USGS data. Its very common in the X-plane marketspace: https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/fil…us-orthophotos/

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  • Or perhaps use USGS data. Its very common in the X-plane marketspace: https://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/fil…us-orthophotos/

    I believe AeroScenery might get the functionality for USGS as well :)

    Handy cultivation tools

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  • Kloot,

    Folks that need to make their own aerial images with Aertoscenery will need explicit step by step instructions (screen snapshot of Aeroscenery setup - size of blocks - what resolution - smaller highres inserts, etc...) including tips on any Photoshop type mods. It's usually not just a oneshot set of parameters.

    Edited once, last by whitav8 (September 19, 2018 at 7:30 PM).

  • Hopefully all AFS2 users will use AeroScenery, then all we need to share is our cultivation data :)

    In that sense, sharing is even easier with FSET since you just provide your settings file for fully automated download. Click and forget.

    Then drag and drop the tmc file on your Geoconverter tool and, after conversion, you have your AFS2 scenery.

    But the real job is manually removing the flaws and merging water tints in the downloaded orthophotos prior to geoconverting. And this cannot be shared...

    Cheers

    Antoine

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  • I'm ready to see some early work for AeroScenery using USGS data. :)

    Got a bit side tracked with the airports :) Back on AeroScenery now; get a couple of new releases out.

    In that sense, sharing is even easier with FSET since you just provide your settings file for fully automated download. Click and forget.

    It's a good point. Would be simple enough to support an "AeroScenery Project" file that, when opened, selects squares to download and settings, leaving the user just to hit start.

    AeroScenery - Easily create photoreal scenery for Aerofly

  • It's a good point. Would be simple enough to support an "AeroScenery Project" file that, when opened, selects squares to download and settings, leaving the user just to hit start.

    This is how FSET was foreseen for scenery sharing.

    You may even share your work as an executable for multiple zones where you already prepared everything (zones, masks, seasons, etc.) : you double-click on it in the evening and let it work during the night. In the morning you have your scenery in FS thanks to the integrated resampler.

    AFS2's Geoconverter isn't yet suited for multiple launches since it doesn't exit when finished, so you'll prefer Geoconverting zone per zone, launched and exited manually.

    Anyway, there's still usually some artistic and manual work to be done on orthopohotos before geoconverting...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • Well, we have here two statements, both allegedly from Bing officials and forwarded from indirect sources.

    Both may be real, but one of them states you may share your work, the other one states you many not.

    I would hence assume we still may not share our work, unless we get a clear, direct official statement (not the one from the neighbour who knows the baker next to the butcher who met once in a bar some guy saying he knows personnally Bill Gates), or an open licence...

    Cheers

    Antoine

    Config : i7 6900K - 20MB currently set at 3.20GHz, Cooling Noctua NH-U14S, Motherboard ASUS Rampage V Extreme U3.1, RAM HyperX Savage Black Edition 16GB DDR4 3000 MHz, Graphic Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 8GB, Power supply Corsair RM Series 850W, Windows 10 64 bit.

  • I'm wondering how many times we will ask and how many different answers we will get.

    The answer I documented above is from the BING Maps License Manager and definitely not "the neighbor who knows the baker...." :rolleyes:

    Nethertheless his answer was surprisingly positive, but really nobody knows whether we can rely on this statement.

  • I tend to lean toward the BING Maps License Manager version and would be willing to use his title in the credits when I forward a completed scenery area to our download site. Prior to downloading, each person would be required to check the box stating he/she understands this product used parts and pieces of free Bing Maps and this scenery is for their personal use and is being shared as a non-profit item and is not to be passed on to others.

    I bet something along those lines would hold up in any neighborhood bar or bakery. 8o

    Regards,

    Ray

  • I guess the main issue is not for the uploader or downloader, it's for the person hosting all this scenery.

    When the Bing legal team come knocking, not caring what someone in "licensing" said, the person responsible for that server could be looking at some serious legal problems.

    The T&Cs set out pretty clearly the licensing for this stuff. Section 8.2 (b) and (o) in the link below seems to answer this question in very black and white terms.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/maps/product/terms

    Section 9 and 10 back tracks a little in that Windows applications may download content. Technically even use of AeroScenery breaks other T&Cs, but short of police raiding your house and taking your PC there's no real concern there.

    AeroScenery - Easily create photoreal scenery for Aerofly

    Edited once, last by nickhod (September 19, 2018 at 4:23 PM).

  • I guess the main issue is not for the uploader or downloader, it's for the person hosting all this scenery.

    When the Bing legal team come knocking, not caring what someone in "licensing" said, the person responsible for that server could be looking at some serious legal problems.

    The T&Cs set out pretty clearly the licensing for this stuff. Section 8.2 (b) and (o) in the link below seems to answer this question in very black and white terms.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/maps/product/terms

    Section 9 and 10 back tracks a little in that Windows applications may download content. Technically even use of AeroScenery breaks other T&Cs, but short of police raiding your house and taking your PC there's no real concern there.

    Even more reason to move on the freely useable USGS scenery. 8o Somewhere is our 50 states we should be able to find enough scenery to satisfy most folks that are looking for free AFS2 scenery, don't you think. Let's see - there is Hawaii, and there is Alaska (looks a lot like Norway), there is the PNW, Southern California, Florida, Michigan, the mid-west, the north-east, there is Washington DC, Oregon, Washington state, Texas.

    Well, I guess you get the picture.

    Regards,
    Ray

  • Folks that need to make their own aerial images will need explicit step by step instructions including tips on any Photoshop type mods

    That's the point, you must have the fun and the knowledge to make your own scenery, cultivation and airports.

    I am trying to do so, but I have a lot to read and learn.

    And I guess most of the simmers have not enough time and/or the knowledge to learn this, or willing to do this, it is time consuming.

    Thanks to the magnificent AeroScenery app, aerial images are easy to make.

    So sharing cultivation and tips to edit the images belonging to that cultivation are very welcome.

    Otherwise this is the bottleneck for AFS 2, lack of enough scenery and airports, freeware or payware.

  • Anyway, there's still usually some artistic and manual work to be done on orthopohotos before geoconverting...

    To this end it would be nice for AeroScenery to have a 'process up to geoconvert' and the ability to load and 'resume' project capability where one would have the opportunity edit the ortho photos prior to geoconversion.

    -- Rich

  • To this end it would be nice for AeroScenery to have a 'process up to geoconvert' and the ability to load and 'resume' project capability where one would have the opportunity edit the ortho photos prior to geoconversion.

    It already does. In the Actions area of the left sidebar, select "Choose Actions To Run" and check what you want to run.

    AeroScenery - Easily create photoreal scenery for Aerofly