Help - Map Readers Needed

[Steve Wooler]

Roll up, roll up all Tobago anoraks! If you have a decent detailed knowledge of any specific areas of Tobago and can read a map, I urgently need your help.

During the next week or so, I shall be replacing many of the static maps on this site with Google satellite imagery. Although the Google maps are far from up to date and the resolution leaves much to be desired, they are a vast improvement over the out-of-date static maps that I am currently using. More importantly, they will enable me to use marker overlays providing links to the many different types of information that visitors are likely to be interested in.

The biggest task is identifying the exact location of every item to be marked on the maps. I am currently focussing on the accommodation and restaurant stock. I have been able to identify well over half the accommodation stock and 90%+ of the restaurants, but I need reader help to complete the job.
So, I am looking for readers with expert knowledge of one or more of the following specific areas:

• Crown Point/Store Bay Local Road area
  The Bon Accord development
  Canaan housing area
  Tobago Plantations
  Bacolet
  Grange and Mount Irvine
  Black Rock
  The Courland development
  Charlotteville
  Speyside

The task involves locating specific properties from my lists on the Google Maps website, or in Google Earth, and noting the coordinates for me.

Can I please ask anyone able to help to contact me at steve @mytobago.info (omit the anti-spam space after steve). Thanks!

[Steve Wooler]

Leading on from the above, I am also trying to compile a list (and the exact locations) of all useful shopping sources on Tobago. I am particularly interested in genuinely useful mini-marts and food shops likely to be of use/interest to visitors.

[Lisa Keith]

Hiya Steve,

Not sure about being able to do co-ordinates, but I can find places if you need me to, and at least give driving directions if nothing else. From that, you might well be able to work out the co-ordinates fairly accurately. I'm probably at my most useful in the Carnbee / Grange / Mt Irvine area, but also know Bon Accord and Bacolet pretty well too.

As far as Mini-Marts go, there's a new bakery with a fruit/veg shop next door, which sells all the basics on the corner of Carnbee Main Road / Auchenskeogh Road right opposite the Montgomery Road turn-off (the road that runs up to Bethel - the junction with the basketball courts / playing field on!). It's open early until late and also stocks pretty much all the essentials. The only drawback is that she doesn't open on Sundays. Aside from that, she's always open before 8am, and until at least 7pm, if not later.

Probably no help at all, but....!
Lisa.

[Hugh S]

Lisa,

That would be Mickey's bakery (639-9559) and the produce stand has been there for years, it was just recently expanded into a real building. Owned by my wife's cousin, can't remember her name . . . sorry.

Hugh

[Merlin]

Hi Steve... I have found two places in Black Rock , Birdies nest and Dukes Guest house, the one we stayed at last year... and a grocery story on the main drag... but do not know how to get a map link to you...every time I try to email myself the link it just goes to google maps main page...

[Merlin]

Try this.... <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 4189561d33>

Actually the store isnt in Black Rock..its up the rd.

[Merlin]

take the arrow off the link..

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 4189561d33

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Merlin

I really appreciate your help, but I don't want readers to waste their time trying to find the map coordinates of any property they know. I can personally identify well over 50% of the housing stock and have done so - including properties like Birdie's and Duke's. To avoid wasting their time, anybody who would like to help needs to contact me so that I can send them a list of the properties I am specifically looking for help with. Thanks anyway, though.

[SiannDave]

dear steve, just reading your last chapter on maps etc , have you downloaded msn virtual earth, its free and with ariel photography on 3d you can zoom down to ground level, the detail is probably best at 50 yards. hope this helps in some way, regards dave balaam

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Siann

No, I must confess that I haven't downloaded MSN VirtualEarth primarily because they seem to demand a payment. Based upon what I've seen of Google Maps, which I assume use the same aerial shots, I don't like it as much as the Google offering. True, MSN have aerial shots of the central and northern regions of the island, but the colour rendition and resolution are very poor. Have you tried Google Earth and compared them yourself? I would be interested to hear views of anyone who has compared the two.

[SiannDave]

hi steve,
no honestly download of msn virtual earth is free, as for detail- see for yourself, search msn home page, click on maps at top of screen, you will have an image of planet earth, turn it and zoom in at leisure, down to ground zero if you like, there are interesting birds eye views for large populated areas and famouse land marks, try central london, go birds eye and zoom down to see individual people!!
regards dave

[Steve Wooler]

Hi Dave

Yes, I accept that the images of major cities like London may be excellent, but as far as this site is concerned, I'm only in interested in the aerials of Tobago and feel that the Google interface, developer facilities and map quality (in areas covered) is better than the MSN offering. Thanks for the suggestion though. I shall be keeping a close eye on both products.

[Bryan Guignard]

Yes I must agree with Steve about this. I've gone through all the services of this type I can find (the one with my favorite interface is Flash Earth: http://www.flashearth.com/ ) and Google seems to have the most up to date imagery (by a wide margin). When I look at my property, which I purchased about 4 yrs ago I can see fairly recent developments in Google Earth, but the other services are clearly from before my purchase of the land.

I will say this in defense of the other systems however. They can be very useful for doing before and after comparisons, and also to pick up on other things, such as getting to see what may be underneath some clouds that are in Google Earth, and my favorite, to compare seasons. The current images on Google Earth were clearly taken during dry season. Others such as MS and Yahoo use fotos taken in wet season. The change in overall vegetation is astonishing!