Sailing Archives

February 8, 2012

The Costa Concordia 3D tour is now stunningly realistic

A few weeks ago we showed you Peter Olsen's 3D tour of the Costa Concordia. It was a very impressive file, showing a 3D model of the ship as it progressed through its fateful voyage.

Peter has been hard at work since then, and we simply had to show you the file with his latest updates. He has rebuilt the ship model from scratch, added much more data to the timeline, built 3D lifeboats (which slowly descend into the water), and even a 3D helicopter to show how the rescue operation unfolded!

boats.jpg

As you may recall from Peter's work on Stone Mountain and the MLK Memorial, his attention to detail is incredibly high. If you're curious where he got some of the data used in this animation, here is a list:

• The general conversation between ship and harbour master and times is from here.
• The specific conversation between the captain and coastguard is here. (his version is slightly abridged)
• Some of the timeline is from here.
•The AIS track data is from here.
• The list of dead and missing came from here, which is now a dead link, as well as here.
•The chaotic way the lifeboats departed is from here.
• The helicopter is an exact replica of the real one used in the rescue - call sign VF-57. It is an Agusta Bell ab412SP Air Ambulance, based on the Bell 412. It was manufactured under license by Agusta for the Italian Rescue Service. The photo at the end just before the list of names shows the actual helicopter hovering over the ship. The general line of Bell helicopters of the family, including the Agusta's is here.
• The Bell 412, with size specifications, is here.
• The shape of the helicopter is here.
• The actual VF-57 helicopter is here.
• A video of an identical model (call sign VF-67) is here.

To see it for yourself, you can download the file from the 3D warehouse or watch the video below:


Posted by mickmel at 8:53 AM | Comments (2)

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January 27, 2012

An amazing 3D tour of the Costa Concordia

Last week we showed you the fresh satellite imagery and tour of the wreck of the Costa Concordia. It was a great file that helped to show what happened, but now Peter Olsen (who just days ago unveiled the excellent Terra Nova models) has built an incredible 3D tour of the wreck, with the entire journey animated!

costa.png

The speed has been increased to save time, so you don't have to wait 2-1/2 hours for it to finish, but it's otherwise as accurate as possible. To see it for yourself, simply visit the Costa Concordia Disaster Animation page in the Google 3D Warehouse and choose the "View in Google Earth" link.

If you're not familiar with using Tour files in Google Earth, simply click the "Double-click me!" text on the left to get it started, then click the play button at the bottom to step through the introductory slides, as seen here:

tour.jpg

Fully animated tours like this are a great way to recreate events, and Peter is one of the best around at creating them. A similar example you might want to check out is his recreation of the 1977 Tenerife Airport disaster from a few years ago. Great job, Peter!


Posted by mickmel at 7:09 AM | Comments (8)

January 19, 2012

Satellite imagery and 3D model of the cruise ship Costa Concordia

By now you've likely heard all about the wreck of the Costa Concordia, the cruise liner crashed off the Tuscan coast last Friday, killing at least 11 passengers.

DigitalGlobe has since captured aerial imagery of the site of the wreck, which can be found in their gallery or viewed below.

digitalglobe-cc.jpg

I've added that image to Google Earth as an image overlay, which you can view by downloading this KML file.

Another great way to view the ship is thanks to Paul van Dinther from PlanetInAction.com. A few years ago we showed you the amazing collection of cruise ships that Paul created for CleanCruising.com.au. One of the ships that Paul created for that project happened to be the Costa Concordia.

costa.jpg

Since he had a 3D model of the ship and the skills to make some great tours, Paul put together this short video showing a bit about what happened.

Thanks to the generosity of the folks at CleanCruising.com.au, they've allowed Paul and PlanetInAction.com to release a full KMZ file of the stricken ship, which you can download in this KMZ file. Paul's model is amazingly accurate, and he includes various notes in the file to show the path of the ship.

Great work, Paul!


Posted by mickmel at 8:05 AM | Comments (2)

January 6, 2012

Captain James Cook's circumnavigation of South Island, New Zealand

A few months ago, we showed you the awesome tour that Colin Hazlehurst put together of Captain James Cook's circumnavigation of North Island, New Zealand. Colin has now completed the tour of Cook's South Island circumnavigation, and it's equally impressive.

Endeavour and Mount Cook.jpg

To see the file for yourself, simply download this KML file. Colin has also put together a blog showing Cook's day-by-day journal, which is pretty neat.

I encourage you to check out those links to learn more, and below is some info from Colin that tells more about this voyage that Cook made.

On February 9, 1770, Endeavour reached Cape Turnagain after completing the circumnavigation of North Island, New Zealand. Cook turned southward with the intention of sailing round Tovy Poenammu (South Island), a voyage which the people of Queen Charlotte's Sound had told him could be achieved in 3 or 4 days. The belief in this possibility persisted until 19Feb1770 when land was seen stretching off to the south-west, showing Cook that there was more to discover in that direction.

The voyage down the east side of the island identified the major features of the coast: Cape Campbell, Banks Island (actually a peninsula), Cape Saunders, and South Cape. On two occasions, exploratory trips were made away from the coast towards the south-east, in which direction people thought they could see land. What they saw turned out to be cloud which dissipated as the sun rose.

As when rounding North Cape on North Island, Endeavour was buffeted by storms and encountered strong swells as she rounded South Cape, and this convinced Cook that there was no land for a considerable distance to the south-west and that they had indeed reached the southernmost point of the land.

On the west coast they saw many of the bays that are now called the New Zealand Sounds, but were prevented from anchoring either by winds sweeping them past (Dusky Bay) or the uncertainty of being able to sail out at will (Doubtful Bay). There was much mist and fog as they explored this coast and typically they would hove to at night to avoid running aground.

Endeavour anchored for a few days in Admiralty Bay, not far from Queen Charlotte Sound. After refreshing the supplies of wood and water, Cook left the shores of New Zealand from Cape Farewell with the intention of exploring the east coast of New Holland (Australia).


Posted by mickmel at 8:07 AM | Comments (2)

December 27, 2011

Tracking the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Google Earth

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht race, now in its 66th year, is underway off the coast of Australia. The 628 nautical mile race, in which racers travel from from Sydney Harbor to the historical port city of Hobart, is a very popular event in Australia. Event organizers have provided Google Earth tracking of the race for a few years now, and it's a great way to follow the race.

hobart.jpg

Along with the course line and locations of each boat, as seen above, you can click on any of the boat icons for more information; details on the boat, a photo, description, precise location, etc. It's quite a comprehensive file. The file is built as a network link, so it automatically updates itself with new information every 10 minutes.

boat.jpg

To get the KML file for the race, simply visit this page on their site. Along with instructions, they also have a couple of KML files available to download. One is the main racing KML, the other is a CSIRO file that shows sea surface temperature and current directions, which is a great supplement to the main file. Head over there and follow the race right now!


Posted by mickmel at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)

More entries for this category:

  1. Captain James Cook's circumnavigation of New Zealand - November 28, 2011
  2. Tahina Expedition in Fiji - August 1, 2011
  3. Tracking the Hurtigruten along the coast of Norway - June 20, 2011
  4. Great collection of resources for the Fukushima power plant - April 7, 2011
  5. The Sargasso Sea Expedition - March 3, 2011
  6. Geospatial Revolution: Episode Three Released - March 2, 2011
  7. Follow the Mission Blue expedition to Salas y Gomez - February 24, 2011
  8. Mission Blue: Tracking the gulf oil spill recovery effort - January 13, 2011
  9. Kite Aerial Photos of Manihi Now in Google Earth - October 11, 2010
  10. Boat race replays in Google Earth - August 18, 2010
  11. Google Earth For Sailors and Travelers - August 12, 2010
  12. Exploring the Suwarrow Atoll - July 13, 2010
  13. Following the Plastiki - May 18, 2010
  14. Ocean layer is now a default for all users - April 8, 2010
  15. Bow waves for more realistic-looking ships - March 26, 2010
  16. Playing games in Google Earth - March 9, 2010
  17. Frank's kite imagery of Petite Tabac is now in Google Earth - March 5, 2010
  18. Frank's Tahina Expedition is now in the Ocean Layer of Google Earth - January 6, 2010
  19. Stunning virtual cruise tours - December 17, 2009
  20. Tahina Expedition Departing Soon - November 12, 2009
  21. MS Oasis of the Seas heading for Florida - November 9, 2009
  22. Caribbean 1500 Rally using Google Earth once again - November 2, 2009
  23. Fresh Update to the Ocean Expeditions layer - September 22, 2009
  24. Preparing for the Big Trip - September 2, 2009
  25. Kaisei Project - Researching the Plastic Vortex - August 5, 2009
  26. Watch the LongPac Yacht Race - July 31, 2009
  27. New Google Earth Imagery - July 2009 - Good and Bad Part 2 - July 11, 2009
  28. World Oceans Day, 3D Design Competition, Britain Archeological Site, New Imagery Tour Idea - June 8, 2009
  29. Where 2.0 - Day 1 - Workshops and Ignite - May 20, 2009
  30. Current Positions of 10,000+ Ships World-wide in Google Earth - May 8, 2009
  31. Henry Hudson 400th Anniversary in Google Earth/Maps - May 4, 2009
  32. Two Collections: US Coast Guard and Right Whales - April 28, 2009
  33. Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
  34. 3D Tour of Tahina Expedition Catamaran - April 20, 2009
  35. Submarine Sim for Google Ocean - April 14, 2009
  36. Announcing TahinaExpedition.com - April 9, 2009
  37. Endangered Right Whales Off Florida - February 20, 2009
  38. Rowing Around the World with Google Earth - February 11, 2009
  39. Google Earth 5 Released - 3D Ocean and More! - February 2, 2009
  40. New View of Ocean Floor in Google Earth - January 17, 2009
  41. Les Saintes Got Some Terrain in Google Earth - January 14, 2009
  42. December Sailing Passage in Google Earth - December 30, 2008
  43. Links: Santa Tracker Popular, Volvo Ocean Race, Lost World Discovered, Cold War KML - December 26, 2008
  44. Links: Going Sailing, Mumbai Attacks, Street View, South Africa Award - December 11, 2008
  45. Vendee Globe in Google Earth - December 2, 2008
  46. Somalia Piracy Map in Google Earth - November 20, 2008
  47. Links: Where 2.0, Weather Buoys, Argentina, Earthscape, MapMyPage, and more - November 19, 2008
  48. Carolina Beach Inlet in Google Earth - November 4, 2008
  49. WikiSailing - Flying/Sailing Sightseeing Tours in Google Earth - October 29, 2008
  50. Using Google Earth at 90 MPH on a Boat - October 14, 2008
  51. Introducing Our First Sailing Partner: Google - October 2, 2008
  52. The Boat Story Continues - Boatyard, Name, Moving - September 21, 2008
  53. Sailing Update - Arrgh! - September 19, 2008
  54. Storm Preparations - September 4, 2008
  55. Sailing Passage From Exuma to North Carolina - August 25, 2008
  56. Circumnavigation: The Boat - Part I - August 24, 2008
  57. Spinning the Globe - August 21, 2008
  58. Links: Joshua Slocum, Chemical Brothers, Other Links - August 6, 2008
  59. Links: Talks, boat slips, Trails.com, Featured - July 28, 2008
  60. Links: Walking, Havana, Eclipse, Oil, Follow the Boat - July 23, 2008
  61. Notes from the Bahamas: GE in Education, AGE More KML, Disney 3D - June 26, 2008
  62. Clipper Yacht Race in Google Earth - June 1, 2008
  63. Links: NBA Destination, EarthNC 2.0, Geo Education - May 7, 2008
  64. Links: Games, KML, Data, and more - March 4, 2008
  65. Miami Post - Links: Mapper Tool, GE Game, KML Wishlist - February 15, 2008
  66. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
  67. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2007 - December 26, 2007
  68. Links: GE on Phones?, PhotoOverlay Tutorial, EarthNC Update, Time Embedder Tool - November 6, 2007
  69. Caribbean 1500 Sailing Cup in Google Earth - November 5, 2007
  70. Links: Ohio Class Sub, Galactic Delight, Constellation Drawings - October 5, 2007
  71. News Roundup: Flight Simulator Goodies, PhotoViewer Stuff, Video tourism - September 4, 2007
  72. Scientific Ocean Drilling Database in Google Earth - August 14, 2007
  73. Our Sailing Holiday in Google Earth - August 10, 2007
  74. Sailing with Google Earth for Navigation - August 6, 2007
  75. Sailing in the Virgin Islands - with Google Earth - July 23, 2007
  76. Encompassing the Globe - July 16, 2007
  77. OgleEarth Roundup: Illegal Fishing Caught, Picasa Web Albums Review, Geo-Ads Patent, HeyWhatsThat - June 28, 2007
  78. Watch Weekend Boating Live in Google Earth - May 18, 2007
  79. EarthNC Releases Browser-based Google Earth Content - April 26, 2007
  80. 677 US Marine Charts for Google Earth on 1 CD - March 31, 2007
  81. Majesty of the Seas - February 9, 2007
  82. Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in Google Earth - December 27, 2006
  83. Route du Rhum - Live Sailing Race in Google Earth - November 1, 2006
  84. Shipwrecks Around the Google Earth - September 2, 2006
  85. Sailing Adventures and Anchorages of the Caribbean - July 1, 2006
  86. Pete Goss in 2006 Shetland Round Britain and Ireland Race - June 18, 2006
  87. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 7 in Google Earth - May 18, 2006
  88. Multicup 60 - Live Sailboat Race in Google Earth - May 10, 2006
  89. The Aviva Challenge - Sailing Record Attempt - May 3, 2006
  90. Mini-news Roundup - April 10, 2006
  91. Sailblogs.com Supports Google Earth - April 8, 2006
  92. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 5 - April 3, 2006
  93. Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race in Google Earth - March 29, 2006
  94. Maldives Island Group in High Res - March 24, 2006
  95. Bermuda Treasure Shipwrecks Map - March 7, 2006
  96. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 4 in Google Earth - February 19, 2006
  97. Follow Volvo Ocean Race Leg 3 in Google Earth - February 12, 2006
  98. Transatlantic Sailing Adventure Using Google Earth - January 18, 2006
  99. Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 - January 6, 2006
  100. Back on Land - December 19, 2005
  101. Gone Sailing! Passage Plan in Google Earth - December 13, 2005
  102. Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 Race in Google Earth - November 16, 2005
  103. And They're Off! - November 13, 2005
  104. Volvo Ocean Race in Google Earth - November 11, 2005
  105. Another Sailor Documents Trips Using Google Earth - November 9, 2005
  106. Watching Sports with Google Earth - September 27, 2005
  107. Sailing the Seven Seas - September 10, 2005
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