Timeline - Updated 11/06/08
December GPS integration in Aurora Next Update - 12/02 January WinTOTAL Update - Jan 15th
February WinTOTAL Update - Feb 28th Further Out More GP forms Share files via XSites Desktop in your WinTOTAL File Cabinet
Windows Vista & Aurora Learn more about compatibility.
What a differentiator for appraisers! Being able to include aerial imagery is a great way to set yourself apart from competitors. Your clients will appreciate having the extra visual information these kinds of photos supply. Does that sound a little "salesy"? It should, because that's how you need to be thinking about it in relation to your own business. It's something you can use to set yourself apart.
We want to make it brain-dead simple to get these images into reports. Sure, you could do it manually before now, but by integrating it seamlessly in WinTOTAL we're able to save you time.
This page contains some frequently asked questions about our new Virtual Earth solution.
Over the years, we've gotten a lot of feedback from customers about the maps and the mapping process in WinTOTAL. Map needs are changing as technology improves, and any of those needs (Such as aerial imagery and one-click panning) could not be met with our prior map solution.
Since we were working with maps anyway, we took this opportunity to overhaul the map wizard and correct many of the nagging issues that have been around as long as Aurora has. This new map wizard is faster, more reliable, and more feature-rich than ever before, making your maps look even more professional.
2. Why did you choose Virtual Earth?
In our opinion, the two major players in the aerial imagery and mapping game are Microsoft Virtual Earth and Google maps. We went with Virtual Earth because it's the best fit for appraisers. As ubiquitous as Google has become, they're simply not set up to allow Internet maps to be cached and saved to a hard drive where they can be stored in your appraisal reports digitally and added to your forms. And, they have no desire to do so as was explained to us by several Google representatives. Virtual Earth does and can.
3. How does it work?
You'll notice when using any previously mentioned vendor's site that you can click on the map and drag it around. You don't have to click an up, down, left or right arrow. And, you can scroll in and out using your mouse wheel. How does it do that?
What you see on screen is actually a series of individual map tiles that are cached on your computer and stitched together in real time. They're typically pretty small (256 X 256 or so) so they can download quickly. When viewing the map on your monitor, it also downloads the panels for the map in area surrounding the map offscreen, in anticipation of you moving the map. This is what gives the impression that you can move the map around seamlessly without having to reload, refresh or download anything. Pretty cool, eh? So as you click and drag, pan or zoom, you're not constantly having to redownload a map like you do in WinTOTAL now.
Another neat bit of trivia is that these maps are made up of a combination of satellite and aerial imagery. You'll notice that as you scroll further and further out, the images often are suddenly black and white, and in many cases are no longer high resolution. This is because the system has transitioned from aerial photography provided by airplanes, to satellite imagery.
4. What if I don't have a high speed Internet connection?
Although the Virtual Earth mapping system should work fine on a slower Internet connection, one thing we've kept in mind is that not everyone has access to cable or DSL. A significant number of our users are in rural areas, or for whatever reason are stuck with dial-up or satellite connections. So, we're planning to give users the choice to use the MapPoint maps (what WinTOTAL users had before) or Virtual Earth maps and images. Because Microsoft is letting us have our cake and eat it too, we're going to make sure you can also.
5. What does it cost?
If you're a current support contract holder, there's no cost to you. Just like before, maps are included in your Silver, Gold, or Platinum membership.
6. What are some of the new features that Virtual Earth offers?
This new Virtual Earth platform addresses several issues that appraisers had with our previous mapping system. For example, panning and zooming is much faster now because you can just click-and-drag the map into position, instead of having to click-wait, click-wait, click-wait like before.
Additionally, many of our customers had requested Aerial maps. This new platform allows us to offer those in an integrated fashion that saves time over manually retrieving them from Google Maps or the public Microsoft Live Maps site. We've even got a really cool "hybrid" mode that overlays the street data on top of the aerial image!
Lastly, we've improved the workflow and process of the map wizard itself. Now, you can more easily adjust your options on each map as needed, enter GPS coordinates, and annotation your map as never before. The final product comes out looking more polished than ever.
