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FSX Phototextures and Copyrights?

Hangar32

Hangar32

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us-virginia
I’ve been working with SbuilderX and have managed to convert the Yahoo or Google background maps into ground photo-textures that look pretty good. I’ve started to build some pretty good scenery that I may want to post as freeware. However, I’m thinking I would have to get permission from Google Earth or Yahoo Satellite first – after all they produced (or bought) the imagery and if I go on Google Earth I see the same image with a Copyright logo at the bottom. :confused:

Has anybody else run across this issue? I’m not particularly interested in doing a lot of work that I can’t ultimately share on line with the FS community.
 
Best of luck with either. Besides GE or Bing, there is the original data supplier, which licensed the imagery for the two to use.

Not saying it's right or wrong, but other people have developed freeware products using "sources" and just released it. I've also seen payware products based upon source from a one of the above, which I highly doubt has given permission or even been approached about giving permission.

Depending upon the area that you are working, say the US, there are alternative sources for imagery. Many times this is the same as what you will see on one of the services. As it is almost always US government generated work it is in the public domain and no permissions need be sought. Your island is available from either GE or Bing. There is also the exact same source available from a government agency as public domain data, just as an example.

Aloha!
 
Thanks for the info - that is pretty much what I thought. :(

I was actually looking at doing something in the Norfolk VA area - if I can't find some good public domain shots I'll just try to recreate it with the standard FSX LC. More work and doesn't look as good but in the end its legal.

Mahalo and Aloha.
 
You will find most of the CONUS is available from one or more of the U.S. agencies. Some of the material will be in a file format that just needs some reprojection to make it work in FSX, other will be in compressed files that needs tools to make FSX compatible.

The USGS SEamless server will give you GeoTiff files that just need to have the projection data changed to work in FSX. The USDA has compressed Mr.Sid files that require a utility to generate GeoTiff files. There are sources out there besides these two, it's just sometimes you need to hunt to find them. But if you do, it can be really, really nice stuff! :D
 
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