I Can See My House From Here

For all of my potential stalkers, there is a new tool out in the inter-ether that will be a big help—Virtual Horsham.

Granted, on-line maps and satellite photographs have been around for some time, but not like this. The level of detail on this set of aerial maps is extraordinary, and, get this, we may well be the only location on the globe featuring this type of up-close-and-personal clarity. That's right, once again I find myself sitting at the razors edge of progress as Horsham racks up another first. (Other firsts include being the first town in Sussex with road signs, and we were, of course, the first and only town in the known universe to attempt to ban bronze swans)

The brain behind this achievement (the maps, not the swans) is Gavin Hewins of DotNetWebs who, at his own expense, modified Virtual Earth so thousands of people can fill those awkward hours during which they are supposed to be working by taking virtual strolls around Horsham.

Gavin qualifies his achievement with these words:

"Regarding the 'first,' we are the first town to customise Virtual Earth with our own high resolution images. Note this does not necessarily mean we are the first town to have images of this high resolution. What we have done is ADD our own (higher resolution) images to a Virtual Earth application. It may be that there are some areas of Virtual Earth that already have high resolution images as default."

Whatever. Just look at the results; you could plan a bank robbery with this thing!
  

The Carfax, and my preferred pub.

  
You may have, by now, ascertained that I am an anorak about maps, but even if you're not, there may still be something of interest here, especially if you are an American.

Looking over these images reminds me of when I first proposed to move to England (and remember, that was quite a flash decision) and decided to have a look at a street-level map to see what the place was like. As a typical American, I was surprised to find A) there were other countries in the world, B) they had maps, and C) they were different.

The graphics I pulled up on MapInfo back then showed me a land of curved roads and tightly packed houses. (There didn't seem to be many straight roads in Britain and now that I live here I can attest to that fact. The Romans were the only inhabitants who built straight roads; the British just laid down tarmac on the cow paths). Marveling over those English towns, so curiously curvy and cunningly compact, was an amazement, as well as a tantalizing glimpse into a far-away world.

I would expect that, like me, unless you are planning to up sticks and move abroad, you're not likely to scour the web for aerial views of a Dutch town or an English country village, but I invite you to do so now. It's interesting, honest.

And, if you care to, have a look at Virtual Horsham and the world I inhabit; you never know what this photographic clarity might reveal.
  

Side-by-side comparison of the same location in Virtual Earth with Virtual Horsham

  
For instance, if you look closely at the flowerbed outside of flat 46 in Pelham Court, you might see a pair of orthopedic crutches. They've been there for a few weeks and cause me no end of curiosity. These aren't the sort of accessories you casually mislay, even after your fifth pint of cider. And, having misplaced them, you'd think the owner would notice their absence. I can easily conjure a scenario where an inebriate with a gimpy knee decides to sleep it off in the flowerbed before continuing home to Broadbridge Heath, but when he woke up to continue his journey, wouldn't it become quickly apparent he'd left his crutches behind, no matter how groggy he was?

Maybe he was picked up for public intoxication by some unobservant police, or, perhaps, is an unhappy participant in a cruel variation of Hide-and-Seek.

And speaking of police, you might, depending upon the date and time these photos were taken, see our local New York State Troop walking her beat around Shelly's Fountain. That's right, a NYS Trooper. I had to do a double take myself, as it seemed so natural when I first saw her.

There was little remarkable about her, just the fact that she happened to be a female trooper, but they aren't unusual these days. She had the full gear: jacket with official insignias, trousers, cop shoes, hat and a well-appointed utility belt complete with the requisite 15" Mag flashlight popularly used to convince unruly suspects to come along quietly.

"Hmm, a female State Trooper," I thought when I saw her. Then I realize I was in England. My wife saw her, too, and we've seen her several times since. She has not been around lately, however, so maybe her beat has been switched to Southwater or, more likely, they have rescinded her weekend pass privileges.

Another item of interest (and one you might really be able to find) is the shot of my flat. The angle makes it impossible to see my balcony, but if you look carefully along the roofline you'll see what I believe to be the tip of my flag. I realize no one else in the world could possibly recognize this bit of shadow for what it is, but I can take pride in the fact that, in this groundbreaking Internet experiment, the United States of America is, however minutely, being represented.
  

My flat, and my flag.  God Bless America!