Whether you’re trying to help your clients buy or sell a property, one thing’s for sure – the more information you can provide, the better.
In June, Microsoft Bing Maps announced it published the equivalent of 100,000 DVDs of added bird’s eye mapping imagery, with updated images within its Canadian footprint, which includes Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, most of Greater Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Moncton, Charlottetown and St. John’s! Yes, this is exciting.
Bird’s eye images are low-angle, very high-resolution aerial images that are typically captured using fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters, unmanned aircrafts, balloons, blimps and even kites.
Take a look at the property, below. Using top-down satellite imagery, we’re limited to seeing the roof only (A). With the Bird’s eye view, you can rotate the image from both the top and sides to see the property from different angles (B). The REALTOR.ca beta site uses the latest version of Bing Maps, which offers updates to the controls and, as described by Microsoft’s Johannes Kebeck, improved zoom options, so you’ll get a much better sense of the surrounding geography with more seamless panning, too.
Want to see for yourself? On the property details page of a listing through the REALTOR.ca beta site, you’ll know if Bird’s eye is available for that area by clicking on the button that defaults to “Road.” When you select “Bird’s eye” and the “show angled view” checkbox, controls will appear allowing you to start your own Bird’s eye tour.
