Google Acquires Keyhole Corp.

telstar writes "As part of their ever-expanding online presence, Google has acquired online map provider Keyhole Corp.. Keyhole's technology allows users to perform virtual flyovers of satellite imagery of the earth's surface. The immediate impact of this acquisition is a price drop in Keyhole's service charge. Beyond that, Google does 'not have any announced plans regarding how this technology will integrate with our current products and services.'"

Comments

CYBERSTALK!

[ayf6]

Now i can cyberstalk for real!

What about Worldwind?

[Nuskrad]

You can get similar images from the NASA Worldwind software for free, although they need to fix their servers after the massive slashdotting they got.

Re:What about Worldwind?

[cmallinson]

You can get similar images from the NASA Worldwind software for free, although they need to fix their servers after the massive slashdotting they got.

I've tried both services within the last week, and although I was impressed with NASA'a Worldwine, Keyhole 2 kicks its ass in a big way. The street name overlay and colour images make it so much easier to use.

Re:What about Worldwind?

[Spy Hunter]

You can still use World Wind if you select TerraServer as your imagery source instead of NASA. It truly is an awesome program and everyone even remotely interested in this should check it out.

World Wind is here. Just be sure to deselect "Landsat 7" from the toolbar (this uses NASA servers that are out of commission) and select "USGS-1m" instead for 1m resolution for the US. For some urban areas you can get much higher resolution and color by going into the "Layer Manager" under Images->High Resolution Terrain Mapped Imagery and selecting "USGS Urban Aera Ortho-Imagery". The topo maps are cool too.

Bad planning?

[kalpol]

So if they don't yet know how they're going to use it, why did they buy it? I hope Google isn't falling into the trap of buying up companies with cool ideas because they have lots of money burning holes in their pockets. That will lead to overexpansion, and with MS breathing down their necks, they can ill afford missteps in their corporate strategy.

Re:Bad planning?

[B'Trey]

Since when does "no announced plans" mean "... they don't know how they're going to use it...?"

If MS IS breathing down their neck, do you think the wisest move would be to announce to the world exactly what their plans are?

Re:Bad planning?

[Mattintosh]

If there's one thing I've learned from cartoons, it's that the wisest move is always to announce your plans to at least someone who might be able to stop them, if not the whole world.

Mua-ha-ha...

Neato

[Jonny_eh]

It'd be neat if they integrated this technology with the google local search. Imagine searching for a local business then getting to see it on a satellite map, cool.

Googleing for people!

[Kenja]

So once we get our government mandated RFID tag installed you'll be able to google for a person and see there location on a satellite map!

This is of course..... not true.

Mission Statement

[TheJavaGuy]

This is very much in line with google's mission statement.
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Google needs real competition

[stratjakt]

I know that, like Apple, they're a darling of the slashdot crowd. But unlike Apple, they are rapidly approaching a sort of online monopoly that we haven't seen before.

I don't care what they claim in their corporate mission statements. "Do no evil" my ass, I'm not stupid enough to take anything a bunch of suits say without a grain of salt. MSFT was an underdog with noble goals once upon a time.

Google's growth worries me, the way they seek to be the worlds largest advertising company worries me.

Re:Google needs real competition

[stratjakt]

Google's a corporation, corporations are neither good nor bad IMO, they're all alike, all about profit.

Google seems to be seeking to own every service the internet provides. That's what worries me. What happens when mapquest and competing search engines dry up? Google could easily impose on every netizen a "google tax".

Just because it's free now, doesn't mean they wouldn't exploit such a rich source of revenue, especially with no competition to undercut them.

It's not tinfoil hat time at all. It always worries me when a single entity gets so much control over a globally shared resource like the internet.

Re:Google needs real competition

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Yahoo alread does a large part of what Google is doing. Google is hardly the only source of any particular service that I am aware of, and it isn't like an operating system lock-in that I can't switch and the others don't have 100% of the software I need, I can pick and choose where to go for every particular service Google offers.

Re:Google needs real competition

[drakaan]

And here's why that won't wash.

They have no competition at their current price point. Once you charge for a service, all of us non-subscribing, cheap-ass, "I'll just do it myself...better"-type geeks will do an end-run around you and give a better offering away for free.

Linux was first (and pretty much ignored for 10 years), then Microsoft said "hey, if we give away a browser for free, we can kick Netscape's ass!", then Netscape went and open-sourced and gave us Mozilla, which we can run on Linux...etc, etc, etc. Free (as in beer) usually wins. Free (as in freedom) is a no-brainer.

Google's rise to it's current status has a lot to do with the geeks that work at Google, and the geeks that are in charge of Google, so the odds of nefarious plot hatching there are (IMHO) somewhat lower than at MS. They built their business on advertising revenue, rather than liscensing madness, so aside from doing a good job and getting people to look at their ads, they don't have much to push...certainly not in the form of subscriptions (well, maybe a charge for ad-free searching).

Right now, the good thing is that Google is scaring the crap out of Microsoft, and may (eventually) force a change in their revenue model. Short term: Google is still good. Long term: Even if Google forgets how to be good, they won't get away with it...geeks are fickle.

Re:Google needs real competition

[stratjakt]

To make personal computing available and affordable to the masses? That was basically their original "mission statement", and was noble enough at a time when computing was basically the domain of the rich.

Would I have ever owned a C64 for under $1000 bucks (at launch) if not in part for it's built-in BASIC interpreter by Micro Soft of Palo Alto?

I can see it now...

[Saint Aardvark]

Millions of queries out of Maryland...

http://maps.google.com/q=nuclear+OR+Cbiological+OR +chemical+weapons+-usa+-china%+-uk&sourceid=mozill a-search

Smart move by Google....

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Rest assured, Google has thought ahead. They do have geocoder type apps in the works and this is just a logical acquisition to make, ESPECIALLY when you're flush with cash (Don't forget their stock price has really climbed). After all, if you're going to use Google Local then you might want to provide a map.

Google + Maps = goodness

[xThinkx]

I can definitely see use for this, imagine googling your intended location "Jim's Steakhouse"

Not only could google give you the directions, but a map, a menu, and an aerial photo. Sometimes aerial photos are AMAZINGLY helpful. You can see tons of things not on maps such as:

• Where there's nearby parking (lots)
• How many lanes on the hiway (turn lanes too)
• Color of the building/surroundings, which really helps if you've never been there before
• Nearby landmarks (streams, forests, trees, big buildings)

I for one welcome our new google overlords.

In other news....

[System.out.println()]

In other news, The NYT have picked up on a story from Slashdot with "undeniable proof" that Google is planning to use RFID tags to take satellite photos of people.

You read it here first.

Re:No Mac version

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

Screw that. If it doesn't readily work on OS X or through X11... I'm out.

<google> Dang, there goes an entire percent of our market! I guess we'll just have to be happy with the 99% that's left running windows.</google>

--
listening to my iPod now, my PC shipped yesterday Thanks!

Re:Who's going to register this domain?

[Otter]

Fortunately, I'm now halfway through a marketing course and can inform you that the ideal name for this business is:

Geyhole

Could be the Show of the Century

[serutan]

Google seems like a volcano about to erupt. Or maybe a sleeping tiger waking up. Whatever their plans are, I'm sure we will be in for quite a few changes in how we use the web, as well as and an entertaining show as the Empire panics and responds.

I repeat my earlier speculation that if Google releases its own Linux distro, with a custom desktop, integrated office suite and web functionality, they could end up Owning The World. Then maybe the sun would shine and the birds would sing, or would we all start hating Google and feeling sorry for MS?

On this map...

[jaguar5150]

"X" Marks the gSpot

I saw this coming

[lou2ser]

Some people have been playing around with Google's SMS Service http://www.google.com/sms/ and have found if you SMS "Directions" to 46645 you get a reply back "Looking for driving directions? Unfortunately this feature is not yet supported."

Another undocumented feature is for flight times. Try SMSing flight WN 764 and you get the same reply.

This post was inspired by http://www.engadget.com/entry/8423209320818510/

Re:Google Maps?

[justforaday]

...perhaphs you'll be able to search the surface of the earth for things in the future through google.

Oooooh! Y'mean like "where will I be at 10:45am tomorrow"???