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Google Adds Satellite Imagery for the World

Posted by timothy on from the they're-just-making-that-stuff-up dept.

draevil writes "Google has hugely expanded the areas of the world that it covers with satellite imagery. Egypt, Iraq, mainland Europe and the UK have all now got satellite coverage to a lesser or greater degree. Slashdotters can now go see sights like Buckingham Palace or the Arc de Triomphe from the comfort of their own swivelchairs. Iraq in particular seems to have a large number of high-zoom areas. I just looked up the Baghdad Parade Grounds where Saddam used to take the salute and other towns like Fallujah are also there. Finding landmarks without the map content is a little harder, so what can the Slashdot crowd find?"

7 of 551 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting Pic Collection by XanC · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Make sure to submit the kewl links you find to:

    http://perljam.net/notes/interesting-google-satell ite-maps/

    1. Re:Interesting Pic Collection by platypus · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or
      http://www.googlesightseeing.com/

  2. Different resolutions/scans by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's a bit disconcerting to zoom out on, say, the US in satellite view, and see the whole state of New York a different color than its surroundings. This disparity is the same at all scales, presumably because of more recent satellite scans of that highly-populated and more-often-imaged area. Can they meld one region into another, without losing detail, and get rid of such effects?

  3. How old are the images? by SwellJoe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I looked up my office at the corner of 6th and Congress in Austin, Texas and found that the gigantic Frost Bank building (the tallest building in downtown Austin) next door doesn't exist on the map. The Frost building has been there for over a year...So how old is this data?

    To quote from the FAQ:

    "Satellite images are current, but not real-time."

    This seems a bit vague. Does "over a year old" really equal "current"?

    I'm not criticizing, just curious. It's wicked cool even if the pictures aren't quite of the present. I just can't check for traffic jams on MoPac yet.

  4. Maree Man by Profound · · Score: 4, Interesting
    The Maree Man, a 28km in circumference outline of a man in the South Australian desert.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?q=maree,+Australia&ll= -29.533997,137.466431&spn=0.036736,0.061712&t=k&hl =en

  5. Re:Looking around Washington, DC... by daniil · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was not surprised at all to find the rooftops of the White House and nearby buildings masked.

    --
    Man is a slave because freedom is difficult, whereas slavery is easy.
  6. Re:UFOs! by epsilon720 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Nah, it's condensation on the aircraft camera lens. That's why it appears at regular intervals along straight paths. The airplane flies straight and takes pictures every so often as it goes. It doesn't happen all of the time because there isn't supposed to be condensation; their housing must have leaked. Sorry.

    (Come on, if they were UFOs, they would have to be BETWEEN the plane and the ground. Unlikely.)