Google has done it again!

JohnWPB

Active Member
Google had just release its mapping software, and just when you think things couldnt get better read on...

If you haven't checked out maps.google.com yet, Do It! I was looking for a chinese delivery place last night, and all I typed was "Chinese Food 33417" and it brough up a map of all the chinese resteurants in my area! Click on one and the information pops up in a baloon with the name, phone ect.

So how could it get better? They now have the exact same service, but using satelite images! COLOR satelite images to boot. You can type in your address, or just your zipcode for that matter to get the map. Then just grab the image, and drag it to follow a road, or move to another location. The on screen drawing is done quite fast!

If you havent checked it out yet, go have a look, Google Maps
(The satelite link is a small text link in the top right of the screen)
 
Guess the buyout of Keyhole is finally paying off. I checked them for my area tho, and they only had low resolution maps, but the technology behind the mapping interface is pretty impressive, there are a few writeups about it, explaining how they did it. I can try to locate the articles again if anyone is interested, or use google ;)
 
Just for fun take a look at the former 'Spirit Of Ford' building that sits across from The Henry Ford Museum and next to the Dearborn test track. Yes thats a Ford Blue Logo on top of the building that can be seen in the air.

John
 

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I read that they only have around 50% of the US in hi-res currently. Hopefully that number will increase.

Here is a cap of the local Nuclear Plant on the island here locally. This Google Satellite image is about the only arial view you could get now, as after 9-11 the airspace is closed. Pre 9-11 we dropped down to 500 FT, and I got some really good photo's. as we circled around. If we tried that now we'd be shot down ;)

NukePlant.jpg
 
JohnWPB, I suggest you have homeseer announce when the black helicopters arrive, you just posted sensitive "nukelear" information ;) Nice quality tho!
 
I noticed while scrolling the sat images in the Chattanooga area, that the res really varies.

Looking close can see a "watermark" date on some of the segments. Seems the lower res images have a 2002, 2003 date, while the higher res segments seem to be 2004-05.

Maybe they are updating the image segments on a gradual basis.
 
Interesting,

My local Nuc plant is also in the highest resolution!

Maybe the "Black Helicopters" should visit Google! ;)
 
I am surprised Google didn't add a 'bullseye' to the picture ;)

This is similar to what mapquest used to do, but I believe the Keyhole satellite has a resolution down to 1meter, which is much more impressive! Even the government uses them!
 
Funny Electron, I was out for a few hours, and when I got back, Samantha had captured a photo of 2 people dressed in black suits at my door. I could swear that one of them looked like Wil Smith ;)
 
OK, here's as close as I can get to where I live. It's not quite correct, anyway, because the Navteq data used for streets is wrong around there.

I prefer the images that were taken during "winter" months. You can see a lot more detail without leaves (and all that artificial looking green stuff) in the way. The entire state of NJ is grey and brown, but you can see a lot more.

On a different note, does anyone know if there's a way to add a scale to the normal Google maps?
 

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That's going to be a nice service, but the nuclear power plant pics are a lot closer than I can get to my house...

They need to add lat. and long. coords, too.
 
Since Google bought www.keyhole.com they reduced the keyhole subscription price from $69 to $29.

At keyhole, you can enter lat / long and also tilt the view to see terrian features. etc.

Would be very surprised if maps.google gave away all of the Keyhole features for free. They'd never recoupe their purchase price if they did.


Edit: Also at keyhole.com is a list by city/state of the sat image resolution and the date of the last updates.
 
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