Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Imagery update October 3rd

Tuesday, 3rd October 2006 by James

There’s been an announcement on the Google Earth Forums about another large imagery update for both Google Earth and Google Maps. From the Post:

  • the whole state of Minnesota, South Carolina, North Dakota, Missouri (updated to 2005), Idaho, Maryland, and now full coverage for the entire state of Texas
  • Updates to Florida (most of the state covered now)
  • 15 high-resolution cities in Germany
  • update for London, 2006 data at 10cm from Bluesky
  • South Georgia Island (courtesy of the British Antarctic Survey)
  • Albany, OR; Lubbock, TX; Port Townsend, WA; Portage County, OH; Trumball County, OH
  • 32 Digital Globe Citisphere cities (updates and new coverage)
  • In addition there was a significant update to the regular Digital Globe imagery all over the world.

So, if you’ve looked for something a while ago and found it was low-resolution, now’s the time to check again.

26 Responses to 'Imagery update October 3rd'

  1. 1. kyle hahn says:

    I don’t quite think Texas is all high res yet. Can’t even see much of the city of New Braunfels between Austin and San Antonio.

  2. 2. Marc Strauch says:

    Nice updates, but I am still waiting for high-res pictures from Whitehaven Beach, Whitesunday Islands, Australia. The most beatiful beach I have ever been too… well, wait and see.

  3. 3. jf says:

    cork city in ireland has been updated. the imagery was previously very brown/dark in colour - now its more green. just search for “cork, ireland” in google maps

  4. 4. amio cajander says:

    Northwestern Spain has been also updated

  5. 5. jf says:

    there seems to be a lot of updates with the north korean imagery

    this , for example, looks like a prison camp , in the north east of that country:

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  6. 6. Michi Disperso says:

    Also Italy has been update!!

    Finally Parma, my city, is fully high resolution!!

  7. 7. koen says:

    @jf: I don’t see why that’s a prison camp. I don’t see high fences and guard towers to guard the prisoners.

  8. 8. jf says:

    “I don’t see why that’s a prison camp. I don’t see high fences and guard towers to guard the prisoners. ”

    fences would be very difficult to make out from sat imagery, but if you scroll around you’ll find very similar camps scattered around the hi-res portions of north korea. i’ve found about 4 or 5 now. note the regimented , barracks nature of the buildings.

  9. 9. Lee says:

    Oh dammit. Last time I looked at London I found the old Wembley Arena. I submitted it oh-so-many times. Looks like my only chance to get onto the site will of gone =[

  10. 10. koen says:

    @jf: I guess it might be a prison camp, but it might also be a military base or a complex where they house the workers of a collective farm. I guess there’s no way to know, it’s just that the guess of a prison camp seems pretty far fetched to me.

  11. Google Sightseeing Admin
    11. Alex says:

    Sorry Lee! I’ll make a special effort to look out for your forthcoming submissions :D

  12. 12. jf says:

    koen - i came across this site , which has maps and jpeg images of sat photos of North Korea and where the camps are.

    http://www.hrnk.org/hiddengulag/toc.html

    the sat images on that site look very much like what i’ve discovered - but of course, your suggestion of a collective farm or military base could equally be valid. having said that, i’ve come across numerous similar constructions throughout the remote northern areas of N.Korea , with a similar barrack-style grid layout. it suggests military - but the sheer frequency suggests prison camp.

  13. 13. Geoffrey says:

    Finally, Ann Arbor, Michigan has been added. VERY recent imagery, as well. Check it out here:

    Placemark: Ann Arbor / Google Earth

  14. 14. Phillip says:

    Edwards AFB has been updated as well. The 747 with the airborne laser (look for the funny nose) has moved from its previous position. There are also a few V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft sitting outside this time.

  15. 15. seav says:

    Manila, Philippines is one of the 32 CitySphere cities added. The same exact image found here (http://www.digitalglobe.com/product/citysphere_preview.php?id=110) can now be seen on Google Maps/Earth. Seamless and cloudless, that’s how I like it. :)

  16. 16. William says:

    Arsenal’s completed new stadium is visible on Google Maps. The adjacent previous stadium and the pitch, which will be sold, is visible.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  17. 17. koen says:

    @jf: thanks for the link. Interesting stuff. I had no idea these prison camps were so big and widespread.

  18. 18. mr scruff says:

    i might be wrong, but it looks to me as if Mecca and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia have been updated (and both at hi res)

  19. 19. tim B says:

    why an update of london? london already had very detailed hi-res imagery… when are we going to see the entire country covered?! germany and the netherlands have it, why dont we?

  20. 20. Roger says:

    Ditto, there are still MASSIVE areas of the UK which are still not covered by Google Earth. (I would guess at only 40% of the country being mapped). In the next update I would like to see this rise to at least 80-90%, or even better as the above poster said a full country update, as Germany, Holland and many US states have.

  21. 21. rob says:

    Happily East Anglia was the first major part of UK to get high res, and it still gets updated :D

  22. 22. James says:

    The new London data looks a lot clearer - but it’s a pity it’s the middle of winter because those shadows are really intense!

  23. 23. mohammad says:

    i wanna have some pictures frome our home in tehran!

  24. 24. Rich says:

    The coverage of the UK is pitiful. Sure, London is great, but go just 10 miles south and you’re already into unmapped areas. Even the strips that cross Wiltshire (where I live) aren’t of particularly good quality, they were taken on a dark winter’s day and so hardly anything is recognisable anyway. Add to this that practically the entire South-West, Kent, Sussex, almost all of Wales and Scotland, Yorkshire and the Midlands aren’t even touched, it is about time Google gave the UK some sort of upgrade!!!

  25. 25. Quentin says:

    The images of Birmingham (England) are woefully out of date, the bullring is still under construction, which means these pictures are about 3 and a half to 4 years old. They are in desperate need of an update…

  26. 26. lemenos says:

    regarding the “prison camp”, i dont think so, but this is an interesting area, since it is right where north korea, china and russia meet in the far east….lots of rail lines nearby suggests this is a big transhippment area, NOT a prison camp!

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