The official blog for Google Maps
Making of Maps: Ground Truth glue
September 9, 2014
The final post in our Making of Maps series shows you how Ground Truth brings all the pieces of Google Maps together. Catch up on posts
1
,
2
, &
3
for more info! — Ed.
Henman Hill
or
Murray Mound
? For years, British tennis fans have argued over the proper name for this hill near Wimbledon. Recently, this quirky
debate
over naming rights made its way to Google Maps, as people used our
Map Maker tool
to wrestle over the knoll’s identity. Never fear, tennis fans: whichever name you prefer, you’ll be sent to the right
location
when you look it up on Google Maps—let’s call it deuce.
Making sure you get to the right place, no matter what name you know it by, is just the sort of thing our Ground Truth team handles every day. Ground Truth’s aim is to keep Google Maps as up to date and accurate as possible, whether that means considering user reports from
Map Maker
and
Report a Problem
or proactively looking for new changes ourselves. Every day we start by scoping out what’s happening in the world—and by using algorithms and a little elbow grease, we can identify what roads will close for
Labor Day
, what housing developments are opening in
Texas
, and which street names are changing in Denmark (note: there are
a lot
of them). Ground Truth gives us the ability to use all this information to shape the map—so we can include colloquial street names, newly opened businesses, and even indoor floor plans.
All the streets in
Sondergarden, Denmark
were renamed this year as part of a country-wide
initiative
to make addresses easier to understand
Another way Ground Truth keeps Google Maps accurate is through imagery; and if a picture is worth a thousand words, you can imagine how useful satellite, aerial, and Street View imagery imagery can be. With a bird’s-eye view, we can trace the roads running through a town or identify bodies of water and park boundaries throughout a region. (One of my favorite projects is using satellite images to add
golf courses
to the map, including green spaces, trails, and each hole on the course.)
Satellite and aerial images are used to trace roads, bodies of water, and more (
St. Petersburg, Russia
)
With Street View, we can also add the granular detail needed to give you good directions. Intersections become easy to navigate because we can tell which direction each lane will take you; points of interest are easy to find because we can add information that can only be seen from the street, like the name of a restaurant or building address. Combine this with the fact that our Street View cars are designed to pinpoint exactly where each photo was taken, and the map starts to look like a mirror of the real world.
Street View images can help pinpoint businesses and determine lane directions (
Brașov, Romania
)
Ground Truth takes information from thousands of sources—governments, imagery, organizations, individuals—and makes it into one cohesive map. But the best part of putting together this giant puzzle is how it helps people every day. It can save you time, empower you to get things done, and give you the opportunity to travel and explore without worry. Reaching our
50th Ground Truth country
was an important moment for this project, but it’s far from the end. As long as the world keeps changing, we’ll keep mapping.
Posted by Nick Volmar, Program Manager & Ground Truth Operator
Get a closer view of some of the world’s most extraordinary places
August 13, 2013
We recently launched
Views
, a new site that highlights some of our most popular
Street View collections
and enables you to explore user-contributed photo spheres from around the world. Starting today, to complement the beautiful panoramas you see there, we’re also adding useful information about some of the featured locations, and
behind-the-scenes stories
about what collecting imagery of these places was like.
The Street View Special Collections page in Views
From the Street View Special Collections page where you can browse imagery that transports you from the top of Mount Fuji to the top of the Eiffel Tower, simply click on the “Go Behind the Views” icon to access this additional content. The photography, video, audio tours and more provide a deeper understanding and appreciation for some of the most remarkable places on Earth. Want to hear the snow crunch under your feet as you hike the Canadian Arctic, or conquer your fear of heights by standing in the window washing basket on the 80th floor of the world’s tallest building? Now you can.
Hear the wind whip
from the window washing basket of the Burj Khalifa
Our first two multimedia adventures enable you to experience the Canadian Arctic in Iqaluit, Canada, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE. We also invite you enjoy photos and videos from our past journeys to the
Grand Canyon
, the
base camp of Mount Everest
,
the Amazon Basin
,
the Great Barrier Reef
and the
NASA Kennedy Space Center
-- minus the extreme temperatures and long plane rides! If you’re on the Views page for those specific collections, just click on the “About this place” button on the upper right hand corner.
Go behind the scenes of some of our most exciting treks
As we trek around collecting more imagery of interesting places across the globe, we’ll continue to add more content to these sections of the Views site. So come back often to check them out, get behind-the-scenes insight into how Street View imagery is collected, and learn fun facts and details about these select locations.
Go behind the scenes in Iqualit
, Capital of Nunavut, Canada
We hope trekking with Google Maps inspires you to explore unique places and celebrate the beauty of our world. Stay tuned for more interactive experiences to come and happy virtual travels!
Posted by Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager
Take a stroll through abandoned “Battleship Island” on Google Maps
June 28, 2013
Do you remember the villain’s secret island hideout in the latest James Bond movie
Skyfall
, the one that looked like a decaying industrial wasteland? That fictional location was actually based on a real place — the island of
Hashima
off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. Due to its unique flat shape, the island is most widely known in Japan by its nickname Gunkanjima — aka “Battleship Island.”
Starting in the late 19th century, Hashima served as a coal mining facility and residential complex for 5,000 people. After the decline of coal mining in the 1970s, however, the island became completely abandoned, only opening up again to tourists in 2009. Hashima has transformed into an eerie tourist destination where you can see a once thriving town decaying and totally devoid of life. Apparently, Hashima’s buildings are deteriorating so rapidly that you can hear parts of the concrete collapse as the wind blows from the ocean.
While we can’t replicate those unearthly sounds on Google Maps, we can now give you 360° panoramas of the Hashima with today’s launch of Street View imagery for the island. Thanks to assistance from Nagasaki City, we were able to collect imagery with the Google Trekker beyond the cordoned-off areas for tourists and into off-limits paths around the island. We also used our Business Photos technology to let you peek into the abandoned buildings, complete with ancient black-and-white TVs and discarded soda bottles.
View Larger Map
Winds have been very unkind to Hashima over the last several decades, and with the buildings falling apart, we hope this imagery can serve as a digital archive of its current state before further collapse. Today you can virtually explore the ruins of Hashima, pretending you’re James Bond waiting to be rescued. If you are really inspired, you can visit the real place next time you get down to Nagasaki, Japan.
Posted by Wakaba Ohkura, Program Manager
Apply now to be the next Google Maps Trekker
June 27, 2013
We’re working to build the very best map of the world, and we’d love your help to do it. Today we’re kicking off a pilot program that enables third party organizations to borrow the
Street View Trekker
and contribute imagery to Google Maps. For the first time ever, this program will enable organizations to use our camera equipment to collect 360-degree photos of the places they know best -- helping us make Google Maps more comprehensive and useful for all. This program is part of our ongoing effort to make it possible for anyone to contribute to Google Maps.
Our first partner, the
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB)
, has already begun using the Trekker to take photos of the most popular, well-trafficked sites on the Hawaiian islands for future inclusion on Google Maps.
Street View Operations Lead Chris Fiock teaches Jaci Matsuo of HVCB and Rob Pacheco of Hawaii Forest & Trail how to operate the Trekker using its Android device at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Just a few days ago, our team arrived in Hawaii, the Big Island, to train our HVCB partners on how to operate the Trekker technology. Relying on HVCB’s expertise, we worked together to choose the locations where they’ll collect panoramic imagery, including trails through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mauna Loa Observatory, Onomea Bay, Akaka Falls, Waipio Valley, Pololu Valley and more. Once images from the Hawaii Island are collected, HVCB will move on to capture photos from adjacent islands including Oahu, Maui and Kauai. By working in partnership with HVCB, we can bring these locations online much faster than working alone.
Rob Pacheco treks the uneven terrain and rocky beaches of Pololū Valley
With 360-degree interactive imagery of the islands, people all over the world can see and explore the beautiful islands before they go, including some remote and hard-to-reach places they may never have discovered on their own. We also hope this imagery will be used by our partners to increase awareness and interest in their locations, potentially increasing tourism.
Now it’s your turn! If you’re a tourism board, non-profit, government agency, university, research organization or other entity interested in borrowing a Street View Trekker to capture and share imagery from a place you know and care about, please
apply today
. In the coming months, we’ll open up this pilot program to a limited number of other organizations around the world.
To apply to be the next Trekker, please fill out
the form
.
Happy Trekking!
Posted by Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager
Only clear skies on Google Maps and Earth
June 26, 2013
To celebrate the sunny days of summer (in the northern hemisphere at least), we're unveiling new satellite imagery for all Google mapping products today. This stunning new imagery of the earth from space virtually eliminates clouds, includes refreshed imagery for regions of the world where high-resolution imagery is not yet available, and offers a more comprehensive and accurate view of the texture of our planet's landscape.
The new, even more beautiful global view in Maps and Earth.
In 2002 NASA released the
Blue Marble
, a global image of the earth with a resolution of one kilometer per pixel, based on data from NASA’s MODIS instrument. Updated in 2005 to twice the resolution, it has remained the canonical globally-uniform picture of the earth for over a decade.
With the Blue Marble as inspiration, we used
Google Earth Engine
technology to mine hundreds of terabytes of data from the USGS’s and NASA’s
Landsat 7
satellite. The result is a seamless, globally-consistent image of the entire planet with a resolution of 15 meters per pixel, far finer than is possible with MODIS data alone.
To get a feel for the difference, here’s a comparison of the Grand Canyon, first from the Blue Marble Next Generation (courtesy NASA’s Earth Observatory), and then in our new Landsat-based imagery.
The Grand Canyon, as seen by MODIS and by Landsat 7.
The Landsat 7 satellite suffered a hardware failure early in its life that introduced striped artifacts into all of its images. By analyzing a large number of images we were able to virtually eliminate these stripes, as well as clouds and other atmospheric effects. The process was very similar to how we produced the
global time-lapse imagery of the earth
that we released last month.
Castellón, Spain: One example Landsat 7 image, and the final combined image.
The resulting 800,000 megapixel global image is so big that if you wanted to print it at a standard resolution of 300 dots per inch you would need a piece of paper the size of a city block!
Northwestern South America: before and after.
Mining data from a large number of Landsat images of each area allowed us to reconstruct cloud-free imagery even in tropical regions that are always at least partly cloudy.
Central Papua, Indonesia: before and after.
We prioritized recent data when it was available, so this update also includes refreshed imagery in many regions of the world, especially in areas where high-resolution imagery is not available, including parts of Russia, Indonesia, and central Africa.
Agricultural expansion in Saudi Arabia: before and after.
This new picture of the earth also reveals the texture of the landscape with greater clarity than ever before.
Continuing deforestation in Brazil: before and after.
We're proud of the progress we have made, but there is always room to keep improving. For example, although we have tried to minimize the impact of the stripe artifacts in the Landsat 7 images, they are still visible in some areas. There is more good news though: the new Landsat 8 satellite, launched earlier this year, promises to capture even more beautiful and up-to-date imagery in the months and years ahead.
Mongolia and surrounds, before and after.
You can see our new satellite imagery by going to Google Maps and turning on satellite view, or by launching Google Earth, and zooming out. Have fun exploring!
Posted by Matt Hancher, Tech Lead, Google Earth Engine
A picture of Earth through time
May 9, 2013
(Cross posted on
Official Google Blog
)
Today, we're making it possible for you to go back in time and get a stunning historical perspective on the changes to the Earth’s surface over time. Working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NASA and TIME, we're releasing more than a quarter-century of images of Earth taken from space, compiled for the first time into an interactive time-lapse experience. We believe this is the most comprehensive picture of our changing planet ever made available to the public.
Built from millions of satellite images and trillions of pixels, you can explore this global, zoomable time-lapse map as part of TIME's new
Timelapse
project. View stunning phenomena such as the sprouting of Dubai’s artificial Palm Islands, the retreat of Alaska’s Columbia Glacier, the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon and urban growth in Las Vegas from 1984 to 2012:
Feel free to share these GIFs!
More examples can be found on Google+
.
The images were collected as part of an ongoing joint mission between the USGS and NASA called
Landsat
. Their satellites have been observing earth from space since the 1970s—with all of the images sent back to Earth and archived on USGS tape drives that look something like this
example
(courtesy of the USGS).
We started working with the USGS in 2009 to make this historic archive of earth imagery available online. Using
Google Earth Engine
technology, we sifted through 2,068,467 images—a total of 909 terabytes of data—to find the highest-quality pixels (e.g., those without clouds), for every year since 1984 and for every spot on Earth. We then compiled these into enormous planetary images, 1.78 terapixels each, one for each year.
As the final step, we worked with the CREATE Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, recipients of a
Google Focused Research Award
, to convert these annual Earth images into a seamless, browsable HTML5 animation. Check it out on the Google’s
Timelapse
website.
Much like the
iconic image of Earth from the Apollo 17 mission
—which had a profound effect on many of us—this time-lapse map is not only fascinating to explore, but we also hope it can inform the global community’s thinking about how we live on our planet and the policies that will guide us in the future. A special thanks to all our partners who helped us to make this happen.
Posted by Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager, Google Earth Engine & Earth Outreach
Discover Israel on Google Maps
January 16, 2013
Last April
we released panoramic imagery of sites and streets in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv-Jaffa via the
Street View
feature of Google Maps. Since then, people from all over the world have explored historical and cultural sites such as the
Western Wall
in Jerusalem’s Old City, the
Baha’i Gardens
in Haifa and the
beaches
of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Today, as part of our ongoing effort to make Google Maps even more comprehensive and accurate, we’re publishing street-level imagery of hundreds more cities, towns, villages, heritage sites and tourist attractions across Israel.
You can now virtually tour the picturesque city of
Safed
in the North, the coral reef in
Eilat
in the South, visit the lowest point on earth at the
Dead Sea
, and wander around the narrow passageways of the old city of
Acre
.
Visit
Tiberias
, one of Judaism’s four holy cities; the
Sea of Galilee
where, according to the Gospels, Jesus walked on water; and stop off at
Capernaum
, the ancient fishing village believed to be the home of St. Peter, or the ancient battle site of
Tel Meggido
, better known as Armageddon.
View Larger Map
Capernaum, on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
The ancient Nabataean cities of
Mamshit
and
Shivta
, both of them UNESCO world heritage sites, can also now be seen directly in Google Maps. Tour around the
Bet She’an National Park
, one of the world’s largest archaeological sites; the Crusader fortress overlooking the excavations at
Tzippori
; or the sandstone and copper-rich nature reserve at
Timna
. Enjoy the colorful Druze market town of Daliyat El Carmel, the Bedouin town of Rahat, or take a ride down the ‘Burma Road’, a makeshift bypass road to Jerusalem built in 1948.
View Larger Map
The 'Mushroom' red sandstone rock formation at Timna
Sports fans can even go inside
Ramat Gan Stadium
or
Bloomfield
. And museum lovers can take in Haifa’s
National Museum of Science, Technology & Space
, the Holocaust Museum at
Kibbutz Yad Mordechai
, the Ghetto Fighters Museum at
Kibbutz Lochamei Ha’getaot
, the
Museum of Bedouin Culture
in the Negev desert, or take a tour around the
Egged Bus Museum
.
We’ve added imagery from cities, towns and villages including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be’er Sheva, Bnei Brak, Eilat, Isfyia, Kfar Qasem, Kiryat Gat, Nazareth, Netanya, Ofakim, Petah Tikva, Rishon LeTsiyon, Sderot, Tira, and many, many more. And stay tuned - we hope to expand coverage to still more of the region’s sites, streets, cities and towns in the future.
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Street View Program Manager
Get ready for winter: Mapping the Canadian Arctic and Global Ski Resorts
November 28, 2012
(Cross posted on
Official Google Blog
)
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and the temperatures are dropping. To help prepare for the winter ahead, we’re adding more detail and imagery to the map for a variety of chilly destinations, making them more comprehensive and accurate than ever. Starting today, you can virtually experience the Canadian Arctic through new panoramic Street View images of Cambridge Bay and detailed maps created with the help of local community members. And if you’re planning a winter getaway, you can preview the slopes of more than 90 ski and snow resorts around the world, adding to dozens that are already available via Street View today.
Canada’s Arctic
When
we visited Canada’s far north
this past August, we worked with the nonprofit group
Nunavut Tunngavik
and the residents of
Cambridge Bay
to improve the map of this remote, but culturally rich, Nunavut hamlet.
The map this community helped build
using
Google Map Maker
, as well as the 360-degree images we collected using Street View trike and tripod technologies, is now available for all the world to see on Google Maps.
To get a sense of what it’s like to live up in the north, you can walk down
Omingmak Street
,
make your way to the bridge
(where locals fish for Arctic Char) and head out to the
Old Stone Church
. Check out some Arctic souvenirs in the
Arctic Closet
, or visit the
Ice Hockey and Curling Arena
—it’s uninsulated and freezes over once they flood it in the winter! You can also learn more about Inuit history and culture at the
Kitikmeot Heritage Society
and the
Arctic Coast Visitors Centre
.
View Larger Map
Explore the intersection of Omingmak (“musk ox”) Street and Tigiganiak (“fox”) Road
Ski and snow resorts across the globe
You can also view some of the world’s best runs right on Google Maps before you get there. Whether you’re looking to discover a piste you’ve never tried before, or just want to take in some winter wonderland scenery, we’ve added Street View imagery for resorts across Europe (including runs in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Italy and Spain), Canada (including runs in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario) and the U.S. (including runs in Utah and Michigan).
For example, take a look at
Sölden
, a popular ski resort in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria. It’s not just tourists who flock there every year, but fans of professional skiing—Sölden regularly hosts the giant slalom competition as part of the Alpine World Cup in late October.
View Larger Map
You can also visit
Canyons Resort
in Park City, Utah. With 19 chairlifts, 4,000 acres of skiable terrain and an average of 355 inches of snow each winter, Canyons is the largest ski and snowboard terrain park in the state.
View Larger Map
Visit the to see some of our favorite images of the
Arctic
and
resorts
available on Google Maps. As winter sets in, we encourage you to experience it all from the comfort (and warmth) of your couch—or check it out online, then dig out your thermal underwear and snow boots to hit the slopes!
Posted by Ulf Spitzer, Program Manager, Google Street View
Imagery Update: Tour sites around the world with high-resolution imagery
November 16, 2012
As part of our ongoing commitment to provide you with comprehensive and accurate maps, we
continue to steadily release
new and updated imagery of places around the world as it becomes available. Here, we’ll take you on a short tour of some of our favorite locations that were included in the most recently published batch of aerial, satellite and 45-degree imagery.
New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:
The aerial and satellite imagery in
Google Maps
and
Google Earth
has now been updated for 164 cities and 108 countries/regions. Below are a few highlights from Washington state and Austria.
The Emerald City is bucking its nickname to celebrate the Space Needle’s
50th anniversary
. Check out the image below, where you can see Seattle’s iconic landmark repainted to it’s original “Galaxy Orange” color scheme.
Space Needle, Seattle
From towering above the clouds in Seattle to a celebration of rooftop art in Austria, below we find an art installation where visitors are encouraged to ascend to the top of a rooftop and travel a set of wooden bridges to see the city from a new perspective.
Bridges in the Sky, Linz, Austria
New 45° imagery available for 60 cities:
Our collection of 45° imagery in
Google Maps
has also recently expanded to include 40 more U.S. cities and 20 more international cities, including Luxembourg and Romania for the first time. Below are some fantastic sites from Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Though one of the smallest countries in the world by size, this European Grand Duchy plays an important role in politics because it’s the site of several institutions and agencies of the European Union. Below is one of the administrative and conference buildings.
Centre de Conférence, Luxembourg - View Larger Map
Settlements near the Swiss pre-alpine town of Thun can be dated back as far as Neolithic times around 2500 B.C. The city’s name derives from the Celtic term “Dunum” which translates to “fortified city.” Below is Thun Castle, which was erected by the Zaehringer dynasty around 1190 A.D. and which serves as the home of the district court of the Bernese Oberland until 2009.
Thun Castle, Switzerland - View Larger Map
Below is the full list of places where we’ve recently shared new or updated imagery. Enjoy!
Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Baltimore, MD; Bangor, ME; Battle Creek, MI; Bay City, MI; Bowling Green, KY; Burbank, WA; Burlington, VT; Charleston, WV; Cheyenne, WY; Decatur, IL; Duluth, MN; Eau Claire, WI; Fargo, ND; Farmington Hills, MI; Fort Wayne, IN; Hagerstown, MD; Holland, MI; Huntington, WV; Iowa City, IA; Kalamazoo, MI; Kelso, WA; Kenosha, WI; La Crosse, WI; Lancaster, CA; Lawrence, MA; Lewiston, ME; Lima, OH; Loveland, OH; Madison, WI; Mansfield, OH; Morgantown, WV; Portland, ME; Queensbury, NY; Rockford, IL; St. Cloud, MN; Toledo, OH; Urbana, OH; Waterloo, IA; Wausau, WI; Youngstown, OH.
International: Arcachon, FR; Brno, CZ; Charleroi, BE; Ferrara, IT; Fribourg, CH; Gijon, ES; Leeds/Huddersfield, UK; Leipzig, DE; Luxembourg, LU; Nantes, FR; Oviedo, ES; Parma, IT; Perugia, IT; Regina, CA; Reims, FR; Rouen, FR; Saskatoon, CA; Siena, IT; Sighisoara, RO; Thun, CH.
Areas with new high resolution aerial updates:
United States: Seattle WA, Mt Rainier WA, Mt St Helens WA, Ritzville WA, Chewalah WA, Pomeroy WA, Astoria OR, Portland OR, Eugene OR, Medford OR, Drewsey OR, Silver Lake OR, Sprague River OR, Pendleton OR, Bend OR, Mt Hood OR, Sandpoint ID, Idaho Falls ID, Redway CA, Redding CA, Bishop CA, Hayfork CA, Honeylake CA, Fresno CA, San Luis Obispo CA, Joshua Tree CA, Flagstaff AZ, Holbrook AZ, Arches UT, Cherry Creek NV, Hayden NM, Winnemucca NM, Wellington NV, Libby MT, Whitefish MT, Butler MT, Glacier MT, Great Falls MT, Missoula MT, Three Forks MT, Harlem MT, Lewiston MT, Montrose CO, Lamar CO, Ft Collins CO, Limon CO, Crested Butte CO, Sheridan Lake CO, Sheridan WY, Laramie WY, Bryce Canyon UT, Pueblo Peintado NM, San Patricio NM, Petersburg ND, North Platte ND, Medina ND, Ellendale ND, Devils Lake ND, Eagle Butte SD, Gettysburg SD, Swan Creek SD, Mitchell SD, Miller SD, Edgemont SD, Spooner WI, Ladysmith WI, Hayward WI, Atkinson NE, Ord NE, Holdrege NE, Beatrice NE, Nebraska City NE, Norton KS, Junction City KS, Topeka KS, Ellsworth KS, Wakeeney KS, Goodland KS, Scott City KS, Ottawa KS, Manhattan KS, Ottawa KS, Manhattan KS, El Reno OK, Shawnee OK, Oklahoma City OK, Tulsa OK, McAlester OK, Dallas TX, Greenville TX, Palestine TX, Montevideo MN, Owatonna MN, Litchfield MN, Willmar MN, Worthington MN, Creston IA, Des Moines IA, Cedar Rapids IA, Emmetsburg IA, Algona IA, Knoxville IA, Kirksville MO, Milan MO, Sedalia MO, St Joseph MO, Willow Springs MO, Butler MO, Warrensburg MO, Kansas City MO, Clinton MO, St Louis MO, Bloomington IL, Jacksonville IL, Freeport IL, Carrollton IL, Effingham IL, Mount Vernon IL, Sterling IL, Litchfield IL, Indianapolis IN, Corinth MS, Montgomery AL, Charlotte NC, Cincinnati OH, State College PA, Gettysburg PA, New Castle PA, Saint Marys PA, Lancaster PA, Hazleton PA, Scranton PA, Pittsburgh PA, Port Jervis NY, Rockland ME
Japan: Osaka, Hiroshima, Nakama, Fukuoka, Asahikawa, Choshi, Sendai, Okazaki, Edogawa
Canada: Winnipeg
Portugal: Coimbra
Spain: Oviedo
France: Reims
Belgium: Charleroi
Luxembourg: Luxembourg
Italy: Siena, Ferrara
United Kingdom: Huddersfield
Switzerland: Zurich, Geneva
Germany: Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Wuppertal
Austria: Linz, Mistelbach, Pinkafeld
Czech Republic: Brno
Slovenia: entire country
Areas new high resolution satellite updates:
Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Suriname, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, South Africa, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica
Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Specialist
Add your Photo Sphere images to Google Maps with Android 4.2
October 29, 2012
Remember the last time you went on a hike, triumphantly reached the lookout point, and took out your camera to snap a few photos? Odds are that somehow, the pictures weren’t able to fully convey your experience of standing at the top of the peak with the rolling hills surrounding you, the vibrant blue skies above, and the rocky terrain beneath your feet.
Now, with Photo Sphere, the new camera mode that’s part of the latest version of
Android 4.2, Jelly Bean
, you can photograph an entire scene—up, down, and all around—to create a 360º immersive experience.
View Larger Map
Explore immersive 360º Photo Spheres such as Vernal Falls in Yosemite Valley
You can easily choose to share your Photo Spheres to Google Maps so the entire world can enjoy the beauty of your favorite places. Your images will help make Google Maps more comprehensive, and enable other travelers to get an accurate preview of a location before they arrive.
Blue circle icons indicate where user-contributed Photo Spheres are available directly on Google Maps for desktop. They’re also discoverable on
this website
, which highlights some of the most incredible imagery from photographers around the world. Your geotagged Photo Spheres will be attributed to your Google+ profile name when you choose to share them on Google Maps. Of course, you also have the option of sharing them just with your friends and family through your Google+ circles.
Look for the blue circle icon to explore user-contributed panoramas on Google Maps
Whether you want to highlight your favorite places, show off your photography skills, or just help other Google Maps users see and experience a particular location, now sharing your Photo Spheres is just a few taps away on your Android device!
To learn more about creating Photo Spheres please visit
this site
. We can’t wait to see your favorite spots on Google Maps!
Posted by Evan Rapoport, Product Manager, Google Maps
Imagery Update: Virtually visit more places in high-resolution
September 28, 2012
Our quest to create the most comprehensive and accurate map of the world is ongoing, but we’re happy to take a pause and share some impressive progress that our
Google Maps
and
Earth
imagery teams have recently made. We’ve refreshed the high resolution
aerial and satellite imagery
for many places around the world, and released some new 45 degree imagery as well.
New 45° imagery available for 51 cities:
In addition, 45° imagery is now available in Google Maps for 37 U.S. and 14 international locations. Below are some examples of the beautiful new views from Pisa, Italy and Winnipeg, Canada.
Probably one of the most famous landmarks in the world is the
Leaning Tower of Pisa
. Its construction started back in 1173 and extended over a period of almost 350 years. Due to increasing incline during the last Century, a stabilization effort was performed that took almost two decades to complete. Today the tower is said to be safe from collapsing for at least 200 more years.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
-
Can you detect the angle?
In the language of the native Cree people, the
city’s name of Winnipeg
means “muddy waters.” The first European settlements in the area were several fur trading posts started around 1738. Today Winnipeg’s economic and educational significance within Canada is undoubted. Below is an image of The Forks which designates the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
The Forks in Winnipeg, Canada -
View Larger Map
New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:
The aerial and satellite imagery in Google Maps and Earth has now been updated for 17 cities and 112 countries/regions. Below are a few highlights from our latest release:
The aerial image below shows the pentagon-shaped Citadel of Lille, in Lille, France. It was built in 1668 and designed by the great military engineer of the time, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban.
Citadel of Lille, France -
View Larger Map
The next aerial imagery shown below was taken earlier this month of the Texas State Capitol and adjoining grounds in Austin, Texas. The building is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas -
View Larger Map
Below is the full list of places with new or updated imagery. Have fun exploring the new sites!
Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Ames, IA; Anderson, IN; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; Carmel Valley, CA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Coeur d'Alene, ID; Corvallis, OR; Danville, IL; Dayton, OH; Detroit, MI; Dubuque, IA; Elizabethtown, KY; Enid, OK; Florence, SC; Grand Forks, ND; Great Falls, MT; Gulfport, MS; Hartford, CT; Kankakee, IL; Kenosha, WI; Lafayette, IN; Lancaster, CA; Lansing, MI; Lewiston, ID; Los Banos, CA; Sun Prairie, WI; Medford, OR; Michigan City, IN; Olympia, WA; Pocatello, ID; Sheboygan, WI; Sioux City, IA; Sioux Falls, SD; South Bend, IN; Terre Haute, IN; Utica, NY.
International: Angers, France; Clermont-Ferrand, France; Coimbra, Portugal; Dijon, France; Grenoble, France; Livorno, Italy; Lyon, France; Newcastle, United Kingdom; Oberhausen, Germany; Palermo, Italy; Pisa, Italy; Toulouse, France; Troyes, France; Winnipeg, Canada.
Areas with new high resolution aerial updates:
Florence OR, Kellogg ID, Casper WY, North Platte NE, Concordia KS, Alva OK, Austin TX, Nevada MO, Chilicothe MO, Toulouse FR, Clermont-Ferrand FR, Angers FR, Nantes FR, Troyes FR, Lille FR, Thun CH, Lucca IT
Areas new high resolution satellite updates:
Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, Finland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand
Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist
Explore the Forefront of Japanese Space Science with Google Maps
September 12, 2012
September 12th is “Space Day” in Japan, and we are celebrating by releasing new, comprehensive Street View imagery for two of Japan’s top scientific institutions: the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan). With panoramic imagery in and around these locations now available via the Street View feature of
Google Maps
, space enthusiasts around the world have a more complete and accurate sense of what it’d be like to virtually swap places with an astronaut.
The JAXA imagery allows you to walk through the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) down on the idyllic beach island of Tanegashima. TNSC is the site from which the
Kounotori 3
rocket recently lifted off to send supplies (and the
YouTube Space Lab
winning experiments) to the International Space Station. You can start your tour of the TNSC facilities with a look inside the Space Science Technology Museum at the Southern tip of the island, and then a peek in the nearby Control Room.
Space Science Technology Museum
Next, check out the launch pad with the huge open areas and launch tower.
Launch Pad
Beyond the
TNSC
, you can also explore the immersive imagery from the JAXA facilities at
Tsukuba Space Center,
Sagamihara Campus
,
Chofu Air and Space Center
,
Earth Observation Center
,
Usuda Outer Space Observatory
, and the
Uchinoura Space Center
.
In addition, today’s release also includes 360-degree views of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, known in Japan as the “Miraikan.” Now, you’re able to virtually walk inside the museum and see the famous “Geo Cosmos” hanging Earth model, as well as the other permanent exhibits like the model of the International Space Station.
Geo Cosmos
We thank JAXA and the Miraikan for working with us to collect and share the new Street View imagery for these breathtaking and important sites of space innovation and technology. We hope the imagery on Google Maps brings the science of outer space much closer to people around the world.
Posted by Setsuto Murai, Strategic Partner Development Manager
Imagery Update: Explore more of the world in high-resolution
September 7, 2012
Improving the availability of more
high quality imagery
is one of the many ways we’re continuing to bring you the most comprehensive and accurate maps of the world. In this month’s update, you’ll find another extensive refresh to our high resolution aerial and satellite imagery (viewable in both
Google Maps
and
Google Earth
), as well as new 45 degree imagery in Google Maps spanning 30 new cities.
New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:
Google Maps and Earth now feature updated aerial imagery for more than 20 locations, and updated satellite imagery for more than 60 regions. Here are a few interesting locations included in our latest release.
Below is imagery of
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
where each year more than 15 million Muslims visit this important religious site. Here you can see
Abraj Al Bait
, one of the world largest clock towers, visible even from space!
Abraj Al Bait is the world’s largest clock face
On the opposite side of the globe, baseball season in the United States is in full swing and fans can’t get enough. Below is an aerial image of Coca-Cola Park in Pennsylvania, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania
New 45° imagery available for 30 cities:
In addition, this month’s Google Maps update includes 45° imagery coverage for 23 U.S. cities and 7 international locations. Below are some highlights from Bordeaux, France and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Bordeaux is a major city in southwestern France, located roughly 45 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean. It is especially famous for its wine and cuisine, and the image below shows the Gothic style Saint-André Cathedral.
Bordeaux, France - View Larger Map
Cincinnati, Ohio, was the first major inland city in the United States known for its large collection of historic architecture . Below is the
Over-The-Rhine neighborhood
, which exemplifies the historic Italianate Architecture that can be found throughout Cincinnati.
Cincinnati, Ohio - View Larger Map
Below is the full list of cities boasting new or updated imagery.
Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Bend, OR; Bloomington, IN; Buffalo, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, IN; Columbus, OH; Conway, SC; Evansville, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Gastonia, NC; Hamilton, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Jackson, TN; Joliet, IL; Kokomo, IN; Lincoln, NE; Louisville, KY; Mankato, MN; Muncie, IN; Owensboro, KY; Palm Valley, FL; Rochester, MN; Wilmington, NC.
International: Béziers, France; Bordeaux, France; Lille, France; Marseille, France; St. Etienne, France; Platja d'Aro, Spain; Blanes, Spain.
Areas with new high resolution aerial imagery:
United States: Centralia WA, Tillamook OR, Salem OR, Dos Rios CA, Mount Shasta area CA, Lassen area CA, Joshua Tree area CA, Ely NV, Elko NV, Las Vegas NV, Lander WY, Onawa IA, Ames IA, Perry IA, Bolivar MO, Mountain Grove MO, Rolla MO, Coldwater KS, Spearman TX, Hereford TX, San Antonio TX, Tyler TX, Lafayette LA, Huntsville AL, Waycross GA, Palatka FL, Fort Pierce FL, Allentown PA
Portugal: Torre de Coelheiros
Spain: Baiona, Ourense, Torrelavega, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Nulles, Guadassuar, San Miguel de Salinas, Castellar de la Frontera, Los Palacios y Villafranca, Bailen
France: Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon, Dijon, Grenoble
Italy: Livorno, Rome, Catania
Switzerland: Montreux, Neuchatel, Zurich
England: Olympic Park
Germany: Munich, Heidelberg, Flieden, Alsfeld,
Austria: Salzburg
Areas new high resolution satellite updates:
USA, Greenland, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Antarctica, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Khazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand
If you’d like to receive an email notification when imagery for the areas you care about are updated, check out the
Follow Your World tool
. Enjoy the new sites!
Update (9/7):
Satellite and aerial image mentioned is currently available in Google Earth only and will be coming to Google Maps shortly.
Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Strategist
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