Google quietly sneaks GeoEye images into Google Earth
Starting in June, Google has been integrating high-resolution color images taken by the GeoEye-1 — the so-called “Google satellite” — into its Google Earth application, expanding its global repertoire beyond its focus on the U.S. The photo above is of Beijing South Rail Station.
The company is only starting to promote the new additions with the trivia game on its LatLong blog called “Where in the World is…” The quiz placed international images taken by the GeoEye next to trivia questions like “Tangerines were named for this city, the first one to ship the fruit to Europe” and “The nickname ‘City of Lights’ just gives this one away.” The blog post listing the answers to the quiz also lists the geographic areas that were updated with the latest data push.
The GeoEye-1, owned and operated by independent company GeoEye, has been used by Google for satellite pictures since September of last year. It orbits at 423 miles above the earth’s surface, but is still capable of a resolution of 41 centimeters. Before the deal, Google cobbled together images from DigitalGlobe, GeoEye’s main competitor.
Here are some more examples of what the GeoEye-1 is capable of:
Zhangye, China (above)
Tangier, Morocco (above)
Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo
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About the Author, Camille Ricketts
Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
With GreenBeat 2009, VentureBeat's all-star conference on all things Smart Grid, coming up in November, Camille will be expanding coverage of this exciting space. Stay up to date by following @greenbeat2009 on Twitter or by becoming a fan of the event on Facebook here.
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