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Thursday, March 8th, 2007Thursday, March 8th, 2007

So How Close Can Google Maps Really Get?

by Shawn @ 2:57 am · filed under Tech Stuff

Want to see some crazy stuff? In some areas of the world, you can zoom in to an absurd level. Pretty close to being able to actually identify an individual.

Let's take this scene for example... some people in Africa with their herd of camels and cows, gathered around a well. I mean come on... you can see footprints, and some dude who must have known his picture was being taken, because he's looking right at the camera. :)

Almost looks fake huh? Well you can see it for yourself here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f...m=1&iwloc=addr

So like maybe Google could use some of their satellites and computing power to find Osama bin Laden and collect whatever huge reward there is for him... just a suggestion for anyone listening...

31 Responses to “So How Close Can Google Maps Really Get?”

  1. Caydel Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 5:23 am

    Hi Shawn

    AFAIK, these photos with the really high detail were taken by National Geographic from airplanes on fly-overs of the areas in question. These are actually highlighted with overlay markers as part of a collection available for Google Earth.

  2. Ronald Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 6:04 am

    It almost looks like the picture was taken from a plane… there are several people looking up if you look at the whole area. And I’m pretty sure you can’t hear a satellite fly over (or see one in the daytime).

    Pretty amazing stuff though!

  3. Patrick Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 7:01 am

    How come if you zoom out at all you can’t zoom back in (at least not to that level)?

  4. maps » So How Close Can Google Maps Really Get? Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 7:30 am

    […] Original post by Shawn […]

  5. Florida Maps » So How Close Can Google Maps Really Get? Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 7:48 am

    […] Original post by Shawn and software by Elliott   […]

  6. Shawn Says:
    March 8th, 2007 at 7:57 am

    Well that’s far less interesting if it’s from a plane fly-over… whatever, still neat. :)

  7. Johan a.k.a. T0PS3O Says:
    March 9th, 2007 at 2:18 am

    It’s actually a photographer on his giraffe. Did you not see the documentary about this shot on Nat Geo?

  8. Bulbboy Says:
    March 9th, 2007 at 4:22 am

    Having it on Google Maps naturally makes you think it was taken from a satellite.
    It would be great for real life Where’s Wally pictures. :)

    @ Patrick^^^: that is very interesting, I couldn’t zoom all the way back in either.

  9. Charlie Says:
    March 9th, 2007 at 6:19 am

    I heard you could manipulate a few variables on google earth’s url string and get closer than you could if you just clicked.

    Anyone hear about this?

  10. alek Says:
    March 10th, 2007 at 12:39 pm

    Ditto what others said about this is aerial footage, not satellite - in fact, this may be the shadow of the actual flyover plane caught on camera - http://maps.google.com/maps?q=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php%3FNumber%3D138835&om=1&ie=UTF8&z=23&ll=-19.457557,22.930057&spn=0.000121,0.000177&t=k

  11. ottodo Says:
    March 11th, 2007 at 6:47 am

    So like maybe Google could use some of their satellites and computing power to find Osama bin Laden and collect whatever huge reward there is for him… just a suggestion for anyone listening…

    hemm, do you think FBI doesn’t know where Osama bin Laden is?

    crap, Osama bin Laden has got his own servers and he is already connected to the internet…

    Qaeda and Taliban have their websites, why FBI doesn’t shut them? heh

  12. Chetan Says:
    March 11th, 2007 at 6:50 am

    Never seen Google Map showing this close look.

    Anyways, Osama wouldn’t be sitting in open to be identified and caught :D ;)

  13. Icheb Says:
    March 11th, 2007 at 11:02 am

    Last I heard satellites “only” have a resolution in the double digit centimeters range, can’t remember an exact figure. To have a resolution like in the picture above you’d need a resolution of about 3 or 4 cm since you can see the eyes of a person.

  14. Icheb Says:
    March 11th, 2007 at 11:06 am

    By the way, didn’t you notice that there’s just a few hundred square meters (sorry, foot) available? “Let’s take this super high resolution picture and crop it so it doesn’t take up so much space.” :p

  15. Keith Cash Says:
    March 20th, 2007 at 11:21 am

    Very detailed picture, until I read the comments.

    I was going to suggest be careful, if google earth was this good, there would be a whole new meaning to peeping-Tom.

    Cheers

  16. Google Maps Close Up Tips Dr.com Says:
    March 27th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

    […] This is pretty cool right here, I’ve never been able to get so close to the earth using Google Earth, but apparently, using Google Maps, you can zoom in pretty close in some areas. That one guy actually looks like he is looking at the satellite. Via Shawn Hogan. Click this link to download Google Earth, […]

  17. Nurlimasari Says:
    March 27th, 2007 at 7:38 pm

    It is really … really funtastic .Never seen Google Map showing this close look.

  18. XD2 Says:
    April 6th, 2007 at 6:07 pm

    If you copy the coordinates: 15.298499, 19.429727

    into google earth it is on there as well it is just a detailed photograph (not from satlites) just one square in the middle of africa :o

  19. quang cao Says:
    May 8th, 2007 at 12:58 pm

    Very detailed picture

  20. mike Says:
    May 15th, 2007 at 8:42 am

    It came so close to my house, you could actually see a pile of dirt lol.

    Google needs a refresh…my house is 2 years old and all google sees is a blank field!

    LOL

  21. kay Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 7:35 am

    i so wanna know how to do this on this house lol in Oz 19 Connels RD Woolooware or if sum1 else could do it for me please send me the pic if u can or the link lol please!!! my addy skippy_kay@hotmail.co.uk

  22. Sanjay Says:
    June 7th, 2007 at 10:55 pm

    Seems some people are pulling water from well.

  23. Jeba Says:
    June 13th, 2007 at 5:58 am

    Everyone seems to see up, even the cows are looking up lol..

  24. joseph Says:
    June 13th, 2007 at 8:18 am

    I wonder how often satelite updates photos.I am writing this after third month from the actual post and it still shows the same picture.

  25. a1omads Says:
    March 2nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    very nice to see that close image, i could not belive my eye but after some research find that it is not satelite but it is image taken from plane..

  26. Manny Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 12:33 pm

    So how come a year later I still see the same guy standing there looking up? I think it’s just a picture of the area. It’s not live and they probably only have live satelite images over the developed parts of the world

  27. Alan Says:
    April 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Out of all these answers still nobody has answered the question best for me I would say, If you know how to zoom closer than 50 meters please let us all know.

  28. Trish Says:
    May 20th, 2008 at 9:12 am

    it’s completly fake. that’s the only area that it can zoom in on, and cows get cut off.

  29. Iearn-Money Says:
    August 3rd, 2008 at 6:50 am

    Wow, I never tried to zoom it till I see it like that.. I’m trying to see myself lol

  30. Amer Nejma Says:
    September 29th, 2008 at 5:12 am

    Yes google needs a refresh…Because sees our old Car lol he make me remember bad old days with that car hahaha

    www.Amer-nejma.com

  31. Norhafidz Says:
    December 5th, 2008 at 7:39 am

    Hello Shawn,

    Fantastic image from Google. About using Google earth to find Osama, I’m afraid he’s doing to same (using Google earth) to track his next target

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