Why is Indiana's Google Map satellite imagery so thorough?

November 8, 2005 1:57 PM

Google Map satellite imagery filter: On Google maps, why does the state of Indiana seem to be so entirely scanned at highest resolution, when just about every other "place" on the map seems to just have high resolution scanning in heavily populated areas? What makes Hoosiers so special (to Google Maps, anyways)?

Within the IN state borders, you can just about click anywhere and zoom in to the highest resolution. Just outside Indiana (say, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, etc.), you're chances are MUCH greater that clicking randomly gets you "We're sorry, but we don't have imagery at this zoom level for this region. Try zooming out for a broader look." Is there something militarily ominous about corn fields that Americans are unaware of?

posted by UnclePlayground to computers & internet (22 comments total)

Great question... I've wondered the exact same thing.
posted by rolypolyman at 1:58 PM on November 8, 2005

My friend lives in Owosso, MI (read: the middle of nowhere) and the area immediately surrounding her house is hi-res; half a mile away, though, there's nothing.

I think that Google plans to make everything hi-def eventually, and they just had to start somewhere (maybe with where their employees/friends live?).
posted by danb at 2:01 PM on November 8, 2005

See, I'm also aware that Google, the company, "borrows" the satelitte imagery and they just provide a nice interface to it. I'm also aware that the high resolution areas are probably hand-picked by the satellite owners/controllers for specific reasons. The satellite images "are taken from a variety of commercial and public resources and are not real-time in nature" (from their website), so it's just a matter of knowing why Indiana?
posted by UnclePlayground at 2:06 PM on November 8, 2005

New Jersey is like the too, as Google gets its imagery from the State of New Jersey (Zoom in to NJ and you'll see "(C) State of NJ 2005").
posted by daninnj at 2:09 PM on November 8, 2005

Check out Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can pick out the make of cars, and see people walking around Harvard Yard. I think it has to do with which areas are providing the hi-res photos that GE can use.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:14 PM on November 8, 2005

I think some states just took initiative to have high definition satellite imagery of their state. Mass. is like this as well.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:15 PM on November 8, 2005

Missouri is like this too. I think it has to do with the state's funding for such things.
posted by geoff. at 2:15 PM on November 8, 2005

Not all of the images on Google Maps is from satellites. IIRC some imaging is from planes, like the highest resolution imaging in Las Vegas. I've been told LV uses these images to ensure people with pools pay the appropriate taxes.

I guess it depends on if there was a reason for high resolution imaging and if Google could get their hands on it.
posted by johannes at 2:50 PM on November 8, 2005

Indiana Spatial Data Portal. This is probably the source of the data. It's free (as in speech) and is aerial photography, not satellite. Other states have similar data available, but I believe Google has constraints on the age of the data. Which means they won't take Connecticut's 1991 data even though it's much better than the current Connecticut imagery.

(The page with the Massachusetts data has a good description of how they process the data, BTW.)
posted by smackfu at 2:52 PM on November 8, 2005

OK, whew...
Never noticed Missouri, Jersey, etc.
Guess Indiana has that odd grey color that stands out against all the green and thought it was unique, and therefore, skeery. Ya know?
Next step: real time and resolution down to a few feet! ala Enemy of the State, just don't look up!

Side question: What is/are your favorite place(s) to look at using Google Maps?
posted by UnclePlayground at 2:52 PM on November 8, 2005

1) It's a reaction to the whole closed meeting / Bobby Knight firing scandal. The plaintiffs in the class action suit against the university administration have chipped in for 24 hour satellite surveilance of the highest resolution possible in order to track the movements of the trustees in support of their claim that they regularly hold secret, closed-door meetings. Google maps is just a secondary beneficiary.
-or-
2) It's the FBI tracking the doings of the strong ELF contingent in the state who routinely spike trees in the various national and state forests.
-or-
3) I am being most unhelpful and breaking guidelines for no good reason...

Damn good question though.
posted by Suck Poppet at 2:55 PM on November 8, 2005

Related Question: Why are the google earth images so much better than maps.google.com? (eg: Geneva, Swtizerland). The mind boggles.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:29 PM on November 8, 2005

The difference with the High Res images in Indiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Missouri is that they aren't Satellite Imagery. They are high resolution aerial imagery that is collected by those states and either sold to or provided to Google by the states.

Answer for the Related question: The images used in GE are the same images that are used in Google Maps. The difference is that you can zoom in closer in GE the in Google Maps.
posted by kashmir772 at 4:28 PM on November 8, 2005

Most likely it has something to do with INGISI, the Indiana GIS Initiative. Not only is there an ongoing orthophotography project, Indiana is a pilot state for the RAMONA mapping metadata project.
posted by dhartung at 4:35 PM on November 8, 2005

This might also have something to do with the agrarian nature of the state. A lot of farmers will purchase aerial photographs of their farmlands to aid them in planning what crops, fertilizers, etc. they will use in each field. It makes sense to me that Google would use this preexisting source of aerial photographs for their own maps.
posted by Trinkers at 5:47 PM on November 8, 2005

My friend lives in Owosso, MI (read: the middle of nowhere) and the area immediately surrounding her house is hi-res; half a mile away, though, there's nothing.

I'm from Owosso! Swear ta gawd! Born and raised. Seriously, that's crazy!

(whoa.)
posted by electric_counterpoint at 5:51 PM on November 8, 2005

I went to Indiana University for grad school. It's one of the most wired campuses in the country. It's also a research one school. May not relate to the reason, but I'm never surprised when Indiana is at the center of of tech things... just because of IU.
posted by abbyladybug at 6:38 PM on November 8, 2005

Trinkers: This might also have something to do with the agrarian nature of the state.

Actually, Indiana is about in the middle of the pack when it comes to being agrarian. The southern part of the state is too hilly, and the topsoil too sparse. The northern part of the state is dominated by rust-belt industries. Most cities in Indiana are either factory towns or mine (limestone, coal, gypsum) towns. Agriculture in Indiana uses 65% of the total land area, compared to 90% for Iowa and Kansas, and 75% for Illinois.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:34 PM on November 8, 2005

A friend of mine works at the Dept of Geography at Mizzou, where they wrote a high-tech shit-spreading (fertilizer) figuring program. This required really good data, both view and topo, and while they were at it, the data was added to the public record. I recall him talking about Indiana being the only other state with as good of data as Missouri.
posted by notsnot at 8:45 PM on November 8, 2005

Nerbaska is the same (hi-res) way. At least in that state's case, the reason is because any development (urban or rural) needs to conform to accepted practices for flood plain management.

When you live in flat-state land, you have to design in terms of a 100-year floodplain, otherwise you might find your brand new (expensive) highway conduit underwater in a few years. This is also one of the reasons you have so many members of the Army Corps of Engineers living in the mid-west.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:59 AM on November 9, 2005

It's so the missles can target Indiana more accurately
(sez a current Hoosier)
posted by Thorzdad at 6:35 AM on November 9, 2005

The Newport Chemical Depot, where VX gas is stored, is located in west central Indiana.
posted by cass at 9:06 AM on November 9, 2005