Comments on: Are the pictures on Google Earth in real-time?

Question: Are the pictures on Google Earth in real-time?

sandra194 — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:23:54 -0800

Are the pictures on Google Earth in real-time? If I look at my street via Google Earth on the computer at 6:00pm, can I see my kids playing outside (if indeed they are outside at that time)

By: dcjd

dcjd — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:24:50 -0800

No. In fact, some of the maps are quite old.

By: chrisamiller

chrisamiller — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:31:54 -0800

Nope, but damn would that be cool.

By: b33j

b33j — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:38:03 -0800

I've noticed (due to construction in my area) that the google-earth pictures are up to two years old. Also, when i look at them at night-time they still show light (therefore not real time). And cars are not moving.

By: Emperor SnooKloze

Emperor SnooKloze — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:40:30 -0800

Although it's the stuff of spy/military thriller movies & books, real-time sat imaging is still a long way off. Someone needs to send that twit Clancy a memo.

No, not real-time, and yes, some images (the google earth "globe" is essentially a mosaic of hundreds of images) are quite old, and/or of very low visual quality.

By: IvyMike

IvyMike — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:44:23 -0800

Here's the answer right from the horse's mouth.

By: zek

zek — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 14:49:02 -0800

From my own inspection of Google Earth images, I'd peg the dates anywhere from 1997 to 2004. It would be nice though if they would document the images like Microsoft Terraserver does.

By: unixrat

unixrat — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:06:26 -0800

The images from my neck of the woods are at least two years old.

By: paulsc

paulsc — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:30:30 -0800

"Although it's the stuff of spy/military thriller movies & books, real-time sat imaging is still a long way off. Someone needs to send that twit Clancy a memo. ..."

Not to derail, but if they're willing to spend the fuel to position a KH-12 directly over a target, while getting any break on weather conditions, and if they put on the online network, computer resources, and image analysts to do the job, the folks in Washington can easily tell which way soccer balls are spinning while the ball is still in the air, for kicks greater than 6 meters distance.

And all KH-12's are not created equal ;-)

By: event

event — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:30:29 -0800

If it were real time, you would see vehicles moving on the roads.

By: c:\awesome

c:\awesome — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:36:02 -0800

If it were real time, you would see vehicles moving on the roads.

Not necessarily. It could be realtime and only refresh every minute or so, thus the cars would remain stationary.

By: JekPorkins

JekPorkins — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:03:23 -0800

If it were real time, half the earth would be dark.

I can only assume that Sandra194 has not actually ever seen or used Google Earth, but has only heard about it.

The answer to the question is no. It's not real time. You can't track your kids' movements with it.

By: mbrubeck

mbrubeck — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:11:12 -0800

In the novel Snow Crash, Neil Stephenson describes a program called "Earth" that is almost exactly like Google Earth, but updated in real time.

"There is something new: A globe about the size of a grapefruit, a perfectly detailed rendition of Planet Earth, hanging in space at arm's length in front of his eyes. Hiro has heard about this but never seen it. It is a piece of CIC software called, simply, Earth. It is the user interface that CIC uses to keep track of every bit of spatial information that it owns - all the maps, weather data, architectural plans, and satellite surveillance stuff."

(One of the creators of Google Earth says it was inspired by Snow Crash.)

By: dbiedny

dbiedny — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:01:42 -0800

Well, I imagine that PentagonEarth™ might do the job, but a single seat license is, what, $300 million or so. And the upkeep is a bitch. But the zoom is, well, to die for. As many do.

By: 31d1

31d1 — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 21:37:03 -0800

No.

By: lampoil

lampoil — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:27:37 -0800

The building I'm sitting in right now is under construction on Google Earth.

By: Emperor SnooKloze

Emperor SnooKloze — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 07:18:01 -0800

Not to derail, but if they're willing to spend the fuel to position a KH-12 directly over a target,...

Putting a recon asset in a geosynchronous orbit would be hugely, idiotically wasteful. Which is to say that the DoD upper echelons might do it if the NRO didn't keep them in check.

...the folks in Washington can easily tell which way soccer balls are spinning while the ball is still in the air, for kicks greater than 6 meters distance.

And pretty much anybody with an MS in photogrammetry can distinguish spin on a soccer ball.

The truth, I'd wager, is somewhere between Tom Clancy's wet dreams and Corona imagery.

By: lhauser

lhauser — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 21:52:52 -0800

SnooKloze, even in Clancy the sat isn't stationary. I presume everyone is talking about the terrorist training camp raid in "Patriot Games." The raid is purposely timed when the satellite is passing over the camp, and the text (as I remember) quite clearly indicates the satellite is moving and eventually goes out of range.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 08:10:53 -0800

My workplace isn't even built yet in Google Earth.