Updated satellite imagery on Google Maps

Boris Khvostitchenko, product manager for Google in Russia.

We get many questions about how the updated satellite imagery at Google Maps. Today we would like to tell you more about it.

We have a unified database of satellite imagery for the entire world, and there is a regular process of updating. We are constantly receiving new photos from our suppliers, we check the quality (lack of clouds, color, brightness and sharpness of the image ) and lay out every two weeks updating to our database. Immediately after that, new images appear in Google Earth, and after a few weeks - on Google Maps. You can watch for updates on our English-language blog. LatLong. by category. imagery. And with the help of this. KML- file.

Due to the size of Russia, some of it always gets new pictures. For example, on November 2, we have significantly upgraded Smolensk, and the 16th of November a large enough part of the city ( it was clear that. hotel Russia. nearly demolished ) and the Moscow region, Leningrad region, Ryazan, Ulyanovsk, Kirov, Saratov and Vladivostok, where the visible preparations for the APEC summit in t. h. construction. bridge on. Russian.

Russia Hotel in Moscow before the upgrade.


Russia Hotel in Moscow after an upgrade.


Russian island before the upgrade.


Russian island after upgrade.


Of course, we would like to constantly make new images for the entire Earth's surface, but as you know, there are some difficulties due to the fact that the satellites fly in a predetermined path. During the satellite one can not provide good weather on the subject. Therefore, in the cities, which are often covered by clouds (eg, St. Petersburg and Helsinki), is not always the time the satellite coincides with the solar day. In addition, we do not use images taken during the winter, night and all other bad conditions.

Sometimes, the control system are wrong, so if you see low-quality satellite images on our maps, write about it in. special threads. And we will replace it.

By the way, did you know that when using our. Instrument for measuring the distance. measured in all. Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. , You get almost 1300 meters?.