My Google Map Blog

It was recently announced that Michael Jones, one of the original founders of Google Earth, has left Google and is now CEO of a cool new VR glasses maker called Wearality. These glasses are unlike other VR glasses because of an ultra-wide 150 degree field of view thanks to patented fresnel lens technology. If you hurry, you can still join their Kickstarter campaign and get early access to these new VR glasses, which are reportedly awesome to behold. They are 88% of the way to their goal of raising $100K, and 8 days are left to the deadline.

I have always dreamed of seeing Google Earth done right in VR. Now we have someone at the wheel of a major new technology who has a serious interest in making that happen! You can already view Google Earth data in the Wearality glasses thanks to its interface with Google Cardboard, which shows StreetView data in stereoscopic 3D. It won’t be long I think before we see more Google Earth goodness from this company.

You can see a short (12 seconds) direct view of what its like looking through the glasses (view of a roller coaster) by someone who used their LG G3 smartphone looking through one lens (select HD mode for best viewing):

I’ve known Michael since he worked at Silicon Graphics over 20 years ago, and we have all used technology he helped create like OpenGL and Google Earth. The fact he has left Google to run this VR glasses company tells me he thinks this one will usher in yet another major computer graphics revolution.

The post Bringing Google Earth to VR appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

We recently got a query by a reader asking whether or not it is possible for a conman to put a fake address into Google Earth. The short answer is yes.

Google gets its information from a large number of sources. The Earth is a very big place, so the amount of data involved is simply staggering. Errors, of course, do exist. These come in many forms, such as an island that didn’t exist, or the time that Google lost a city in Florida. When Google once removed the name “Persian Gulf”, Iran threatened to sue because the name is a very sensitive issue in the region.

Borders are often a contentious issue. It may be simply a case of borders being in the wrong place due to errors in the data supplied to Google, or border disputes, where two countries disagree about where their shared border is. Google method for the latter is to share data based on international mapping standards data – which they illustrate by showing disputed borders in red, or showing different borders depending on which country you are using the product from. Also, when new countries are formed, it may take Google (and all other mapping companies) a little while to update their maps.

One of Google’s sources of information is the general public via three main routes: the ‘report a problem’ feature in Google maps, the more sophisticated Google Mapmaker that Google released in 2008, and Google My Business (formerly Google Places). The last one is primarily for business address listings, whereas the first two deal with more general mapping information.
The processes for changing mapping data have a number of verification systems in place. However, since it is often impossible to verify the validity of all updates. Google mapmaker works on a system of reputation whereby your edits require less verification as you gain reputation. Google My Business encourages you to verify your address or phone number. None of the systems are totally fool proof, but the same system can be used to correct inaccurate data that works its way into the system.

An example of information that really shouldn’t have been allowed into Google Maps.

This appears to be a genuine road.

So why would people want to put false information into Google Maps? Here is a story of a restaurant which closed down because, the owner claims, its listing on Google Maps showed that they were closed on what were formerly its most popular days. His lawyer thinks that a competing restaurant sabotaged the listing. Earlier this year Bryan Seely went public, saying that he used to do ‘map jacking’ for profit but decided to go public in the hopes of getting a job at Google. As a publicity stunt, he managed to intercept calls to the FBI and Secret service by placing false contact information for them on Google Maps.

It is important to keep in mind that, for example, in the vacation rentals business where scams are quite common, the information in Google Maps may be correct, but when you arrive at your destination and knock on the door, you could discover that the person you wired your down-payment to does not own the property. No one wants that kind of thing to happen.

Imaginary road really exists!

Google Maps and Google Earth mapping data should always be treated like Wikipedia: an extremely useful resource, but not guaranteed to be correct.

The post Could a conman get false information into Google Maps or Google Earth? appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Since the early days of Google Earth, people have looked for ways to use it to enhance real estate searches and information. You can go all the way back to 2005 to see an example that Frank posted, and it was just a month ago that we showed you some great tools from Jason Fox.

There is a company called CityRealty that is doing some interesting things with Google Earth that we thought we’d take a look at. By using Google Earth’s 3D imagery, then laying information and photos on top of it, you end up with a pretty slick way to view a city.

It’s not as interactive as I’d like to see (you can click around the map, but the imagery is static), but it’s a great way to show off a city.

In their press release, Daniel Levy, President of CityRealty, explained the new site as follows:

“Looking for an apartment in New York City can be daunting, and our new site is designed to turn the housing search in the most complex real estate market in the world into a simple, streamlined experience for those looking to make New York home. It’s our hope that our new and improved online resources, coupled with our tailored agent recommendations, will seamlessly guide customers from the start of the search to the moment they get their keys.”

You can dig into their map of New York’s Lower East Side for a good example of how it works, or just start at CityRealty.com and dig in.

(via Inman)

The post Using Google Earth imagery in real estate guides appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

In British Columbia there is a proposal to build a new dam at “Site C” to help generate affordable clean energy to the region. It sounds like a wonderful idea, but with any project of this size there are certainly downsides to consider as well. In particular, according to this report(PDF):

The District of Hudson’s Hope, a community of 1,100 people in the heart of the Peace River Valley, will be impacted more than any other municipality by the proposed Site C dam.

The video below explores the project, hears from involved parties, and makes great use of Google Earth to add context to the area and some rough looks at what the result of the dam would look like.

Details on the project can be found at hudsonshope.ca, though their short-term focus (understandably) has shifted to wildfires in the area. You can also view this PDF or this article on Common Sense Canadian to learn more.

The post Exploring the possibilities of a new dam using Google Earth appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Frank Taylor here, still the publisher for Google Earth Blog. Five years ago I was deep in preparation for a 5+ year sailing expedition around the world, documenting the trip using Google Earth and other Google tools.  So, I needed to recruit someone to help write the Google Earth Blog (GEB). I was very fortunate I already knew the perfect candidate, Mickey Mellen, and he enthusiastically took on the job.  Mickey has done a fantastic job of continuing the GEB for nearly 5 years, and I couldn’t have been happier with his work. Fortunately for him, he also has an Internet services business that is taking off now. Unfortunately, this means he has to focus on the growing business and doesn’t have the time to continue writing the GEB.

We are 75% of the way around the world on our sailing expedition, but won’t be finishing the trip sooner than June of next year. So, the GEB needs a new writer for at least that long.

Here are the skills needed to be the primary writer of GEB (in order of priority):

• Google Earth enthusiast and expert user, english speaking/writing
• Familiarity with this blog and its content
• Willingness to respond to readers who ask for assistance, at least to refer them to proper sources of information
• Ability to grasp and write about the broad range of technologies using, or used by, Google Earth (GIS, science, 3D graphics, satellites, aerial photography, 3D modeling, etc.)
• Experience with blog writing, blogging tools and image processing helps
• US-based preferred
• Someone I know already a plus
• Willingness to improve GEB content quality a plus
• Ability to produce video demonstrations of Google Earth a plus

The writer will be paid based on a percentage of the revenues generated by ads on the web site. Please send me an E-mail (address at the bottom of this page) if you would like to apply. In your e-mail, present a case why you think you would be a good candidate for the job. Do not apply if you expect to be able to use GEB as an advertising platform for other products or services. Only apply if you think you can write the same kind of material as already appears in GEB. Links to your similar writings recommended.

The post Google Earth Blog Writer Needed appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

DigitalGlobe is one of the leading providers of satellite imagery for Google Earth, and now they’re teaming up with the World Resources Institute to track fires across southeast Asia via their new Global Forest Watch Fires system.

From an article by Yuchen Wu in the Boulder County Business Report:

Nigel Sizer, global director of the World Resource Institute’s Forests Program, said, “With DigitalGlobe’s imagery, you can see down to the individual tree level and even identify species. DigitalGlobe imagery is processed as color-infrared, enabling WRI to quickly distinguish between healthy and dead vegetation, draw burn area boundaries, and detect burn scars in order to assign accountability to the fires.”

It’s a great way to use DigitalGlobe’s impressive ability to capture imagery to make a difference in the world.

You can read more in that article in the Boulder County Business Report or visit fires.globalforestwatch.org.

The post DigitalGlobe helping to track forest fires appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Three years ago we showed you the very useful visualization that the city of Douglasville, Georgia created to show how new road construction would be laid out. It was a great use of Google Earth and made it very easy for people to see how things would be situated.

The folks at Site3D are doing similar work, taking drawing layers and overlaying them on Google Earth. Even better, their various drawing layers are imported as individual Google Earth layers so that you can toggle off individual layers as needed.

They also support taking Google Earth paths via KML and importing them back into the Site3D software.

To learn more about what they offer, check them out at site3d.co.uk. You can also read more about them on this post on Google+, which is how I found them.

The post Engineering road systems and housing developments using Google Earth appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Part of the business model of Google Earth has always been that free access to seeing all of the imagery helped raise the visibility of the satellite and aerial photography businesses.  But, if a business wants to use this imagery, they are supposed to purchase the imagery from the provider mentioned at the bottom of the Google Earth screen (see Google’s geo-permissions guide).

During the past 10 years of Google Earth and Maps development, Google has increasingly developed sources of their own imagery.  Everyone is familiar with their Street View imagery.   Google’s 3D cities (introduced in 2012) are developed using aerial imagery which they also make available in their maps. And, with the purchase of Skybox, Google will soon have their own satellite imagery.

Now Google is taking the next step.  Google has announced their imagery will be available for sale, initially to businesses in the US through their Google Maps for Business imagery program.  The imagery can be used in a variety of ways explained in the program materials, including Google Earth.  Interestingly, in what was perhaps a mistake that fortells the near future, they state they are selling “high-quality satellite photography” in the announcement – although I think they meant to say aerial photography.

It should be noted that using Google Earth historical imagery feature (introduced in 2009), businesses can also view alternative imagery available from other imagery businesses if they are available for their location.  So, although Google is now competing with these businesses, their competitors have equal visibility.

The post Google Begins Selling Their Own Imagery appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

We’ve talked about crime on here quite a lot over the years, many of which we discussed in this post last year.

Scott Dickson at Bair Analytics recently wrote a post that talks about some of the ways that he uses Google Earth to help with crime analysis. He talks about some great ways to use basic features, such as:

Another feature I use quite often is the “Show Ruler” tool. This tool allows you to measure distances on your maps. There are a number of criminal law penalty enhancements in Texas that increase penalties for offenses if they occur within a specified distance of a school. This tool allows you to easily determine just how close the offender was to that certain geographic feature.

He also talks about his bigger picture use of Earth:

Google Earth also makes it very easy to export your map as an image file that you can then drop into a report or presentation. I use this feature quite often when I create briefings on crime series or other types of bulletins. The old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words is true. By including maps in your presentations or briefings you can easily communicate geographic relationships. They also make your reports visually appealing.

It’s an excellent use of Google Earth, and it’s worth reading his full post at BairAnalytics.com to learn more.

The post Using Google Earth for crime analysis appeared first on Google Earth Blog.

Since the introduction of Google Earth nearly a decade ago, it has been a great tool for real estate agents. One of the earliest examples was when Trulia added Google Earth support for real estate searches back in 2006. We’ve also seen property visualizations, Re/Max using Google Earth and many others.

Thanks to improved tools in recent years, particularly related to embedding Google Earth on websites, we’ve seen many other amazing pieces come along. A great example is what some agents are doing with Google Earth’s Tour Builder. An example is this handy tour of a home, which shows a variety of amenities and stores nearby to help give potential buyers a solid understanding of the area.

A great explanation of how realtors can use the tool came from Jason Fox, a realtor who has build some himself. From Fox’s blog:

By utilizing the Google Earth Application you can easily zoom around your community, neighborhood, city, or county and place a pin on the location you would like to highlight. Then add up to 25 Photos or Videos, Description, Title, Pin Style, and pan and zoom into your highlighted area to capture what you want your audience to see.

Once you have completed your tour you can share it with your client with a link to opens the Tour of your community.

(via Inman News)

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