Why maps are so clear in some countries and not clear in other countries… And why there is apps and services not available in some countries… And when and how google map Update his maps…
Thank you
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The blurry satellite and aerial photos on Google Maps are in some places of very low quality because the local authorities have forbidden Google to share high res photos for security purposes. The notion is that fewer high res images might prevent terrorism. I don’t know if that is always correct.
Also, in many places, satellite photos are replaced/supplemented with aerial photos from airplanes which have much better resolution when we zoom in.
I like it when I’m able to recognize our car in Google Maps!
Cheers
Morten
PS: In Germany, Streetview photos are forbidden to protect privacy.
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In addition to what MortenCopenhagen said, there is also the factor of update frequency along with data availability.
In some areas with low amount of population (such as Antarctica or the heart of tropical forests) imagery is almost never updated because it is not worth it for Google to pay for this data. Sometimes only a very low resolution will be available, barely allowing to see where are the roads. Remember Google’s main source of income is our data, if nobody is around to provide data then Google won’t invest there as they have to buy satellite data from other companies such as Maxar (Google doesn’t own any satellite).
Depending of the area data may also be rare as satellites won’t necessarily picture some area. Again it is usually areas with no population and where terrain doesn’t evolve too much due to the lack of human activity. Each satellite can only work where it goes, depending of its orbit. Time usage is another main factor: you can’t slow down a satellite to give it more time taking pictures of a specific area and satellites that always stay above the same point of Earth (geostationary orbit) are very far away from the surface (around 36,000km) so they can only take pictures of the whole planet at best.
To know where Google updated satellite imagery you can follow this link to open Google Earth with the update layer. Highlighted areas in yellow are where Google acquired new data. Note that the imagery won’t be always very new as the obtained data can be a few months, even more than one year older.
Interesting note: If you check the link right now you can notice Google updated imagery in the whole territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As one of the most populous countries of Africa we can imagine Google is interested by its potential.
As for other services, reasons can be multiple: language support, local laws and restrictions, lack of information (for example to verify edits)…
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Some countries are affected by embargos and security constraints @Saddambelouettar which is something outside the control of Google.
Paul
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- @L-C
- Thank you very much for this information, but what I liked most about your response was the point of selling data to users, which was a big problem for me and I even started deleting the pictures and looked for a way to cancel my account … But I discussed the issue well with people with knowledge and I backed away from my decision … Can you explain more about the point of sale of data to companies and some security agencies, and thank you very much