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Something Cool I Discovered on Google Maps

Vihzel

Vihzel

Destroying Balls Everyday
So I was searching my address in CA so I could get a photo of my house for a powerpoint presentation and when I clicked "Satellite" and zoomed in, the image actually went from an above-aerial view to a more angled "birds-eye" view. I've typed several other addresses in around the country and they all did the same thing but for other addresses, it didn't work. I tried to do it for my NYC address but understandably, there's no birds-eye as skyscrapers and other tall buildings would just get in the way.

Check it out! It was so exciting, yet creepy to me as I could see everything in my old neighbors' backyards. The clarity of the image was really surprising to me as I could actually see my dog in my backyard. lol He's white so he stood out against the grass.
 
I discovered that when I checked out a relative's house and could almost read the license plate on her car. I find it more intrusive than cool!
The phone also showed bags of trash by her side door, how embarrassing! She lives in a large city.

A little more resolution and her license plate will be clear soon enough. Then someone could potentially take a photo of her plate on the road, send it to google goggles or some other match-a-photo app that's developed and find out where she lives without the help of police. Whatever happened to privacy? Technology is moving faster than protective laws.

Where I live my house isn't very visible; low resolution aerial photo. And there are still places overseas where you can't zoom in much at all. But we all know better resolution is coming. I dread the "live feed," can you imagine, people will be googling and seeing if you're home, be able to see your car in the driveway, what you drive, etc.

Scary world evolving.
 
What would maps do if you painted or whatever an obscenity on the roof? It wouldn't be visible from the street. I don't mind some of the info - I don't use it, but I do dislike the assumption that I'd find it valuable. Bing's in the hosts file and firewall on all my computers.
 
Doit2it said:
Looks like Google is catching up to Bing. Bing Maps has had that for a year or so.
Click to expand...

I just tried it on Bing Maps and I found something surprising about Bing Maps... the satellite imagery hasn't been updated for at least 8 years. I'm actually seeing my house before we built our RV&boat garage and we built that in 2003. Google Maps's is about 1 1/2 years old.
 
UnplugMe said:
I discovered that when I checked out a relative's house and could almost read the license plate on her car. I find it more intrusive than cool!
The phone also showed bags of trash by her side door, how embarrassing! She lives in a large city.

A little more resolution and her license plate will be clear soon enough. Then someone could potentially take a photo of her plate on the road, send it to google goggles or some other match-a-photo app that's developed and find out where she lives without the help of police. Whatever happened to privacy? Technology is moving faster than protective laws.

Where I live my house isn't very visible; low resolution aerial photo. And there are still places overseas where you can't zoom in much at all. But we all know better resolution is coming. I dread the "live feed," can you imagine, people will be googling and seeing if you're home, be able to see your car in the driveway, what you drive, etc.

Scary world evolving.
Click to expand...

Just remember, the scariest people aren't the ones you don't know but the ones you already know.

I wouldn't worry about the internet maps so much. Those who want to do "creepy things" already have the ability to do it. (The quotes are due to the fact that some would feel law enforcement and military having that capability to be creepy and others may not. While other people really are just that creepy.) Whether they do it or not is up to their conscience and boredom level. What would be creepier? Someone looking over the internet or someone parked across the street or in a neighbor's house with binoculars?
 
If you thank what we have available on the internet is scary... just consider that our military's abilities make google maps look like primitive scratches on a stone.
 
I find Bing Maps shows how the place used to look about 8 years ago, and in this city a lot has changed in 8 years. Google Maps is more recent, probably last year and has a better resolution, can make out vehicles and buildings but not small things like people. No Street View, probably won't be for the foreseeable future.

BTW North Korea has a quite a good level of detail on Google Maps, but again no Street View.
 
;) I bet the government satellites have even better images of N. Korea ;)

Also, I agree that the potential for a bit of a privacy issue is possible, but I think restrictive laws are probably not the answer.
And, I don't think you'll have to worry about live feed. That'd require satellites all over the place. Unless, they let you view the few satellites that they have (don't know the exact number) in a relatively live stream.
 
UnplugMe said:
I discovered that when I checked out a relative's house and could almost read the license plate on her car. I find it more intrusive than cool!
The phone also showed bags of trash by her side door, how embarrassing! She lives in a large city.

A little more resolution and her license plate will be clear soon enough. Then someone could potentially take a photo of her plate on the road, send it to google goggles or some other match-a-photo app that's developed and find out where she lives without the help of police. Whatever happened to privacy? Technology is moving faster than protective laws.

Where I live my house isn't very visible; low resolution aerial photo. And there are still places overseas where you can't zoom in much at all. But we all know better resolution is coming. I dread the "live feed," can you imagine, people will be googling and seeing if you're home, be able to see your car in the driveway, what you drive, etc.

Scary world evolving.
Click to expand...

all plates are obscured on purpose fwiw, its a privacy thing
 
How are you getting the birds eye view to activate? haha I'm really dumb with this but I either have air view or street view, I don't see any angled air view :P

Also, if you go on some busy street in a big city such as New York and go in street view, Google blurs out the tag #'s.
 
mikedt said:
I find Bing Maps shows how the place used to look about 8 years ago, and in this city a lot has changed in 8 years. Google Maps is more recent, probably last year and has a better resolution, can make out vehicles and buildings but not small things like people. No Street View, probably won't be for the foreseeable future.

BTW North Korea has a quite a good level of detail on Google Maps, but again no Street View.
Click to expand...

Wow, I can't see anything in North Korea on Google Maps. That's crazy.
 
ALR350Z said:
How are you getting the birds eye view to activate? haha I'm really dumb with this but I either have air view or street view, I don't see any angled air view :P
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It seems to only happen with certain addresses. You just have to keep zooming in and if it changes view, then great! If not... then perhaps it's not available yet for your area or there are no plans for it to be available.
 
ALR350Z said:
How are you getting the birds eye view to activate?
Click to expand...
Yea, Google doesn't have it everywhere yet. Try zooming in over the Santa Monica Airport. That location has bird's eye view.

Vihzel said:
... the satellite imagery hasn't been updated for at least 8 years.
Click to expand...
And yes Google still seems to be more up to date on their sat/high altitude imagery that Bing. I know my sisters house (built 5 years ago) showed up on GMaps before Bing.
 
Gmaps has definitely heen doing this before bing. Th ey have people roaming streets with cameras snapping our streets. I think its great and useful, but license plate numbers should definitely be blurred.
 
Is this on the Google Maps app for android? I looked at the SM airport and it looks the same, the resolution plus zoom isn't good enough to read any text at all. Maybe they fixed it?
 
zuben el genub said:
What would maps do if you painted or whatever an obscenity on the roof? It wouldn't be visible from the street. I don't mind some of the info - I don't use it, but I do dislike the assumption that I'd find it valuable. Bing's in the hosts file and firewall on all my computers.
Click to expand...

Theyd probably smudge it like they do on some googlemap pics where licenseplate may be smudged and sometimes certain pedestrian faces are smeared..:D
 
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