The Secrets of Google Maps

[Moonliner]

Interesting...

I was playing around with google maps (http://maps.google.com) today when I noticed something interesting. Looking around downtown Washington, DC they have removed details from the white house, capitol and several other buildings.

Has anyone else run across an area that has been tampered with?

[DisneyFan25863]

Yeah, Looks like someone opened the Sat. Picture in Paint and brushed over the tops of the bulidings. Wonder if they did the same thing over Area 51 or other military bases.....

[Ghoulish Delight]

Surprisingly, even though the normal map shows just gray blobs with no roads, the satelite images of Miramar and Pendleton seem un-doctored.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Cool site.

I looked up EPCOT Center--you can see all of Future World and what I'm pretty sure it cast parking, but the back part of World Showcase is blurred and the map gets cut off. I zoomed out, and it looks like that picture is just really blurry. Intentional?

[€uroMeinke]

Cool site.

I looked up EPCOT Center--you can see all of Future World and what I'm pretty sure it cast parking, but the back part of World Showcase is blurred and the map gets cut off. I zoomed out, and it looks like that picture is just really blurry. Intentional?

That's where the nuclear reactor is

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I grew up not too far from an airport on Long Island. It, along with some of the surrounding town is completely blocked out. I have to assume that it is for security reasons, although it does seem odd that Mirimar and Pendleton would not be blocked, if that were the case.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Many of the photos are old. I know the ones around our home and my work are about 2 years old, based on what's under construction. Was anything built recently in that area of the World Showcase? Perhaps it was taken during construction and Disney requested the photo be obscured at the time it was taken.

[DisneyFan25863]

The photo of my area is at least 3 years old as well, because my school in the picture is still a farm :D

[jdramj]

We weren't home when our picture was taken...there were no vehicles in the driveway. Our Deck and patio cover are there so it's from 2000 or later.

I can see that there was a motorcross at Anaheim Stadium and the shadows are somewhat long so it's an late afternoon shortly before baseball season...also it was a weekend because of the lack of cars at my DH's workplace.

My son's new school building looks like it was finished, but my daughters preschool is an empty lot, so that means the picture is from Feb or March 2003. At least it is my best guess, anyways.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yep, that was my estimate too. The building for the Albertsons on the corner was complete, but the parking lot was still dirt. That Albertsons opened in May of '03, so Feb. or March is about right.

[jdramj]

Yes well, it does show that I actually live accross the street from my own house.....oh well!

[TheatreTech]

Yes well, it does show that I actually live accross the street from my own house.....oh well!

It did that for me as well.

[Prudence]

Yes well, it does show that I actually live accross the street from my own house.....oh well!

You mean you're in the wrong house? How embarrassing!

[Moonliner]

Say does anyone have a street address for Area-51? :)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well, if you put in "rachel, nv" and then move over a few screens due west, you'll see a big white dry lake bed. That's Groom Lake, and Area 51. You can make out the air strip and buildings, but it won't let you zoom any closer than the 4th closest anywhere in that region.

[BarTopDancer]

The photos of my parents house were taken on a weekend given the high school parking lot is a ghost town.There are no shadows. It was taken before construction on the old Huntington Center was started, so I'd say 03 is about right.

You can clearly see the airstation on Camp Pendelton.

[Ghoulish Delight]

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ft/2005/ft050421.gif

[jdramj]

You mean you're in the wrong house? How embarrassing!


Actually that would suck...our house is soooooo much nicer than our neighbor's accross the street. We have a big spacious add on and such (I'm not really judging the neighbor's house any other way...honest!)

[€uroMeinke]

I recall there being some satelite imagry service based out of Russia, that had great pics of the nevada Test site - lot's of bomb craters. I bet you can still get unblurred pics from them.

[jdramj]

Here, try this website: sattelite view (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/default.aspx)

The zoom is better and the picture of my house is from 3-2004. It tells an actual date of the picture. Although it also says I live accross the street from my house.

[Not Afraid]

Much better view! Mine says it was taken 3/29/04 but it looks like my Mercedes in the driveway and not my Volvo - and I got the Mercedes on July 2004. It IS after our roof was re-done. It's so bright and white!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well, that site has us living in the rental office. Cool, lots of room in there. It was taken on a Monday, so the parking lot is eeeeempty. Of course, I was unemployed at the time, so my car's probably sitting under the carport.

[Moonliner]

Here, try this website: sattelite view (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/default.aspx)

The zoom is better and the picture of my house is from 3-2004. It tells an actual date of the picture. Although it also says I live accross the street from my house.

Again, Interesting. Terraserver has the exact same blockage around DC as google maps.

It kind of makes me want to go scanning around the map to see if I can find other "protected" map sections.

It's also interesting that the supreme court and library of congress are not covered up. Just the capitol and house/senate office buildings. I guess judges are not as important as senators.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Much better view! Mine says it was taken 3/29/04 but it looks like my Mercedes in the driveway and not my Volvo - and I got the Mercedes on July 2004. Not quite, you got yours at the end of may, just after my car burst into flames. But that's still after 3/29.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Again, Interesting. Terraserver has the exact same blockage around DC as google maps.

It kind of makes me want to go scanning around the map to see if I can find other "protected" map sections.
Heh, try the "Rachel, NV" trick on that one...the world apparantly ends just west of Rachel, Nevada.

[Moonliner]

Hey I got one...

Let's see who's the first to "guess the secret facility!"

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington+dc&ll=38.921181,-77.067279&spn=0.008004,0.010439&t=k&hl=en

[Not Afraid]

It's a Crop Circle! ;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Pentagon?

[Moonliner]

Pentagon?

Nope!

and no fair looking at the street map...

[Moonliner]

Here is another one.

It's a bit more subtile, but also easier (I think)

Secret Place #2 (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=new+york+city&ll=40.689465,-74.044536&spn=0.008004,0.010439&t=k&hl=en)

[Moonliner]

Pentagon?


Ps... (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington+dc&ll=38.870981,-77.056067&spn=0.005010,0.006920&t=k&hl=en)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wow, that one is easy...but why the need to remove her?

[Moonliner]

Wow, that one is easy...but why the need to remove her?

Symbolic of the death of liberty in the US?

[Moonliner]

I promise, this is my LAST post about weird google maps stuff..... :evil:

How curious that

Site-A (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington+dc&ll=38.870981,-77.056067&spn=0.005010,0.006920&t=k&hl=en) and Site-B (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=anaheim,+ca&ll=33.812195,-117.918845&spn=0.008004,0.010439&t=k&hl=en) seem to be almost exactly the same size.

Coicidence? Perhaps, but then again... ;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

I promise, this is my LAST post about weird google maps stuff..... :evil:

How curious that

Site-A (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=washington+dc&ll=38.870981,-77.056067&spn=0.005010,0.006920&t=k&hl=en) and Site-B (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=anaheim,+ca&ll=33.812195,-117.918845&spn=0.008004,0.010439&t=k&hl=en) seem to be almost exactly the same size.

Coicidence? Perhaps, but then again... ;)
Pssst, your zooms didn't match. Site B is quite a bit bigger when you're at the same zoom level.

[BarTopDancer]

Here, try this website: sattelite view (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/default.aspx)

The zoom is better and the picture of my house is from 3-2004. It tells an actual date of the picture. Although it also says I live accross the street from my house.

Terraserver says my parents house is about 7 houses to the right and and across a street of where it actually is.

[€uroMeinke]

Terraserver says my parents house is about 7 houses to the right and and across a street of where it actually is.

Continental Drift

[mousepod]

The terraserver shots are (generally) terrific! We just wasted about 20 minutes at work putting in everyone's address (and their childhood address, and their best friends' address, and their relatives address...)

Wanted to check out my old place in NYC and the pics are 10 years old and pretty crappy, though.

[TheatreTech]

The difference in the zoom between the two sites is huge.

Google (http://maps.google.com/) and TerraServer (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=8&Z=11&X=8298&Y=74833&W=1&qs=1313+harbor+blvd.%7canaheim%7ccalifornia%7c&Addr=1313+S+Harbor+Blvd%2c+Anaheim%2c+CA+92802&ALon=-117.9153613&ALat=33.8139921)

EDIT: Well, the Google site doesn't link directly to a picture, but use the Hub as an example. (Assuming we've all looked up Disneyland already.)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Yes, but TerraServer doesn't have the clicky-draggy interface.

[jdramj]

Yes, but TerraServer doesn't have the clicky-draggy interface.

Is that a technical term you're using there?


You can at least click on an item in the picture and it kind of centers it and if you're not zoomed in to the max, it zooms in one level.

I wish they could have taken the picture of our house after our backyard was done. Instead I just see dirt.

[Kevy Baby]

It looks like they have modified Google Maps so that you can't zoom in as close as you used to be able to.

[€uroMeinke]

It looks like they have modified Google Maps so that you can't zoom in as close as you used to be able to.

I guess the terrorists will just have to use bombs with larger blast zones

[BarTopDancer]

I was taken on a satalitte map tour of Camp Pendelton from the back gate to the air station this weekned. Barracks, stores, clubs, offices, full roads, even an airstrip full of helicoppers. Rather disturbing.

[wendybeth]

Our map looks older, and doesn't get enough resolution to view individual homes, etc. We're not too far from a major SAC base, so I wonder if it's not as clear as others for a reason...... We're also a little podunk town, so it could be that as well.:rolleyes:

[DisneyFan25863]

What is This (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.748651,-80.189370&spn=0.0,0.0&t=k ) ?

UFO Perhaps

[Ghoulish Delight]

It's a cloud. I forget what they're called, but airplane piolts hate those kinds of clouds because they form at points where updrafts and downdrafts meet.

[DisneyFan25863]

It's a cloud. I forget what they're called, but airplane piolts hate those kinds of clouds because they form at points where updrafts and downdrafts meet.


UFO! :hums loudly:

[Not Afraid]

No. It's just HTHBellCaptain's house.

[€uroMeinke]

I think it's just a Nuc going off - nothing to be alarmed about

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think I see the Pope's face in it.

[Tref]

After six pages I note a serious lack of actual Google Map secrets, so here is one you may not know.

If you type "Pirate's Treasure" in the Google Maps search field, you'll get a topographical* view of the tattoo on Blackbeards head! According to Google the treasure is buried only 2.0 miles from a Ramada Inn and 5.7 miles from an area described by Google as being inhabited by "dragons"!

Good Heavens!

[Tref]

Google Maps biggest secret revealed!

It's gay!

[wendybeth]

Oh, puhlease! That's the worst kept secret around. I mean, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?:rolleyes:

Here is another Google secret:

Maps are boring.

[Tref]

Oh, puhlease! That's the worst kept secret around. I mean, it's pretty obvious, isn't it

HMMPH! Why do I always hear these things last? I am so out of the loop.

Here is another Google secret:

Maps are boring.

Ever been lost? Maps are not so boring then, are they? Huh. I don't think so. Maps are fine. SomedayIamgoingtomakethemmine.

[wendybeth]

Well, I am a hairdresser, you know. We tend to get all the gossip before it hits mainstream.

(Women don't need maps. We have this unique ability to actually stop and ask for directions. Men do not have this particular gene.)

[Tref]

Well, I am a hairdresser, you know. We tend to get all the gossip before it hits mainstream.

Then you might know the biggest secret of them all -- how does Googlemaps keep its hair so shiny and manageable?

[wendybeth]

Then you might know the biggest secret of them all -- how does Googlemaps keep its hair so shiny and manageable?

I hear Google hangs out at Supercuts, but a friend of a friends nephew's brother's babysitter gets her hair done in my shop, and she swears it's:

Suave

:rolleyes:

[Moonliner]

After six pages I note a serious lack of actual Google Map secrets, so here is one you may not know.

If you type "Pirate's Treasure" in the Google Maps search field, you'll get a topographical* view of the tattoo on Blackbeards head! According to Google the treasure is buried only 2.0 miles from a Ramada Inn and 5.7 miles from an area described by Google as being inhabited by "dragons"!

Good Heavens!

"Pirate Treasure" returned an error, but then I tried "buried treasure (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=buried+treasure&ll=37.196400,-95.719700&sll=37.062500,-95.677068&spn=0.064030,0.083513&sspn=46.625000,78.810993&t=k&hl=en)"...... Inquiring minds want to know...

[Cadaverous Pallor]

"Pirate Treasure" returned an error, but then I tried "buried treasure (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=buried+treasure&ll=37.196400,-95.719700&sll=37.062500,-95.677068&spn=0.064030,0.083513&sspn=46.625000,78.810993&t=k&hl=en)"...... Inquiring minds want to know...Psst, Mooney - Tref was pulling your landing gear. ;)

But yeah....what is that?