Google Updates Maps and Earth Apps
BrittanyHandler
News
Look who just got a makeover!
Google Maps and Google Earth now contain sharper and more detailed images because of its updated applications from NASA’s Landsat 8 Satellite company. The last time imagery was updated was in 2013. At that time, Google was using photographs captured by a less capable Landsat 7 satellite which experienced hardware failure in 2003. Due to this hardware, some portions of the earth had gaps of missing data.
Google engineers have now given their users a better view by removing all the clouds and other weather conditions and by introducing higher resolution photographs. Less clouds = less blurry images. This new software is able to provide a much better experience because of its ability to capture more sharp images with greater detail. Other capabilities include capturing exact colors and frequency. Now, Landsat 8 snaps twice as many images as the Landsat 7 did each day.
After you take a look at this Before and After, go take a tour of your own neighborhood, your state, or even a different country!
For previous Teq blog posts about Google Earth and what you can do with it in your classroom, check out the links below!
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