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December 15, 2008

New Google Earth Imagery December 2008

[UPDATE 16-Jan-2009: This update also included updates to the 3D terrain data Google uses from NASA SRTM. The update reportedly fixed gaps or issues for many coasts and remote islands around the world. Some countries and regions (like the US and Switzerland) have higher resolution terrain from other sources.]

[UPDATE 0800 17-Dec: Google released the details on the imagery update here. But, you may find the GEB-reader-generated list below more interesting.]

Last night Google pushed out some new imagery for Google Earth. Unfortunately I had just arrived from sailing a boat down from North Carolina to St. Marys, Georgia - and the marina didn't have Internet. So, I had to wait until this morning to get to an Internet connection. Anyway, I got a tip from Mickey at Digital Earth Blog who reported last night about the update. According to Mickey's report (and confirmed by some GEB readers), below are places with new imagery (I will update this list as more details come in).

New imagery location list:

  • New York City - thanks Dave

  • Dubai - thanks Dave

  • Christchurch, New Zealand - thanks Dave

  • Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa

  • Australia - It appears the imagery for this continent has been processed so it looks more color/light consistent. The country no longer looks like a "zebra" with strips of different colored imagery.

  • Chennai, India - thanks Navneeth

  • Montevideo, Uruguay - thanks novolo

  • Budapest, Hungary - thanks several readers

  • Sao Paulo - thanks AKB

  • Italy:Perugia,Lucera, Foggia, Parma - thanks kecker, and Rene73

  • Baku, Azerbaijan - Thanks Rene73

  • Isle of Ibiza, Spain

  • Sofia, Bulgaria - thanks Rene73

  • Aman, Jordan - thanks Rene73

  • Kiew, Ukraine - thanks Rene73

  • Teheran, Iran - thanks Rene73

  • Ashgabat, Tukmenistan - thanks Rene73

  • Islamabad, Pakistan - thanks Rene73

  • Many places in eastern China - thanks Frank

  • Honolulu, Hawaii - thanks Bartman

  • Anchorage, Alaska - thanks Brian

  • Washtenaw County, Michigan - thanks Roy

  • Nicosia, Cyprus - thanks Vangelis

  • East Havana, Cuba - thanks hmngr06

[UPDATE: Google posted their "quiz" game with hints to locations with new imagery. Here are the answers from GEB readers:

  1. Isola di Ponza, Italy - thanks Mike
  2. Rabaul, PNG - thanks to Bartman and Mike
  3. Hamilton Island, Australia - thanks Bartman
  4. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific,Oahu, USA - thanks Mike

You can tell whether suspected imagery is new by comparing the location with Google Maps. The Google Maps imagery database will be updated with this new imagery in a few days. Simply click on the "View in Google Maps" button in the upper middle of Google Earth to see the same location in GM.

Posted by FrankTaylor at December 15, 2008 9:52 AM

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Comments

All of Australia is now available in HighRes. :-)

Posted by: toler at December 15, 2008 10:33 AM

Definitely certain parts of Chennai, India have new imagery. The previous set showing construction happening (in 2005) near my house, currently available in Maps, has been changed to imagery from last year, with the aforementioned constructions completed. Even the colour is a lot better.

Posted by: Navneeth at December 15, 2008 10:35 AM

There's no new hi-res in my neck of the woods (Philippines).

Can anybody confirm if Google Maps was also updated? I've gotten the "sorry" tiles in Google Maps late last week and I've sort of equated it with the map tiles getting an update.

Posted by: Eugene at December 15, 2008 10:42 AM

theres new imagery in Montevideo, Uruguay too....

Posted by: novolo at December 15, 2008 11:02 AM

budapest(hungary) has also a new imagery

Posted by: david at December 15, 2008 11:05 AM

Budapest has been updated

Posted by: AKB at December 15, 2008 11:14 AM

2008 imagery for Sao Paulo

Posted by: AKB at December 15, 2008 11:25 AM

^Italy:Perugia,Lucera, and Foggia are in high res now

Posted by: kecker at December 15, 2008 11:48 AM

entire isle of ibiza in high res now

Posted by: kecker at December 15, 2008 12:07 PM

- Foggia, Italien
- Lucera, Italien
- Perugia, Italien
- Johannesburg, Südafrika
- Durban, Südafrika
- Parma, Italien
- Sofia, Bulgarien
- Bukarest, Rumänien
- Riadh, Saudi-Arabien
- Kuwait-Stadt, Kuwait
- Sana'a, Jemen
- Amman, Jordanien
- Baky, Aserbaidschan
- Kiew, Ukraine
- Teheran, Iran
- Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
- Islamabad, Pakistan

Posted by: Rene73 at December 15, 2008 1:00 PM

Budapest, Hungary also got updated imagery.

Posted by: Bergamot at December 15, 2008 1:13 PM

Not overly impressive - and can't spot any improvements on a quick trip around the areas of Europe where coverage is inadequate.

Perhaps Street View is absorbing GE energies.

Posted by: chris at December 15, 2008 3:53 PM

The Volcano is Mount Tavurvur near Rabaul Papua New Guinea.The Island with the Airstrip is Hamilton Island Australia

Posted by: bartman at December 15, 2008 3:56 PM

honululu hawaii also updated

Posted by: bartman at December 15, 2008 4:02 PM

Dubai wow... It looks terrific! Although I wished the images were of 2008. They are actually May 1,2006.

Posted by: Edi at December 15, 2008 4:12 PM

I think Anchorage, Alaska was updated as well. At least, the last time I looked it (and that was just a couple of weeks ago) was dated 2002, and now it's 2006. unfortunately, the new imagery seems a little lower resolution than before (still not bad, though). I'm not sure if this is from this update though, as Google Maps has the same images-maybe they updated early.

Posted by: Brian deZeeuw at December 15, 2008 4:54 PM

Long Island (most of it anyway)

Washtenaw County, Michigan

Posted by: Roy at December 15, 2008 5:37 PM

Dubai has been updated on GM already. Maybe all the GE imagery already has been updated on maps as well.

Solutions to the Where in the world game (LatLongblog's game to announce new imagery):
1)Isola di Ponza, Italy
2)Rabaul, PNG
3)New Hebrides ??
4)National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific,Oahu, USA

Posted by: Mike at December 15, 2008 7:26 PM

What if the GM imagery is newer than GE. What happens with that?

Posted by: John at December 15, 2008 11:12 PM

Nicosia, Cyprus
Imagery updated

Posted by: Vangelis at December 16, 2008 2:41 AM

Ibiza is in SPAIN, not in Italy!

Posted by: maxxer at December 16, 2008 6:17 AM

I am pretty sure that Ibiza is in Spain not Italy :-)

Posted by: Gauvain at December 16, 2008 7:32 AM

Ibiza island is in Spain, not in Italy.

Posted by: David at December 16, 2008 9:03 AM

I hope Bali will update soon. Cause many people and business man using google map to finding their property and tourism information.

Posted by: Busby SEO Test at December 16, 2008 12:57 PM

The imagery in the east of Havana Cuba was also updated...

Posted by: hmngr06 at December 16, 2008 12:58 PM

Yes Christchurch NZ has new imagery .. but hardly an update .. the imagery is very muddy and of a lesser resolution, and is older than what was previous .. what are google up too???

Posted by: ZNO at December 16, 2008 2:04 PM

Makkah (Mecca), Saudi Arabia has been updated

Posted by: Alsay at December 16, 2008 3:10 PM

Tavurvur　(stratovolcano near Rabaul in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea)
-4.23916,152.209732

Posted by: Hashimoto tomio at December 16, 2008 6:01 PM

Yes, they updated the northern parts of Johannesburg. Very cool of them!

Posted by: Stefan at December 17, 2008 1:59 AM

Still most of Scotland has very poor images. We must have pissed someone off

Posted by: Steven Powell at December 17, 2008 8:38 AM

Part of Cebu City,Philippines has been updated

Posted by: Mike at December 17, 2008 10:53 AM

Poor coverage of Scotland - can any GE blog reader name any other town in the world with a population of 20k like Peterhead in NE Scotland completely obscured by cloud on GE and Maps?

Posted by: chris at December 18, 2008 3:42 PM

Any idea when the UK will be covered by street view; and the restof France?

Posted by: Andrew at December 19, 2008 12:37 AM

East Kilbride, population over 60k, just a brown blob.

Posted by: steven powell at December 30, 2008 4:34 AM

I'm in Christchurch. In the new imagery my house is covered by a big white cloud! How can I access the old satellite images again?

Posted by: Bev at December 30, 2008 9:00 PM

Why is the Los Angeles area blocked out ? My laptop does not block it out....! I've re-downloaded twice... still blocked out...
Suggestions...........?
Forrest

Posted by: Forrest at January 13, 2009 11:30 PM

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