It appears that Google has just pushed out a new imagery update! Thanks to GEB readers ‘Z C’, ‘Munden’ and ‘HGy’ for being the first to let us know about it.
As is often the case, you can use Google Maps to determine for sure whether or not a specific area is fresh. This new imagery isn’t in Google Maps yet, so you can compare Earth vs. Maps to see what’s new; the fresh imagery is already in Google Earth, but the old imagery is still in Google Maps. If you compare the two side-by-side and they’re not identical, that means that you’ve found a freshly updated area in Google Earth!
We’re not sure of all of the updated areas yet, but here are a few that some readers have found:
- Belize: Belize City, Xunantich
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo
- China: Shanghai
- Croatia: Zagreb
- Estonia: Lake Vortsjarve
- India: Visakhapatnam
- Israel: East of Arad
- Japan: Fuji, Mt Fuji, Numazu, Ishinomaki, Sendai, Shiogama, Onahama, Ibaraki, Kesennuma, Kamaishi, Miyako, Kuji, Hachinohe, Osaki, Futaba
- United States: Arizona (Phoenix), Florida (Homestead, Lakeland, Miami, Orlando, West Palm Beach), Georgia (Smyrna), Kansas (Salina, Wichita), New Mexico (Albuquerque), Wyoming (Devil’s Tower)
If you find any other updated areas, please leave a comment and let us know!
About Mickey Mellen
Mickey has been using Google Earth since it was released in 2005, and has created a variety of geo-related sites including Google Earth Hacks. He runs a web design firm in Marietta, GA, where he lives with his wife and two kids.
Tecuci and Mărăşeşti, Romania.
This is the third update of imagery reported on GEB since Google last sent out an imagery update KML (27 February). Should we assume that Google have discontinued these useful KMLs?
For last imagery in 29 april 2014
http://mapsengine.google.com/gallery/mapviewer?id=z4f-ZuCLmiKg.kz3qtKM-Oia4&hl=ru
Many thanks – so the updates are now available through (this more generic page) the Google Maps Gallery
http://maps.google.com/gallery/details?id=z4f-ZuCLmiKg.kz3qtKM-Oia4
and it seems that KMLs are no longer being sent out automatically on request to appear in the ‘my places’ section of layers. However, a KML version of an update (most recent only?) can be downloaded from the Gallery. It loads with any existing update KML in ‘my places’, so uncheck the older stuff to see only the outlines of the new imagery.
Thus it seems that it will be a matter of checking the Gallery from now on once the eagle eyed readers of GEB have spotted some new imagery.
But wouldn’t it have been possible for a multi $ billion corporation to find the resource to publish news of this change, say in the LatLong blog?
Browsing Earth through this new KLM is not a good experience – it seems like Maps has been roughly pasted onto Earth – whereas the previous KLMs could be left on in ‘my places’ in the background with no obvious effect as Earth was browsed. Another sign of low priority for Earth?
Assab, Erirea.
Brazzaville, Rep. Congo
Kinshasa, D.R. Congo
Banjul, Gambia
Pyongyang, North Korea
Ukraine: Kotelva, Popilna
In Albania:
1) Lushnjë, Rrogozhinë, Peqin (7/30/2013);
2) Krujë, Burrel, Rubik, Rrëshen, Reps, Kurbnesh (9/21/2013).
Caribbean:
Fort-de-France Bay, Martinique
St. Georges, Grenada
Grand Anse, Guadeloupe
Plymouth, Montserrat
St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
Marigot, St Martin
Charlotte Amalie, USVI (world’s largest cruise ship can be seen here)
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Area NW of Trebnje, Slovenia
Sliven,, Bulgaria, has new imagery dated April 22, 2014, but poor resolution
Fresno, CA has been updated
Lima, Peru
Ukraine: Piryatyn, Okhtyrka, Lebedyn
CARACAS, Venezuela (08/04/2014)
The cities of Evansville, Henderson and Owensboro have new 2014 imagery.
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Ganaur , District Sonepat , Haryana, India . updated 19th May, 2014
This update, with a 17 May date, is now available in the Google Maps gallery here
http://maps.google.com/gallery/details?id=z4f-ZuCLmiKg.kz3qtKM-Oia4
and a KML to view the update in Earth can also be downloaded (see comments above).
The map shows a striking absence of updates in western and southern Europe.
It is the same URL as the previous update. Which means that older updates cannot be seen anymore through this site….
An important point, thanks. The Google Map with the latest updates replaces the previous one in the Gallery, and Google have fixed it so that the downloaded KML of the 29 April is also replaced by the latest KML! So presumably there is no way of keeping the downloaded KMLs.
Without any sort of announcement or explanation Google have affronted dedicated and expert Google Earth users – a small step may be, but utterly typical of their contempt for their customers.
Not only that, but the KML has no similarity with the previous method. It’s just a global overlay (and a poor one).
Besides that, it can only be used in GE7+. As GE7 is a downgrade from GE6.2, both in IQ and performance, I won’t be using this KML anytime soon…
Every Google product is being ruined nowadays, isn’t it?
It often seems that way, but the outlines of the only new areas of updates in France and Germany do fit the new imagery very precisely when viewed through the KML, and the images are of high quality. But have not checked elsewhere, and viewing Earth via the KML is still not a good experience.
Maybe I missed it being metioned here, but I noticed something strange while using the “new-type” KML: when I have the red update-outlines visible (the KML active), the imagery dates are not displayed. When I make the KML inactive (unchecked) the imagery dates are displayed as they should. Anyone else has this problem too?
One more opened door has been closed. Google like ALL others majors of information technology is collapsing on itself. Trampling over its devoted users and all advanced tools they could build and provide to the community. The reason for that is simple: MONEY
Delyan, near Breznik, Bulgaria. Imagery from 03/23/2014. The previous imagery was from Sept. 2012. Now there is a big new house on Pisatel Spas Antonov Street in Delyan.
When will they update the town Kidderminster?