We have recently been looking at our map created from the Google Maps API’s Maximum Zoom data:
Google Maps API Maximum Zoom – Part 1: Data collection
Google Maps API Maximum Zoom – Part 2: Overview
Google Maps API Maximum Zoom – Part 3: Starting on a more detailed look
Google Maps API Maximum Zoom – Part 4: Continuing the detailed look
Google Maps API Maximum Zoom – Part 5: A detailed look – the Americas
As we have mentioned before, the maximum zoom available in Google Maps varies between 7 and 22. However, if we correct for the magnification at the poles, the minimum becomes 9. Below you can see samples of imagery at some of the zoom levels. We have skipped over a few levels either due to lack of imagery, or because they are too close to see much difference. Note the scale on each image.
We have corrected for the magnification at the poles and then separated out each zoom level into its own overlay, so if say you want to find all Landsat imagery (Zoom level 16) then you can display just that.
To view the overlays in Google Earth, download this KML file
When looking at the highest zoom level our map only picked up very high resolution imagery in Europe. However, this is partly because our survey was not fine enough to pick up small patches of high resolution, such as:
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An image taken by Frank of the X-Prize cup in Las Cruces, New Mexico
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A large number of images in Africa captured as part of National Geographic’s “Africa Megaflyover”
About Timothy Whitehead
Timothy has been using Google Earth since 2004 when it was still called Keyhole before it was renamed Google Earth in 2005 and has been a huge fan ever since. He is a programmer working for Red Wing Aerobatx and lives in Cape Town, South Africa.