Google is not flying over the area itself right? perhaps they where using source maps with some sort of license agreement and the license expired, or there was a dispute.
It seems to me that it is in the favor of Google to gather the most up-to date maps, even if they can offer them in a limited window.
I wonder if the same is true for Google Earth, since I believe that uses higher quality / different maps in a lot of area's. (don't have it so I can't check)
Not entirely related, but Google Maps is still showing satellite images from 5 years ago in Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, and it's not even updated once a year. I don't get it.
In Germany it seems to have moved to the 3D photogrammetry data for anything with pixel sizes smaller than a car; is that maybe also the case for Paris?
I do understand that it's sad they don't calculate orthographic images from that to replace their satellite views in these areas though; full 3D is severely more resource intensive on the client after all.
Visited Lisboa last summer, the building where I booked an apartment was not even there in Google Maps, satellite image data was showing a leveled site with some dumpsters.
Just checked and the images are still the same old ones...
I've been finding a lot of ~5 year old satellite and street view data. It's only anecdotal, but it seems like Google is not updating their imagery as often as they used to.
I wonder if there actually does exist updated to-the-minute imagery of various places, just not from sources publicly available on platforms like Google Maps?
Yes, you can buy it from commercial providers like Planet or even Airbus. They update a few times a day, though depending on the place you are interested in, you may need to put in a request for them to image it.
Its actually not that difficult. I used to fly a satellite that could photograph anywhere in the world at least once every few days.
It must be quite valuable data. One anecdote I heard/read somewhere was that firms often use satellite imagery of parking lots (over time, as one measure among others) to gauge how popular a place is. I don't know if it's true or not.
They have the resources to spend (to them) a small amount to confirm/check a play before they make it, it's been a thing since commercial satellite imaging became a thing.
Hell the (somewhat terrible but somehow enjoyable) TV show Billions had it as a plot point years ago.
Similarly, I listened to a talk from someone who used to perform analysis of aerial images of farmland to estimate yields at harvest, which would then be used to trade in the futures market.
For Epstein island the US government has scrubbed/redated large periods of historic satellite imagery in order to hide construction of underground structures on each corner of the island. Chinese equivalents of Google earth offer clear images of different construction stages that the "US Coast Guard" prefers to hide.
If you check different satellite imagery providers it's always interesting to see what time periods are even available (paid or free), and if the imagery from an earlier date has been re-labeled to suggest it was taken at a later date.
It seems to me that it is in the favor of Google to gather the most up-to date maps, even if they can offer them in a limited window.
I wonder if the same is true for Google Earth, since I believe that uses higher quality / different maps in a lot of area's. (don't have it so I can't check)
I do understand that it's sad they don't calculate orthographic images from that to replace their satellite views in these areas though; full 3D is severely more resource intensive on the client after all.
Visited Lisboa last summer, the building where I booked an apartment was not even there in Google Maps, satellite image data was showing a leveled site with some dumpsters.
Just checked and the images are still the same old ones...
Its actually not that difficult. I used to fly a satellite that could photograph anywhere in the world at least once every few days.
https://www.financial-news.co.uk/how-hedge-funds-are-using-s...
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/10/investing/hedge-fund-dron...
They have the resources to spend (to them) a small amount to confirm/check a play before they make it, it's been a thing since commercial satellite imaging became a thing.
Hell the (somewhat terrible but somehow enjoyable) TV show Billions had it as a plot point years ago.
For Epstein island the US government has scrubbed/redated large periods of historic satellite imagery in order to hide construction of underground structures on each corner of the island. Chinese equivalents of Google earth offer clear images of different construction stages that the "US Coast Guard" prefers to hide.
If you check different satellite imagery providers it's always interesting to see what time periods are even available (paid or free), and if the imagery from an earlier date has been re-labeled to suggest it was taken at a later date.