Google wants better pictures, partners for GeoEye-1
Sep 8, 2008 Search Engines
If Google hadn’t already converted a whack of internet denizens into big brother conspiracy theorists, it might just finish things off by forcibly pushing fence-sitters into wearing tin foil hats. Using Nasa’s base near Mountain View, sinking optical fibre into the Pacific Ocean, and bidding for wireless frequencies were all big stories that more or less made reasonable business investment sense, but c’mon - launching a satellite into space?
There is a little product Google has that might benefit from the availability of higher resolution satellite imagery, called Google Maps and Google Earth. However, do you really need resolving power capable of distinguishing objects as small as 16 inches in size? Probably not, and luckily the US government agrees with me by limiting commercial usage to lower resolutions.
The ‘creepy factor’ is definitely more pronounced now, as Google’s dominance starts to rise more questions about where the company is going and why. Discussion boards all over the web light up with topics such as “Is Google Evil?” and “Microsoft vs. Google”. Once the most hated man online, Bill Gates has kind of taken a back seat.
Let’s not get carried away just yet. Let’s play Devil’s Advocate for a minute here and look at the potential benefits this move makes:
- Google Maps and Google Earth imagery might be more updated than every 6 years or so. I know the image of my house still shows trees that are long gone, and a dilapidated old shed that I took much pleasure in demolishing years ago.
- Google GPS isn’t far off given Android is slowly showing signs of maturity. As it stands, the old maps and road information needs updating before your shiny new Google Phone shows you smack in the middle of a corn field where there should be an eight-lane freeway.
- Weather, traffic and current events would be much more accurate and informative. Imagine witnessing weather information such as upcoming hurricanes in Google Earth or checking up on Sheik Zayed to see his latest construction project in Dubai. That’d be cool.
Touchy subject, and I’m sure it’s one that will get loads of airtime in forums and discussion rooms all over the web. Unfortunately, the news somewhat slipped under the radar for most people, making the ‘creepy factor’ that much worse. We’ll keep an eye on this one, because we know Google will be keeping an eye on us! (joking, relax…)
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