In 2002 NASA released the "Blue Marble," a global image of the earth's surface with a resolution of one kilometer per pixel based on imagery from NASA's MODIS instrument. Although it was updated in 2005 to double its resolution, this unclear image of the earth has been the go-to way to see satellite images of the earth, until Google came along that is.
Google announced on Thursday they've used their Google Earth Enginge technology to take hundreds of terabytes worth of data from the USGS's and NASA's Landsat 7 satellite. With their latest push, Google can show the earth's surface at a rate of 15 meters per pixel, far finer than was previously possible.
According to a post on its blog announcing the updates, Google said the resulting 800,000 megapixel global image is so large that if you wanted to print it on a standard resolution of 300 dots per inch, you'd need a piece of paper the size of a city block in order to complete the job.
Perhaps the most noticeable upgrade to Google Maps and Earth is the fact that almost all unclear weather conditions have been eliminated. After minining all of that data from the Landsat images of each area, Google was able to reconstruct cloud-free imagery even in tropical regions where clouds are almost always out.
The update also includes refreshed imagery in many regions of the world where high-resolution pictures are not yet available. This includes new, refreshed pictures in parts of Russia, Indonesia and Central Africa.
Although it takes pride in its latest update, Google has confessed there is room for improvement. In anticipation for the Landsat 8 satellite, which launched earlier this year, Google says they will be able to promise "even more beautiful and up-to-date imagery in the months and years ahead."
The new images are available already by going to Google Maps and turning on satellite view or by going to Google Earth and zooming out.
