Google's All-Seeing Eye Gets Bigger with New Satellite

Paul Lilly — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:38 -0500

Google caused a ruckus in privacy circles last year when the search giant struck a deal with satellite imagery company GeoEye to use high-res images from its GeoEye-1 satellite for Google Earth and Maps products, and the search giant is back in space again.

In a blog post, Google let it be known that DigitalGlobe launched its next-generation satellite named WorldView-2, and like GeoEye-1, Google plans to get images from it.

"To keep bringing you new, high-quality imagery in Google Earth & Google Maps, we work directly with several commercial satellite imaging providers," Google wrote. "Last week, our partner DigitalGlobe successfully launched their next generation satellite, WorldView-2, aboard Boeing Delta II 7920 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The successful launch of WV2 is another important step forward in making more high resolution, accurate, current imagery available."

Privacy advocates should note that the government regulates just how closely Google is allowed to peer, but just in case, here's how you can construct your own Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie.

Image Credit: horsesmouth.typepad.com

Google’s GeoEye-1 Captures Its First Image, May Be Watching You

Alex Castle — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:15:05 -0500

It’s hard not to like Google Earth. It’s free, it’s fun, and now it’s about to get sharper than ever. The GeoEye-1, a commercial imaging satellite sponsored by Google and considered to be the world’s most accurate snapped its first photo on Wednesday, Wired reports.

The satellite takes photos at a maximum resolution of 41 centimeters, high enough—in other words—to spot your dog from space. Unfortunately for Google, the government places restrictions on the max resolution of commercial satellites, meaning that Google will only be allowed to use images with a resolution of 50 centimeters or worse.

And speaking of the government, although Google is the primary corporate sponsor of the GeoEye, the satellite’s number one customer is the US government’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Eager to avoid an unflattering label, Mark Brender, VP of communications and marketing at GeoEye, says “This is the opposite of a spy satellite. Spies don’t put info on the internet and sell imagery.”

So now Google’s armed with its own not-a-spy satellite. Are you concerned about your privacy, or just psyched for a higher-res Google Earth? Let us know after the break.

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Google's All-Seeing Eye Gets Bigger with New Satellite

Google’s GeoEye-1 Captures Its First Image, May Be Watching You