Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Commercial Free Maps

Google just released their Flyover 2007 imagery to the Australian version of Google Maps (not Google Earth). I've spent maybe a bit less than an hour surfing and have not found any obvious signage created specifically to be snapped up by the Google Plane or Microsofts flying-machine which was also doing the rounds, even after so much national publicity.

While the images are great - if only the whole country (or better, world) was captured to this detail - I was really looking forward to seeing how creative people were in getting their message noticed by the seach engine snappers.

Apart from Circular Quay I'm finding it hard to believe that these images were even taken on Australia Day. These images could be of any other weekend in Sydney. Was the Google Arial Australia promotion all one big con?

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous posted...

Great. Last thing we need is public space being used for another billboard. Skywriting is offensive enough.

12:44 pm  
Blogger Mountain/\Ash posted...

The SMH blog MashUp has started tracking all the signs.

Not many yet.

1:17 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous posted...

You obviously haven't read much news about it then.
They didn't get flight permission to go over about half the area they'd planned, plus there were delays meaning the shots weren't taken until the afternoon when most people had gone home.

2:35 pm  
Blogger JayJay posted...

I concur. I did see the plane pass over several times (Kirribilli, Howards place), and we're not on it. Also the map looks very patchy, I think it looks awful.

9:47 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous posted...

You know that not every photo 'works'. Especially when you are dealing with a moving subject at different exposures, not to mention photographing the world.

Did you think that in order to compose Google Maps or the Microsoft version you take lots of photos and 'stitch' them together? or is it just one big photo? If the shadow is different at one point than another, one would think that the image was taken at different times?? no?

You couldn't find anything?? Have a look at:
Manly Beach

12:34 am  

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