Satellite images from different years. Google Maps (Google maps)

What are Google Maps? This is a service that consists of several applications provided for free, and includes the mapping site Google Maps and a route planning program (Google Transit). Maps from Google offer a satellite view of many cities on the planet and include a detailed layout of streets, houses, routes for traveling by public transport or car, a guide to various objects, etc.

Features of work

Google Maps is displayed in two variations:

• an ordinary traditional map (analogous to Mercator maps)

• and satellite images (not online, but taken a certain time ago).

The scale of the maps is also based on the Mercator projection, that is, it is constant and changes from the poles to the equator downwards.

Another separate project of the corporation is closely related to Google Maps - Google Planet, which corresponds to a globe on which the regions of the Earth's poles are clearly visible.

What locations are satellite imagery available for? Not for everyone, but only for large cities in Russia, England, America, Canada and others.

Not all governments have approved such placement and use of images (since the placement of some objects that are clearly visible on maps can be used by terrorists to plan and carry out attacks).

That is why many objects on maps are shaded. Such “classified” objects include, for example, the White House or the Capitol.

Different places on satellite images are shown in different resolutions - the less populated the area, the less detailed it is. Also, some places in the pictures may be hidden due to cloud shadows.

Google Maps online

• switch to satellite mode- lower left corner;
• zoom in/out- lower right corner.

As soon as the company introduced the new service, a wave of interest in satellite images swept across the world.

The creation of websites began on which satellite images of interesting places, unusual architectural landmarks, stadiums, and man-made formations began to be freely available. Since 2008, the US Weather Service began using Google Maps to prepare its forecasts.

It should be noted that not all images were taken from satellites - most of the images were obtained through aerial photography from a height of 300 meters.

Google Maps online maps make fairly extensive use of JavaScript. As the user moves around the map by dragging it, new areas are downloaded from the server and displayed on the page.

If the user is looking for specific objects, the search result is inserted into the sidebar, and the page itself does not require a reload. The location on the map is displayed dynamically via a red marker icon.

• In 2006 The first version for mobile phones appeared in 2007, and the second version appeared in 2007. A service similar to GPS is used to determine the location of the phone.

• In 2008 year Google Maps could be used for Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, Java (from 2+), IOS (Apple), Palm OS (Centro+).

• In 2011 In 2018, the corporation announced that it provides mapping services to more than 150 million customers.

To allow owners of third-party sites to use Maps, Google announced in 2005 a free Maps API (Application Programming Interface) service.

The map can be placed on any website using this technology for software interaction. Today there are more than 350 thousand such sites around the world.

Can you find satellite photographs that will help you trace the stages of the destruction of Donetsk airport as a result of artillery shelling?

To answer this question, this article will look at three online applications for finding historical satellite photos: , Terraserver and Digital Globe.

For different territories, satellites photograph the Earth's surface at different frequencies, depending on the population of the territory and the interest of users. Therefore, large cities will have more photographs than villages.

Before you start searching for historical photographs, you need to determine the geographic coordinates of the places you are looking for - longitude and latitude. One of the easiest ways is to use Google Maps.

For example, to get the coordinates of Donetsk airport, you first need find it on the map using the Google Maps search engine (in the upper left corner). Next, right-click on the map location that interests us (on the airport building) and select “What’s here?” in the list that appears.

Google Maps, “What’s here?”

A brief description and geographic coordinates of Donetsk Airport will appear in the upper left corner of the screen under the “Search” line - 48.067663, 37.741608.

You can also use the convenient online service Mygeoposition.com (uses Google maps) with a clear interface.

On the start day, you need to install the Google Earth program, that is, download it from the link - https://www.google.com/earth/— and go through the installation procedure lasting 5-10 minutes.

In the upper left corner in the “Search” line you need to enter either the coordinates (48.067663, 37.741608) or the name of the object (“Donetsk Airport”). Afterwards the program will show the latest satellite image of the area. You can get closer or further away from an object using the navigation bar like in Google Maps in the right corner of the program.

Google Earth. Navigation

To be able to view historical photographs, you need to select “View” - “Images in time” in the program menu.

A blue bar will appear in the upper left corner on a black background, indicating the valid time range for searching for photos. Light blue vertical bars indicate the dates of available photos. Using the slider or back/forward buttons, you can move through the timeline of historical satellite photos.

In our case, the last available image of Donetsk airport from space was taken on September 3, 2014. By clicking on the “Back” button, you can watch the process of destruction of the airport building. For example, in the photograph dated July 21, 2014, such damage is no longer visible.

TerraServer

If you can't find satellite images of a certain period in Google Earth, you can try searching on the American commercial site Terraserver. You will have to pay for high-quality photographs (from $25 to $225, depending on the image size). But free images can also help.

On the main page you need to enter either the longitude/latitude of the object (Coordinates), or indicate the country/city/street (Address) of the desired area.

TerraServer will show the most recent image available. To view historical photographs from a satellite, you need to click the More Images button, after which a list will appear indicating the date and time of available satellite images.

is also an American company that photographs millions of square kilometers of the Earth's surface every day, supplying images to NASA, Google, TerraServer.

To go to the section with satellite photos, you need to click on Menu – ImageFinder.

On the ImageFinder page, as in similar services, you can search either by object name or by coordinates. To specify coordinates, select the Enter Coordinates button in the Polygon menu.

DigitalGlobe. Search by coordinates

On the new page, in the Center point tab, you need to indicate the coordinates of the Donetsk airport, and in the Area field, enter, for example, 1 (square kilometer), and click Continue. In the Corner Coodrs tab, you can set the terrain search parameters by specifying the coordinates of the upper left and lower right corners.

The next step is to click on the Search button on the right side of the screen.

Satellite map of Russia - high-resolution images taken from space by orbital stations. The image that the user sees consists of many individual images. The high quality of equipment used at orbital stations made it possible to achieve the highest quality of imaging. As a result, on the screens of mobile devices and PC monitors, we have access to high-precision, high-resolution images, the image of which is very accurate and clear.

The satellite map of Russia displays high-resolution images in real time. You can see almost all Russian cities on them. By zooming in and out of objects, moving the cursor over individual sections of the map, you will be able to view streets, buildings, individual structures and squares. The larger the city, the more detailed the satellite map section will be for it.

Satellite map online in real time 2016 - exploring the country together

High resolution satellite maps online 2016 - a set of high-precision images through which you can study settlements of different sizes at a specific point in time. The user, selecting the object and scale he needs, receives a snapshot of it at the same point in time. By selecting the appropriate parameters instead of the “satellite view” mode, you can display the image:

• landscape view;
• schematic representation of Russia and its individual cities;
• Satellite view - real image.

Online high-resolution satellite maps of 2015-2016 are the most user-friendly models of interactive map images from the website service. They will allow you to travel throughout the entire state, from anywhere in the world. Satellites make it possible to track current data on the location and condition of various muddy objects from different settlements in vast Russia.

Many users would like to enjoy satellite photos of their native places, to see their house, a nearby river or forest from above, in a word, everything that is commonly called “small Motherland”. A tool for realizing this desire can be satellite mapping services, which provide a unique opportunity to view all required geolocations in detailed graphic mode. After my attempts to look at my home online from a satellite, I found really high-quality services and in this article I will share my experiences.

There is a huge variety of mapping services on the Internet that provide the user with access to high-resolution satellite maps. At the same time, the vast majority of such services use the API from Google Maps, and only a few services (including the domestic Yandex.Maps) can boast of their own cartographic developments that differ from the dominant Google maps in this segment.

At the same time, working with such cards is quite formulaic. You go to one of them, turn on satellite display if necessary, and then enter your address (town, street, house number) into the search bar. After this, the service finds the required location, and you can use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the existing display. If for some reason the service does not find your house, I recommend entering the name of the city (town, village) and street, and then find the desired house yourself using the mouse.

At the same time, some services allow you not only to see your house from above, but also to walk along the streets of your hometown and enjoy the view of the buildings we need up close.

Let's move on to the list of services that will help us see our home from satellite.

Google Maps - look at your home from satellite in real time

The most popular global mapping resource is undoubtedly Google Maps. In addition to maps presented in schematic and satellite form, the service also includes the ability to 360° view the streets of many cities around the world (Street View). Information about street traffic and traffic jams (Google Traffic), a route planner from point A to point B, 3D display of many geographical points, and other useful features.

There are two main options to view your home:

Yandex.Maps - will allow you to see the necessary object in Russia

Another mapping service with which you can enjoy the view of your home is Yandex.Maps. This service is the most popular in Russia, since the level of display of the territory of Russia and the frequency of updating data for the Russian Federation exceeds all existing analogues, including generally accepted maps from Google.

Like the Google Maps service, Yandex.Maps can boast of both standard and satellite display of maps (as well as the “Hybrid” mode, which involves applying various text and schematic markings on a satellite map). In addition, users have access to a street display mode (“Yandex.Panoramas”), a traffic congestion indicator (“Yandex.Traffic”), as well as the “People’s Map” crowdsourcing system, which can be edited by any user.

To view your home using Yandex.Maps, go to the resource, enter your address in the search bar at the top, and press enter. To switch to street view mode, click on the button with binoculars at the bottom of the screen (street panoramas and photographs). And then select one of the streets marked in blue (you will switch to the street view mode at this point, and you will be able to enjoy the color of these places).

Bing.Maps – satellite map from Microsoft

Bing.Maps is an online mapping service from Microsoft, formerly known as Windows Live Maps and MSN Virtual Earth. Its capabilities include satellite display of maps, street view, 3D display for 60 cities around the world, plotting the optimal route and other features that are standard for services of this type.

To watch your home using Bing.Maps, go to the specified service, click on “Road” on the right, and select “Hybrid View”. Then enter the address you need into the search bar and view the view that opens.

MapQuest is a popular American mapping service

"MapQuest" (translated as “Card Search”) is a free American mapping service, the second most popular in the United States after Google Maps. The resource boasts a high degree of detail on the streets of many countries around the world, will help you plot a convenient route, inform you about existing traffic, and much more.

To work with it, you need to go to this resource, click on the button with the image of the globe on the right (Satelite), which will allow you to switch to satellite display mode. After that, in the search bar on the left, enter the address you need (preferably in Latin), and enjoy displaying the desired location using the MapQuest service.

Conclusion

You can view your home from satellite using the services I listed in this material. For the territory of Russia, I would recommend the Yandex.Maps service - the level of detail and frequency of updated data inspires us to consider maps from Yandex the best mapping service in the Russian Federation. On a global scale, the Google Maps service is the undisputed leader, so it would be optimal to use the tools of this service to display maps of many countries around the world.

In contact with

Navigation charts can be needed in a variety of situations. Either you are lost in the forest, or you are looking for the necessary street in the city. A service that can help you deal with this is Google Maps. It consists of a couple of applications. Namely: from the Google Maps website and Google Transit (routing program). Thanks to the fact that Google transmits data directly from the satellite, with the help of these maps you can find out a detailed route map, house numbers, street names, as well as how you can walk or drive (by car, bus, bicycle) to your destination.
This service is a large reference book covering many areas of life: from traveling to planning a walk or going on vacation.

Appearance

• traditionally (topographic map, analogue of Mercator);
• satellite images (not online, but taken some time ago).

Peculiarities

Different areas of land have different resolutions on the map. The lower the population density of an area, the less details are known about it. Some places on the map are hidden under clouds. Although not all objects were taken from the satellite. The images of some of them were obtained thanks to aerial photography from a height of 300 meters or more. In such places, the detail of the terrain reaches high values.

Service interface

Google online maps javascript service is widely used. New areas of the map appear on the page as the user moves it around the screen. If the address of a specific object has been entered, the page is reloaded and the location of the desired place is displayed on the map with a dynamic red marker icon.

So that the map can be hosted by owners of other sites, Google has announced a free service: API Maps(Application Programming Interface) in 2005. This map can be added to any area of ​​the site. There are currently more than 350 thousand of them around the world.

About Google Maps