# How often does Google Maps get updated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103 "2006-09-25T18:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![happywaffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ee59a6/32.png) [@happywaffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happywaffle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/1 "2006-09-25T18:33:49Z")
I’m specifically curious about the satellite images, but there’s a valid question re. street addresses too. Near my apartmnet a giant tollway is going up, and actually almost complete. But if I check it on Google Maps I still see the tranquil, undisturbed land of 3+ years ago, before construction began. The blast from the past is cool and all, but at some point the picture will be completely out of date and I’ll be interested to see what it looks like now. I know Google uses different services to provide images, but how updated are these generally? Can we assume that a given spot will be re-photographed automatically after a couple years? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/2 "2006-09-25T18:37:20Z")
I’m just annoyed that my house is always under the same cloud cover. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/3 "2006-09-25T18:41:57Z")
We moved last August into a new subdivision. The streets have been laid out in this tract since fall of 2004, and it’s only within the last few months that they show on Google Maps. The satellite still shows undisturbed land, but overlays the streets over that. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/4 "2006-09-25T18:44:16Z")
There’s a gigantic cyclotron next to my office, but on Google Maps it’s a building site. Also, the islands where I was staying in Thailand have just disappeared off the satellite photo. There one day, gone the next. I think updating is well nigh random. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/5 "2006-09-25T19:17:26Z")
The apartment complex where I live was built 2 years ago. Not only does the Google Earth photo show a plot of undeveloped land, but the street mapping search engine has no listing for our address. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/6 "2006-09-25T20:13:51Z")
I think it depends on how often new photos are taken. These are taken by a variety of 3rd party enterprises (govt & private), and licensed to Google Earth. If there are no recent updates, google earth isn’t updated. I’m just glad they finally got something decent for coverage of NH. Now if I could get just a little closer to the ground in their imaging, similar to that of MA, I’d be happier. But I use the GRANIT MAPPER for good topo/imagery for my area anyway. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/7 "2006-09-25T20:19:11Z")
I know at least one location where the photos are unquestionably from no later than 2001. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/8 "2006-09-25T20:25:02Z")
The Google Maps satellite photo of [Hockenheim, Germany](http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=hockenheim,+germany&ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=49.332562,8.577747&spn=0.036468,0.091581&t=k&om=1) still shows the nearby Hockenheimring racing circuit in it’s pre-2002 configuration, so it’s been at least four years there. The track’s current and former profiles - significantly different - are shown on the wikipedia [page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockenheimring). ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/9 "2006-09-25T20:26:17Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I know at least one location where the photos are unquestionably from no later than 2001. [/QUOTE] Are we talking about the same place, perchance? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/10 "2006-09-25T20:28:34Z")
If it uses the same maps as Google Earth (almost certainly), you can check who took the picture by checking the… DG option (I think… don’t have it installed here), which will show you the original photo with photo date, owner, meteorological data, etc. Not an answer, but that might give you some information. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/11 "2006-09-25T20:35:36Z")
[QUOTE=brad\_d] Are we talking about the same place, perchance? 😉 [/QUOTE] Nope - the [City of Manchester stadium](http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=53.482606,-2.199154&spn=0.00904,0.022702&t=k&om=1), which was built in time for the 2002 Commonwealth Games ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/12 "2006-09-25T20:36:42Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda] If it uses the same maps as Google Earth (almost certainly) [/QUOTE] Confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/13 "2006-09-25T20:42:13Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda] If it uses the same maps as Google Earth (almost certainly), you can check who took the picture by checking the… DG option (I think… don’t have it installed here) [/QUOTE] I can’t find any such option 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/14 "2006-09-25T20:59:01Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] I can’t find any such option 😕 [/QUOTE] Lemme check this other PC… looks like they’ve changed it to “Digital Globe Coverage” in the “Layers” section. Make sure it’s checked, then zoom in someplace and click on the (for me, anyways) blue ‘i’ icon. It shows date, cloud cover and quality, and if you select ‘Preview’ seems to show the original source image. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/15 "2006-09-25T21:05:17Z")
Oh, the humanity! I just [Google mapped](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40576000/jpg/_40576671_godzilla_203300.jpg) my house—I’ve gotta get home and save the cat. oops, my bad…that wasn’t Googlemaps after all. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/16 "2006-09-25T21:05:45Z")
[Blog report](http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/09/news_google_map.html) from early September listing some of the recent Google photo updates. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/17 "2006-09-25T21:10:38Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda] Lemme check this other PC… looks like they’ve changed it to “Digital Globe Coverage” in the “Layers” section. Make sure it’s checked, then zoom in someplace and click on the (for me, anyways) blue ‘i’ icon. It shows date, cloud cover and quality, and if you select ‘Preview’ seems to show the original source image. [/QUOTE] Gotcha. However, it says the image of the construction site I linked to is from March 2003 - and given that I watched rugby being played in that stadium the summer before, this doesn’t quite fit! ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/18 "2006-09-25T21:19:43Z")
The Google satellite imagery for downtown Chicago dates from around 2002: many of the footpaths near the museum campus have been re-routed since then, and Millenium Park is still a construction site. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/19 "2006-09-26T00:33:56Z")
Photos of Sydney tend to be two or three years old in places. Some of them are new though. The downtown area was a blur until about six months ago. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2006, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103/20 "2006-09-26T07:53:00Z")
Oxford’s still a blur, though the land south-east of the city is crystal clear. That and my missing islands mean that I’m very poorly represented on Google Earth. Anyone want to join me in a class action suit? I want to claim back what I paid for the software, plus another 50% for mental distress. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-does-google-maps-get-updated/374103.md?page=2)