# Real-time Google maps **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618 "2007-12-03T03:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/1 "2007-12-03T03:47:11Z")
What needs to be done, technologically, to have real-time Google maps, so we can see things as they are now? (taking into account the time it takes for an image to be captured and transmitted and received) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/2 "2007-12-03T04:15:23Z")
No real technology improvements are required. All we’d need are tens of thousands of satellites to take all the pictures, instead of the couple-dozen there are now. Once world GDP gets to be 100x what it is today that’ll be affordable. Right now, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/3 "2007-12-03T04:50:34Z")
Actually, all the close images are taken by airplane. Maybe if we outfitted every plane with a camera, and linked them all to a giant real-time database we could get part of the way there. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/4 "2007-12-03T05:14:03Z")
A lot of people I know, especially those who haven’t used it, think Google Earth works in real-time. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/5 "2007-12-03T05:17:31Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] A lot of people I know, especially those who haven’t used it, think Google Earth works in real-time. [/QUOTE] We managed to convince my friends’ daughter that this was true, and said, “Go outside and wave your arms, and we’ll watch you”, and she did… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/6 "2007-12-03T05:34:07Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] A lot of people I know, especially those who haven’t used it, think Google Earth works in real-time. [/QUOTE] Some people are so silly. Did they stop to consider what that would take? “Ever been in a TV studio and seen the cameras? Yea, multiply that by 80 bajillion million.” ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/7 "2007-12-03T06:20:38Z")
The land area of earth is about 150 million square miles. To cover all that at 1-meter resolution would require 1.5x10[sup]14[/sup] pixels. Let’s say by “real-time” we would settle for 1 image per hour. We need about 160 satellites in low earth orbit, each equipped with a large telescope (close to 1 meter aperture) with four 8000x8000 pixels detectors, each detector capable of acquiring 1 image every second. Each satellite generates 40 terabytes of data per day, so obviously data processing and downlink would be a significant challenge. But I think the biggest obstacle is the cost of building, launching and operating 160 satellites. Launch cost alone would be $8 billion (assuming $40 million per satellite). If you want one image per second instead of one per hour, multiply the above by 3600. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/8 "2007-12-03T14:53:30Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] What needs to be done, technologically, to have real-time Google maps, so we can see things as they are now? (taking into account the time it takes for an image to be captured and transmitted and received) [/QUOTE] Do you mean MAPS (that is street names, addresses, road characteristics needed for driving instructions) or SATELLITE/AERIAL IMAGES? The two are collected through entirely different processes and have totally different update schedules. Ed ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/9 "2007-12-03T15:11:22Z")
[QUOTE=suranyi] Do you mean MAPS (that is street names, addresses, road characteristics needed for driving instructions) or SATELLITE/AERIAL IMAGES? [/QUOTE] I think the OP meant images on “Google **M** aps,” which is a web site that provides both maps and aerial/satellite images. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/10 "2007-12-03T15:14:05Z")
I’d be happy with images that are less than 15 years old. Many of the pics/maps of the areas I Google are 10-15 years old. Some beaches that I’ve Googled aren’t even around anymore. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/11 "2007-12-03T16:55:46Z")
The last pics of my area are really blurry. The old ones were much more clear even though they were older and didn’t reflect changes in buildings and streets etc. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/12 "2007-12-03T17:31:42Z")
[QUOTE=suranyi] Do you mean MAPS (that is street names, addresses, road characteristics needed for driving instructions) or SATELLITE/AERIAL IMAGES? The two are collected through entirely different processes and have totally different update schedules. [/QUOTE] For example, about a year ago, a whole new jughandle ramp was built near Newark Airport. [This](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.677379,-74.196301&spn=0.000907,0.00177&t=h&z=19&om=1) Google Map shows a photo of the motel and gas station which used to be there, and the map overlay shows the newly-built ramp. [Microsoft’s Live Search](http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=40.677473~-74.196478&style=h&lvl=18&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=18518168&encType=1) at the same location shows the new ramp under construction. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-time-google-maps/428618/13 "2007-12-03T18:21:24Z")
A related question: Is there any way to determine the age of a GoogleEarth image?