# Why isn't Google Earth restricted? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435 "2011-12-16T18:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/21 "2011-12-17T18:26:56Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > At the bottom of the image there’s text which shows who took the image. GeoEye and Digital Globe are the two major commercial satellite providers in the US. If you zoom in close enough, it will also show you who is responsible for taking the aerial imagery. For example, in my neck of the woods, this [NYS GIS](http://gis.ny.gov/). Look at the [orthoimagery](http://www.orthos.dhses.ny.gov/?id=974152), assembled from aerial photographs, and then at [Google maps](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.444247,-76.478485&spn=0.002561,0.004436&hnear=Ithaca,+Tompkins,+New+York&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6) - they are identical. ---
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/22 "2011-12-17T18:42:44Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’ve never seen any aerial images on Google Earth or [Google Earth](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=40.689201,-74.044555&spn=0.000976,0.002642&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6). They all appear to be various resolutions of satellite images. That’s different than what I see on [Bing](http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qsfftp8twp0v&lvl=19.155807484589257&dir=2.007875746481314&sty=b&where1=State%20St%2C%20New%20York%2C%20NY%2010004&form=LMLTCC) I read in Google Earth Community that pictures like [this one](http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t205/dennismenace56/TinkerAFB.jpg) of Tinker AFB tell the viewer that an airplane was used to take the picture. As it flew over taking photos, it matched the speed of the airplane taking off, resulting in multiple exposures. As they explained it, a satellite would not have created that effect. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/23 "2011-12-17T19:28:32Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m not going to drop money on a bet but what I’m referring to as images taken from planes have more side angle and are obviously done in strips that are not perfectly aligned as you move. The overlapping strips do not line up side to side but line up within the strip. Images taken from planes are normally corrected via a process called [orthoimagery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthophoto) in order to be used by geographic information systems such as Google Earth. So they would look as if they were straight on. It is a common process; I have dealt with it often in my job. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/24 "2011-12-17T19:32:19Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > If you zoom in close enough, it will also show you who is responsible for taking the aerial imagery. For example, in my neck of the woods, this [NYS GIS](http://gis.ny.gov/). Look at the [orthoimagery](http://www.orthos.dhses.ny.gov/?id=974152), assembled from aerial photographs, and then at [Google maps](http://maps.google.com/?ll=42.444247,-76.478485&spn=0.002561,0.004436&hnear=Ithaca,+Tompkins,+New+York&t=h&z=18&vpsrc=6) - they are identical. your links don’t work except for the last one. If you look at my examples above you can see that Bing transitions from satellite USGS to aerial view via Pictometry International. If you move around the satellite views you’ll see clouds at some point and the pictures are relatively contiguous as you move around and change angles of orientation. However, if you go down to bird’s eye level the information is in strips that overlap and change perspective as you transition from strip to strip as well as from angle of orientation. You don’t always have views taken from all 4 points of the compass. Sometimes it’s only done East/West or North/South. Each strip is broken down electronically into smaller strips so depending on where you are within a strip will dictate your ability to maintain the same perspective. As an example, you can move around the image of [Falkirk Wheel in Scotland](http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=tb01k0gpcvvs&lvl=19.070004499124607&dir=165.38779711318554&sty=b&ss=ypid.YN1032x198455570~pg.1&form=LMLTCC). If you move towards the tunnel connected to the Falkirk wheel aqueduct the image switches to the next strip. Using your arrow keys it’s easy to see the boundaries of the strips before they switch to the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/25 "2011-12-17T19:34:15Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Images taken from planes are normally corrected via a process called [orthoimagery](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthophoto) in order to be used by geographic information systems such as Google Earth. So they would look as if they were straight on. It is a common process; I have dealt with it often in my job. While some of the images in Google Earth may be done by aircraft they are not done at bird’s eye level as you see on bing. they are much higher in altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435/26 "2011-12-17T20:42:59Z")
I had to blow the dust off my old mechanical drafting book to look up the various geometric projections being mentioned here. My WAG is the Bing Bird’s Eye Views are classified as oblique perspectives. I’m still muddling thru axonometric, dimetric, trimetric and isometric perspectives. I’ll report back later… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-google-earth-restricted/606435.md?page=1)