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Does anyone know if/when Google plans on updating its maps? How old are the pictures they're currently using?

Google aims to update them every 18 months, but it's a big world. There's lots of space to cover. Where I live is still a golf course on Google maps, even though the course was bulldozed almost three years ago.

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Google aims to update them every 18 months, but it's a big world. There's lots of space to cover. Where I live is still a golf course on Google maps, even though the course was bulldozed almost three years ago.

I think Google should buy 100 simple airplanes with awesome camera technology to do low speed, low altitude passes over the USA. They have tons of money and could do this easily. Match the images with local GIS data and there you go, updated maps. I think most of their images are satellite, however.

On a more serious note, Google is diversifying all over the place. As a result, my guess is that they are stretching in certain areas to take on new tasks. Google wants to archive EVERYTHING. Every TV episode ever... at your fingertips. If they focused all their energy on the search engine and Google local, the maps would be updated Weekly. Houston would pour concrete on a new street and it would show up on Google maps next week, labeled and everything.

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I think Google should buy 100 simple airplanes with awesome camera technology to do low speed, low altitude passes over the USA. They have tons of money and could do this easily. Match the images with local GIS data and there you go, updated maps. I think most of their images are satellite, however.

HA HA. That is pretty funny.

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Most of the Google images are taken from airplanes, not satellite. When you see the real blocky crap where you zoom in too far and it says "not available" -- that's satellite. The detailed work is with airplanes.

Even if Google followed your plan and bought 100 planes with "awesome" technology, it would still take years to accomplish. And it doesn't make sense for them to re-invent the wheel when they can just license the pictures from someone else far cheaper.

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