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The attached file contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.4 megabytes. __________________ Google Earth is a wonderful "killer application." Its success depends on excellent data, software, and support. This BBS provides a low-cost Quality Assurance (QA) group of immense size, dedication, and energy. Very few companies evoke similar volunteer resources. This posting and its subpostings attempt to gather the current problems and insure they have been reported to Google.
Special thanks to bebop, Noisette, sasroodkapje, simon_a, and syzygy for their help in identifying problems, other folks' related postings, and evaluations of errors. |
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Data Problems > Image Errors ____________________ Image Errors are problems which can or must be solved by manual intervention. (Blemishes are image problems which require new imagery.)
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Data Problems > Image Errors > Missing Images The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.2 megabytes. ____________________ These are usually just areas which were not photographed. However, while some of them are not in "important places", such omissions breed conspiracy theories. (What are "they" hiding?)
Notes: ---- Generally, we cannot list missing offshore islands. Too many were lost globally in the March-April 2006 change to the TerraMetrics basic 15-meter background images. |
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Data Problems > Image Errors > Misalignments The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.2 megabytes. ____________________ Recent high resolution updates to downtown metropolitan areas are generally well aligned. However, the suburbs are often left badly misaligned. See Amsterdam (Netherlands), Baghdad (Iraq), Belgrade (Serbia), Granada (Spain), Lima (Peru), Luxembourg City, Milan (Italy), Munich (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), San Jose (Costa Rica), and San Salvador (El Salvador)
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Data Problems > Image Errors > Duplicate Images The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ Duplications in high resolution images
Duplications in TerraMetrics global background images We show here just one instance in the Philippines.
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Data Problems > Image Errors > Camera Artifacts The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ ![]()
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---- Antarctica image-stretching moved to "Misalignments." ---- UK, Blackpool piers moved to "Missing Images." ---- South Carolina waters moved to "Spurious Images." ---- US Kingman Reef problem moved to "Borders & Coastlines." ---- Brazil's Rio Curuça slippage moved to "Misaligned Swaths." |
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Data Problems > Terrain Errors ____________________ Terrain Errors have been grouped as follows: Get a set of network links HERE to selectively download the latest versions of every Data Problems category. |
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Data Problems > Terrain Errors > Below Sea Level ____________________ Google Earth does not show terrain elevations which are below sea level, e.g., the Dead Sea. ![]() THIS POSTING placemarks these global locations, and the file has a link to the Wikipedia source. Get a network link HERE to selectively download the latest versions of every Data Problems category. |
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Data Problems > Terrain Errors > Global Summary The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________
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Data Problems > Terrain Errors > Polar depressions The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ The north and south polar areas do not display elevation (altitude) data, so they are shown at 0 elevation when TERRAIN is turned ON. We show the borders of the 0 elevation areas. ---- There is no elevation data north of 77° 30' N ---- There is no elevation data south of 77° 30' S We show detailed outlines of the four arctic areas affected: ---- Canada: Ellesmere Island ---- Denmark: Greenland ---- Norway: Svalbard ---- Russia: Franz Josef Land, Ushakov and other islands, and Komsomolets Island (Severnaya Zemlya)
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Data Problems > Place Names (Toponomy) The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ The number of entries in this category has gown too large to list in this posting, but they are all in the accompanying file. We illustrate the types of problems which have been found:
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Data Problems > Place Names (Toponomy) > Country Errors ____________________ This category has been combined with others into Place Names |
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Data Problems > Place Names (Toponomy) > Capital Errors ____________________ This category has been combined with others into Place Names |
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Data Problems > Place Names (Toponomy) > State-Province Errors ____________________ This category has been combined with others into Place Names |
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Data Problems > Place Names (Toponomy) > City & Town Errors ____________________ This category has been combined with others into Place Names |
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For increased simplicity, this category has been moved to "Blemishes > Swaths" |
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Data Problems > Border & Coastline Problems The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ BORDERS
COASTLINES
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Data Problems > Other Layers Problems The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ The number of these problems has grown too large for listing in this posting. However, they are all in the downloadable file.
MULTIPLE LAYERS PaginasAmarillas.es provided the data for many layers in Spain for both Google Earth and Maps. The layers of concern are Dining, Community Services, Lodging, Shopping & Services, and Transportation. We show areas of placemarks which are displaced into the ocean, and the town in which they should be located. ---- Fuerteventura, Puerto de la Peña (1.5 kilometers west) and Puerto del Rosario (3,000 kilometers north, and 245 kilometers northwest of Ireland, noted by Noel_B, 20 June 2007) ![]() ---- Gomera, San Sebastián (3 kilometers east) ---- Gran Canaria, Las Palmas (four areas 5 to 50 kilometers east) ---- Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz (360 kilometers east) ![]()
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Data Problems > Censorship The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ A recurring theme of BBS discussion is possible censorship by Google. It has been suggested that this is not Google's responsibility, because the data is provided by other sources, and that users should take it up with such sources. We look to Google for the quality of the output, no matter how or where they obtain the data. As noted elsewhere, one does not receive bad food from a restaurant, and then permit the owner to tell you to contact the farmer if you are dissatisfied. This is a conservative listing, because censorship can be a serious assertion. The censorship must be clear and obvious when compared with adjacent imagery. Generally, they are in three categories: blurring, pixelization, and "whiteout." Obvious blurring or smudging: Canada and USA Pixelization: Netherlands, Massachusetts, New York State, Washington DC ![]() ![]()
Quote: In 1998, the US Commerce Department determined the routinely available resolution to be 2 meters. In June 2006, Google Earth improved most of Israel from the general 15 meter backgournd resolution. ---- After further analysis and consultation, Aviano and Pisa airbases have been removed from this listing, April 2007 ---- Royal & official residences - we contrast 6 censored with 8 NOT censored ---- Military 2, NATO 11, Air Force 13, Army 25, Navy 8, Miscellaneous 4 ---- Unknown 11 Help is needed to identify these. ---- Chukotskiy censored by blurring, noted 23 July 2005 and 18 February 2006. Instead of blurring, Microsoft's Virtual Earth copied a nearby image and placed it on the area, which we show. Reasons unknown ---- Canary Islands: All prior censorship removed with 29 March 2007 update. ---- Catalonia: 5803 Cap de Creus radar ---- 617465 Calstock, noted Posting. NOT censored in Microsoft's Virtual Earth ---- Washington, DC: Naval Observatory and the US Vice President's house An uncensored view is available HERE from a govenment Web site. Microsoft's Virtual Earth also blurs this location. They also still blur the Capitol buildings and the White House, which Google stopped censoring in the autumn of 2005. ---- Massachusetts State GIS censorship. The high resolution imagery is supplied by the state's MassGIS agency. They have introduced their own form of easily identified "pixelated" censorship. ---- New York GIS censorship: The high resolution imagery is supplied by the NY State GIS agency. The censorship appears to be selected by the counties, because they vary greatly in criteria. Westchester County continues to be the most highly censored, followed closely by Long Island. We have significantly expanded our analysis upstate and in Long Island after the September 2006 image upgrades. Many blurred Hudson Valley locations were noted 5 May 2006. Note the 7-by-7 mile size of the West Point Academy forest blurring in Orange County. Orange and Suffolk County have not blurred some locations - they simply "paint" them in white. ---- Perry, OH: nuclear power plant. This has been blurred in Google Earth, but it was clear in Google Maps until January 2006. See this posting for all such plants. It is NOT censored in Microsoft's Virtual Earth |
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There apears to be significant problems with the terrain model in the South Island New Zealand. As an example: Sutherland falls http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/327642/page//vc/1 is approx vertical in real life, however it appears almost horizontal when viewed at an angle in Google earth. Adjacent Lakes etc are at odd angles, and rivers are flowing along ridges. Mt Aspiring, a very impressive mountain has vanished, however the topography in the general area is correct. Mt Cook, also a most impressive mountain, looks like a rounded hill in GE, and adjacent rivers are flowing along the side of mountains, rather than in the valleys. I have checked the images against a series of maps, and they are very accurate - it is definitely a terrain problem. What is the underlying topo base?? SRTM?? |
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It is so because the satellites measure the terrain with some time intervals. GE does not claim the terrain be accurate. It is only to give an idea. It was also one of the things I had enjoyed in the GE and, as you implied, it is in general correct. Nothing more is claimed upto today and I dont think there will be any better improvement, unfortunately, since the primary aim is the completion of the hi-res together with some layer info such as roads, etc.
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Can you provide placemark pointers to the problem areas? |
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New to GE, but I must say I am very disappointed with the clear censorship of images on Long Island, NY. There is a patchwork of severely reduced resolution images in numerous downtown areas, trainstations, powerplants, etc, and of course, the reduced quality of the area is far larger than the area of the "protected" site.Certainly some may consider some of these areas vulnerable entities, yet these image areas are readily available on terraserver. So, not only did I subscribe to GE, but I was forced to subscribe to terraserver to fill in all the images I cant get with GE. Just do a search for Brentwood, NY and set an eye level of about 35 miles to see just a sampling of the numerous censored areas in green. |
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I'm from LI and I unfortunately am all too familiar with this. There's a bright side though. First of all, don't blame Google. It wasn't their choice to withhold those patches of imagery. In fact, in the previous database (still accessible for some subscribers as the "legacy database"), you can clearly see that all the "protected" patches are filled in with what looks like DigitalGlobe imagery. So all of LI is high-res. When they switched over to the current database, for some reason, all of those fill-ins were lost. HOWEVER, if you check out central Suffolk, you can see that in one concentrated area (to the west/south of Riverhead) most of the gaps have been filled in. I noticed the size of this restored area grow gradually during the last several updates. I think it's safe to say they are on a mission to restore all of LI. Why are there gaps in the base NYGIS imagery in the first place? I'm not sure, but you'd have to take that up with NYGIS, not Google. |
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I figured NYGIS was behind the reduced resolution for security reasons. Many of the reduced resolution areas contain small gas storage facilites, tank farms, train stations, State and County buildings, etc., yet I find it silly to restrict access when these images readily available elsewhere, especially the downtown areas that are restricted. Being that most of these "restricted" areas are readily accessible to the general public anyway. Hopefully the trend to replace the missing data will continue, and all the high res images will be restored. I'll cross my fingers. Regards, Crash |
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A brief tour of the French Alps revealed also several errors and omissions. The choice of named places is also arbitrary. Oddly, there seems to be more than one set of names because one mountain alternates between its correct name, Trainon, and the wrong name, Trenom. It depends when I look. Mont Blanc also alternates with its Italian name. I suspect listing all the errors here for the world will cause a massive list. Google Earth is a truly wonderful product but I suspect it needs to rethink what places it names and improve the quality. |
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Hi GE is new and the names may well be wrong. Members report the errors. However, I learned that Google is performing a work to acquire the local names thru local collaborative companies (just as they do for the roads layer). |
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Hello, Clearly, you've looked into this in more detail than me! I can imagine that image data might be misaligned when it's new but it it a bit odd that it comes in OK and then moves! (I noticed that some of the errors in Luxembourg seem to be OK now.) Cheers, Simon. |
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An analysis of Long Island has been added to the Censorship listing on THIS POSTING |
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There is another place censored in Holland: The queen's palace 'huis ten bosch' near the hague. |
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I've compilied a folder of almost all of the deliberately censored areas in the New York GIS imagery. Censorship by omission, such as areas of Long Island and upstate New York have not been included. This is only areas that have been intentionally degraded. 62 Placemarks, the largest area being the US Military Academy at West Point, measuring about 6 miles by 4 miles. Included are petroleum terminals, various corporate campuses, electrical substations, power plants, water treatment plants, prisons, dams, malls, bridges, highway interchanges , an amusment park, and various unidentifiable sites.Enjoy! |
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Quote: I'm afraid I don't agree with the inclusion of Willow St. in Newark, CA. That gray rectangle doesn't appear to be covering anything, it looks more like a patch of bare dirt or a concrete slab. From this image at TerraServer-USA, it appears to be a chemical or petroleum facility, and the site has been demolished after the photo on TerraServer-USA was captured. The development of the community a block to the northwest provides a chronology. What evidence of censorship led to the inclusion of this location? Cheers. |
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About the unknown blurred location in the hague: I am stunned why this area is blurred and don't know what is so interesting in this area. I know that the following is located in the blurred area: * The queen Sophia park * Two schools (ground schools) * A technical-centre of Royal dutch telecom (KPN) * A care-house for seniors (kind of hospital for the elderly) * Residential appartments. If you want to see pictures of the queen Sophiapark, please look here: http://www.bezuidenhout.nl/html/sophiepark.html Why is this area blocked? I dont know! The queen doesn't live there, and neither does the prime minister or the crown-prince. But i can make a good guess who lives there. Do you know Hirshi Ali? She is a famous Dutch politician, who is often threatened (seriously) by extreme islamists and lives in a highly secured appartment complex somewhere in the hague after her good friend, Theo van Gogh, was murdered last year in Amsterdam. If you don't know her, you can look her up on wikipedia. Anyway, i guess this is the area where she lives, or must be living at the moment. By the way, i found another blurred object in the hague! It's the headquarters of the Air Force in the hague. Location: Lon. 4.337 Lat 52.066. And i found another item blurred, it is the 'Queen Juliana Barracks' in the Hague. Location: Lon. 52.098 lat. 4.337. Another thing: the blurred item in Assen is an area with ordinary military barracks (i dont know why it's blurred). Finally, the strange thing is that the headquarters of the secret service (AIVD) in Leischendam is actually not blurred... |
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More pictures of the unidentified blurred area. If you want to orientate compared to google earth, look at the houses with red roofs and the KPN-tower. Photo 1: http://www.bezuidenhout.nl/html/vanaf_prinsenhof__anita_regout_0.html On the front you see an elderly-care centre complex, and a school behind it. Photo 2: http://www.bezuidenhout.nl/html/ptt-toren-overzicht_0.html This is the crossing on the edge of the Queen Sophia park. These houses are residential. Photot 3: http://www.bezuidenhout.nl/html/ptt-toren-overzicht_12.html The queen sophia park Photo 4: http://www.bezuidenhout.nl/html/centrecourt_7.html Overview picture. Look at the tower, and find it on google earth for orientation. As you can see, there's nothing special in this area. |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes "Blemishes" here are defined as image problems which require new imagery. (Image problems which can or must be solved by manual intervention are grouped under Image Errors.) SERIOUS MODERATE MINOR Get a network link HERE to selectively download the latest versions of every Data Problems category. |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Blue Bubbles The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ ![]() Blue Bubbles: These are approximately 20 meters in diameter. The updated September 2006 high-resolution images fixed 7 of the 8 Florida bubbles and 3 of the 9 in California. On 18 September 2006, "Hill" provided an explanation for them in THIS POSTING.
Other Blue Circles:
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Clouds & Shadows The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ These hide the surface of the Earth over large regions. Clouds and their shadows, and the shadows cast by large buildings in downtown areas are the most serious problems. We show a small collection of examples.
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Contrails The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ Contrails are interesting for the plane spotters in the Transportation forum. However, they obscure the ground visibility, so they can be viewed also as image blemishes. See the typical Belgian contrail below. They are usually accompanied by a parallel bluish "ghost" image of the plane and contrail. "AZTraveller" provides a good succinct explanation HERE and a much lengthier, scholarly one HERE. Current Total = 91 ![]() Notes: ---- Some of these contrails are noted in All Aircraft in Flight |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Hairlines The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ ![]() Hairlines visible at about 500 meters altitude located about 1/2 kilometer from the edge of the satellite path, on the "right-hand side" of the direction of satellite travel. ---- Argentina, Cordoba ---- Brazil, Alvorada do Gurguéia ---- Canada, Juniper Station ---- Indonesia, Pulau Lagong ---- Iraq, Samarra ---- Kazakhstan , Caspian Sea ---- Korea, Incheon ---- Kuwait, Kuwait City and Funnayhill ---- Lebanon, Zahle ---- Malaysia, Merchang ---- Mexico, Isla Guanaja ---- Nicaragua, Lake Nicaragua ---- Russia, Lake Baikal ---- Saudi Arabia, Saffaniyah ---- Slovakia, Bratislava ---- South Africa, Henley-on-klip ---- South Korea, Chaju (Jeju) Island ---- Spain, Burriana ---- Thailand, Sungai Petani ---- UAE, Zhilinka ---- USA, New Orleans, Louisiana ---- Caracas, Venezuela ---- Western Sahara, Cabo Blanco ---- Sydney Opera House ---- Santo Antônio do Arrozal 14 May 2007 ---- Xinjiang hairlines & zig-zags 5 August 2006 ---- various locations ---- Luxor ----Bergsdorf, Braunschweig, Lengerich, Mühlenort, Neuenkirken, Schweinfurt, Seebeck, Spelle ---- Rhodes, could be filed under discoloration, 11 February 2007 ---- Several locations throughout the southern half of the country. Interestingly, the hairlines on these images appear to have been acquired after the censorship was applied (see Eindhoven AFB). ---- Isle of Grain, Thirsk ---- Egham, Huntingdon, Manchester, Windsor, Fixed March 2007 ---- Albuquerque, New Mexico, Fixed December 2006 ---- Austin, Texas ---- Connell, Washington, 7 April 2006 ---- Honolulu, Hawaii, exhibits the normal thin white hairlines, and a unique path of thick "smushy" yellow lines18 January 2007 ---- Hudson Valley, New York, Some fixed December 2006 ---- Huntsville, Alabama ---- Los Angeles, offshore ---- Mobile, Alabama ---- New Port Ritchey, Florida, Fixed December 2006 ---- Oceanside, California thick white line 5 November 2006 ---- Shreveport, Louisiana |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Ice & Snow ____________________ These are typically in the Digital Globe medium resolution dark brown images. It is a judgement call whether they are of more use than the general 15-meter TerraMetrics background images. We show a few examples in the attachment file. This image contrasts the upper wintry area with the lower spring area.
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Pock Marks The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ You have to zoom in to see the speckles, typically to an altitude less than one kilometer. ![]() ---- Bramley, Farnham, Guildford, Liverpool (redrawn to cohere with the recent misalignment correction) Fixed 2 June 2007 ---- 617418 Staines and Westthill. ---- All pockmarks and hairlines in Indiana have been FIXED with new imagery in December 2006. ---- 617422 Memphis, Tennessee has a grid of pockmarks every 1.5 kilometers, which is unusual in high-resolution Sanborn imagery. |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Reflections The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________________________________________________ There are several types of these image blemishes: ____________________________________________________________ Bright flashes: Examples in France, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the USA. ____________________________________________________________ Dutch diamonds: beautiful 10-pointed stars in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands ![]() ____________________________________________________________ Flares (only in DigitalGlobe high-resolution images)
Oceanic low-resolution bright bars are apparent reflections in oceanic coastal areas in the TerraMetrics global background images. We show examples in Algeria, Canada, Libya, and Russia.
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Shaky & Blurred The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ ---- Mandal, double exposure, NOT blurred in Microsoft's Live Search, noted by "tekgergedan" ---- Sedalsvatnet, double exposure, ALSO blurred in Microsoft's Live Search, noted 4 June 2005 ---- Bear Island, Florida, excessive striations and patterns of many small icons. Found by "Hale" ---- Lewisville, Texas, excessive striations: many offset image strips. Found by "Hale" 10 January 2007
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Smoke & Emissions The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ This worldwide collection builds on matzeus' Russian Collection ![]() |
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Squiggles The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ These are almost everywhere in the new high resolution imagery. We show a selection from France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. "Hill" points out in THIS POSTING that these only appear in aerial photos, not satellite images. (The UK collection has been reduced since the September 2006 London updates and the March 2007 Manchester updates.)
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Data Problems > Image Blemishes > Swaths The Compendium Table of Contents contains a single network link which enables you to download the latest version of the entire Compendium in a single file of about 1.1 megabytes. ____________________ Current count: 121 regular + 22 patterned = 143 Swaths are image blemishes, not data errors. Only new images can remove them.
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