Google has responded to accusations of "airbrushing history" after the search giant decided to replace images of areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans with photos taken before the 2005 storm. The imagery angered New Orleans residents and prompted a letter from the House Committee on Science and Technology. Google Maps director John Hanke said in a written statement that the move was an effort to improve the quality of Google Maps, and not an attempt to erase the evidence of Hurricane Katrina: "In September 2006, the storm imagery was replaced with pre-Katrina aerial photography of much higher resolution as part of a regular series of global data enhancements. Make no mistake, this was not any effort on our part to rewrite history." To rectify the situation, Google said that it had speeded up the processing of newer high-resolution images that correctly display storm damage. The images now show the effects of the storm, which killed 1,826 people and caused more than $81bn in damage.
News source: vnunet
News source: vnunet
They can't make them do anything they can only make suggestions - Google can put any picture they want there.
not really, google is a public company that can decide what it does with the services it offers. Unless its government regulated they cant tell them to change an image... heck so under this theory i can scream to them that my towns image hasnt been updated since 1993 and its massivly out of date, therefore they have to make google purchase new images for it to comply with them? that doesnt work in public or private companies, only government ran ones or government related ones... unless they make a law that says all satalite map services have to have current pictures (which is impossible unless you own the Iknois satelite or one of the others) and those images cost a lot to produce! and heck ontop of that its a free service from google, no one should be complaining at all... this service use to cost a good amount a year to use! when it was keyhole... i could see in that case screaming we are paying for out of date images...
Bah, don't they have better things to do...
They can't be very observant either... Neither Live Local nor Google Maps is always current on the maps.
And I know what happened, and I also know that Google sometimes replaces images for quality rather than accuracy. They have before. People have posted on forums that they've suddenly changed "back" in time, although the overall result may be that they have both improved accuracy and age. So sure, maybe they goofed up here, but what the hell does the Congress have to say about this and what kind of maps they use? Again, don't they have better things to do than to meddle with the quality of service this company delivers? It's not like it's a conspiracy or anything to cover up a hurricane. Again, this happens now and then, it's just that in this case it was particularly noticeable for obvious reasons.
Now, can *I* assume you won't make as many assumptions?
If I were looking at a map, I wouldn't want to see all the streets flooded; I'd want something that would help do what a map does -- guide someone to their intended destination. A flooded city map doesn't show that.
If I were looking at a map, I wouldn't want to see all the streets flooded; I'd want something that would help do what a map does -- guide someone to their intended destination. A flooded city map doesn't show that.
The more recent images don't necessarily show flooded streets, but it is certainly more representative of the state of the area than those from before Katrina. And you seem to be confused here, we are talking about the satellite images of the area, not the line-drawing maps. I don't know too many people who actually navigate by satellite images when they are visiting a new area.
In south Mississippi, there are still some bridges that have not yet been completely rebuilt (the one between Ocean Springs and Biloxi for one), and if I were someone visiting the area for the first time, that is certainly something that I'd want to know.
or maybe they can tell the future...oh dear god, I'm moving.
Even Katrina.. which has been driven into the ground already anyway.
/yawn
There will always be something to complain about. Residents received so much media ridicule they are lashing out. A very high percentage of residents in the areas in and surrounding New Orleans lived in Government assisted homes before the storm hit. After the storm wiped out those homes all those residents who were getting their homes free started complaining about when their home will be replaced (Why isn't the government jumping on their high horse to replace our home we never paid for). It sickens me to see that people would sit all day and complain about something incredibly stupid instead of going out to find a damn job.
Last edited by Volatile on 03 Apr 2007 - 20:16
Oh well, I guess if we worry about stupid stuff like internet maps, then we can ignore the REAL issues.
This covering up should be avoided, even if Google probably did not have those direct intentions.
Damn I completely forgot my reason for posting.
I admit that I have admiration for Americans for not taking sh!t from Louisiana, unlike Quebec who threatens separation if we don't abide their racist sign laws and money for "fiscal imbalance".
Wow, Google did that.
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.