The Quintessential Quiz

On Saturday night, our school organised that quintessential of British traditions...the pub quiz. We had a very successful evening with a pub full of Polish students and native English teachers...with each teacher presenting a round of questions. My round was all about Toruń!

Are you smarter than a SC 3rd Grader?

Bee St., Charleston, S.C.

Are you smarter than a South Carolina 3rd Grader? Apparently I am not. Bummer. My only excuse is that I didn't go to 3rd grade in South Carolina. Take the quiz on the SCI Way page to see how much you know about South Carolina. I'm ashamed to say I scored 60%. I hope you do better.

Are you smarter than a South Carolina 3rd Grader Quiz

The photo has nothing to do with the quiz. The yellow motorcycle caught my eye on my walk last night.

Congratulations to Tine Valencic, the 2011 National Geographic Bee Champion

After preparing for months and working their way through a field of several million participating students, the top 10 geographic student masters, met in Washington D.C. today at National Geographic headquarters to compete in the National Geographic Bee. After 124 questions (including the championship round), Tine Valencic from Texas answered this one correctly to take the championship crown:

Question: Thousands of mountain climbers and trekkers rely on Sherpas to aid their ascent of Mount Everest. The southern part of Mount Everest is located in which Nepalese national park?
Answer: Sagarmatha National Park

Google is proud to support National Geographic Bee, for the 3rd year in a row. National Geographic and Google share the same passion for inspiring and encouraging our future generation of leaders and innovators to learn about and explore the world around them. Being geographically literate and understanding the world is a vital skill for students of all ages. Technology, like Google Earth, has helped make the world a more accessible place and students need geographic skills to be prepared for a global future.

Students who participate in the National Geographic Bee finals are fourth through eighth-graders from every state, the District of Columbia, Atlantic Territories, Pacific Territories, and Department of Defense Dependents Schools. They won their school Bees that were held in thousands of schools across the US. These school winners then took a written qualifying test, which was scored by the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. From the school winners, the top scorers in each state are eligible to participate in the State Bees. You can learn more about the students who won their State Bees using the interactive Google Maps gadget on the National Geographic YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/nationalgeographic.

The first-place winner, Tine Valencic, won a $25,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and a trip to the Galápagos Islands. The second-place winner and recipient of a $15,000 college scholarship was Georgia's Nilai Sarda and third place and a $10,000 college scholarship went to Kansas' Stefan Petrović. The seven other finalists, who won $500, were Andrew Hull, of Alaska: Luke Hellum, of Arizona; Tuvya Bergson-Michelson, of California; Kevin Mi, of Indiana; Karthik Karnik, of Massachusetts; Alex Kimn, of South Dakota; and Anthony Cheng, of Utah.

The top 10 national finalists from both 2011 and 2010 are eligible to be selected for the three-person U.S. team at the National Geographic World Championship to be held at various locales in the San Francisco area in July 2011, with the finals taking place at Google headquarters in Mountain View.

Congratulations to Tine Valencic and to all of the students who participated in this year’s National Geographic Bee. We look forward to following all of you as you continue to explore the world and we expect to see some of you at Google after you have earned your degrees.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Earth

Quizzing it Once Again!

The pub quiz a couple of months ago was so successful that last night I organised another one. Once again we had a mixture of British expats mixed with Polish students of English. The questions varied from general knowledge and sport to the more quirky (a fish n chips and what happend on the 29th May round).

Fun was had by all!

Quizzing It!

Pub quizzes are a great British tradition. In fact, there are over 22,000 pub quizzes every week in the UK! So what better thing to do than bring the pub quiz tradition over here to Toruń. Last night, I organised the first ever English pub quiz and spent the following 3 hours of drunken fun as Quiz Master. It was a great success and well done to our team of students who won (actually beating expats from Britain!!). Roll on the next pub quiz very soon!

Where in the world is ...

It's been a month since out last imagery update and I know you're all hungry for more data, so today we've finished pushing out some great imagery to Google Earth. Below are a few hints that should help you find some of the new imagery. Happy hunting!

1) Once a political capitol, now a financial capitol, MapMakers in this city rapidly growing have cried for updated imagery and we have delivered.

2) With updated imagery over this city, you can see leftovers from the Texas Tech - Virginia game.

3) This former "closed city" just got a GeoEye-1 update.

4) The wettest area of the continental United States has gotten an update. (Hint: it's a Rain Forest)

5) This beloved stadium, which was built for the 1978 World Cup, is still in pretty good shape from the looks of it. There's even a go-kart track in the parking lot!

6) Ever wonder where Aluminum comes from? Africa's second largest Aluminum production site has gotten new imagery.

7) This great palace was constructed between 1857 and 1859, but was mostly destroyed by allied bombing in World War II. Finally re-built in the 90's, this site is now a major tourist destination.

8) Though you can't do any shopping here from your desk, you can now view South America's largest open-air market with increased clarity.

9) Connected to civilization by an ice road and a gravel runway, this diamond mine is difficult to opperate.

Posted by Posted by Matt Manolides, Senior GIS Strategist

Where in the world is... (Answers)

So how many were you able to figure out? I hope you didn't spend too much time on #7 as that was the false factoid. The images featured on the quiz included imagery from Geo-Eye, DigitalGlobe and aerial providers. I hope you had fun with the quiz; see you next time!

1) This city hosted Stage 4 and was the departure of Stage 5 in the 2008 Tour De France.
-- Cholet, France

2) Unscramble this: D-E-E-R-B-A-G-O
-- Beograde (Belgrade), Serbia

3) This port city in the Piura Region, hosted a United States air base during World War II.
-- Talara, Peru

4) Every October this city hosts an International Balloon Fiesta; with over 1,000 hot air balloons each year, it's the largest hot air balloon gathering in the world.
-- Albuquerque, New Mexico

5) The siege of this city was the longest siege in the history of modern warfare lasting from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996.
-- Sarajevo, Bosnia

6) This is one of the oldest and largest cities in Poland.
-- Krakcow, Poland

7) This city was founded after the civil war in 1578, named after the infamous bridge battle the decided the outcome of the war.
-- Trick question!

8) This city houses Russia's biggest nuclear submarine base.
-- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

9) This city is approximately 244 kilometres (152 mi) from Ankara, 255 kilometres (158 mi) from Adana, 222 kilometres (138 mi) from Izmir, and 300 kilometres (186 mi) from Istanbul.
-- Antalya, Turkey

10) This city was founded after the Port Royal earthquake in the 17th century.
-- Kingston, Jamaica

Following is a more complete version of the updates in this data push:

Americas:
United States: Alburqurque, Beaumont (Texas), part of the Mississippi River, Jefferson County (FL), Cass County (MO), Hamilton County (IA), Western Michigan, Portage (MI), Clinton County (MI), Eaton County (MI), Ingham County (MI), Greenville (SC), Baltimore (MD), Charles County (MD), Calvert County (MD), Dorchester County (MD), Carroll County (MD), Frederick County (MD).
Canada: Surrey (BC)
Peru: Talara
Argentina: Salta, Santiago del Estero, Villa Mercedes, Bahia Blanca

Brazil: Santa Maria, Joinville, Santos, Montes Claros, Petrolina, Araguaina, Parnaiba, Belem

Europe, Middle East, & Africa:
France: Manche, Mayenne, Maine-et-Loire, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meurthe-er-Mosselle, Lozere, Herault, Pau

Lithuania: Vilnius

Poland: Krakow, Lodz, Auschwitz

Slovakia: Bratlsavia

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo

Serbia: Belgrade

Moldova: Chisinau

Russia: Perm, Chita, Avacha

Libya: Benghazi

Syria: Aleppo

Iran: Mashad

Turkey: Antalya

Pakistan: Lahore

Guinea-Bissau: Bissau

Guinea: Conakry

Liberia: Monrovia

Kenya: Mombasa

Swaziland: Mbabane

Asia & Oceania:
China: Nanchang, Yumen, Altay, Taizhou, Huaian, Chuzhou, Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Leting, Baotou

New Zealand: Christchurch, Wellington, Bay of Plenty, Waipa

Antarctica: McMurdo Station

New 2.5m base imagery for: Mexico, Argentina, and India

For even more fun exploring the new imagery, here is a KML outlining all the areas receiving new data. Please note, if you see an area that is updated and not in this KML file, you're not crazy! As part of this update we are re-shuffling many of our satellite scenes to ensure that in areas where we have many satellite scenes stacked on top of each other that the newest image is visible. These are not considered 'new' updates since they've been available through Google Earth's Historical Imagery feature.

Posted by Wayne Thai, GIS Specialist

Where in the world is ...

What time is it? That's right, it's new imagery time! In between bites of fruit snacks and orange chicken, we've been working hard to add the newest available imagery in Google Earth and Maps. Here's a quiz showing you just a small sample of the new imagery that has been posted. To make things a little more interesting this month, here's a disclaimer: One of these facts is false and will lead you nowhere.

1) This city hosted Stage 4 and was the starting point of Stage 5 in the 2008 Tour De France.
2) Unscramble this D-E-E-R-B-A-G-O

3) This port city in the Piura Region was the home of a United States air base during World War II.

4) Every October, this city hosts an International Balloon Fiesta. With over 1,000 hot air balloons each year, it's the largest hot air balloon gathering in the world.


5) The siege of this city was the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, lasting from April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996.

6) During WWII, this city was converted to the capital of Germany's General Government.

7) This city was founded after a civil war in 1578 and is named after the infamous bridge battle that decided the outcome of the war.

8)This city houses Russia's biggest nuclear submarine base.


9) This city is approximately 244 kilometres (152 mi) from Ankara, 255 kilometres (158 mi) from Adana, 222 kilometres (138 mi) from Izmir, and 300 kilometres (186 mi) from Istanbul.

10) This city was founded after the Port Royal earthquake in the 17th century.

Posted by Wayne Thai, GIS Specialist

Where in the World is ... (Answers)

Great work figuring out the answers to the quiz! The quiz images were from the satellite GeoEye-1 and they are just so awesome to look at.

Here are the answers in case any of the questions stumped you, and below is a more complete listing of areas updated.

1) This Asian city is at the center of the Hexi Corridor and Marco Polo has spent a year in this ancient city.
-- Zhangye, China

2) The nickname "City of Lights" just gives this one away.
-- Perth, Australia

3) Tangerines were named for this city, the first one to ship the fruit to Europe.
-- Tangier, Morroco

4) This city has a government building named the "The Custom House".
-- Dublin, Ireland

5) This city is home of the two time winner of the FIBA EuroLeague Women.
-- Como, Italy

6) This northern Canadian city started its first oil boom when it struck oil on February 13, 1947.
-- Leduc, Canada

7) This beautiful rail station is central to this Asian mega-city.
-- Beijing, China (Beijing South Rail Station)

8) A major UN convention on biodiversity was held in this city in 2006.
-- Curitiba, Brazil

9) This lake is a few kilometers outside the city created in 1937 to be the headquarters for the western mining group of the High Katanga Mining Association.
-- Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo

Following is a more complete version of the updates in this data push:

Americas:
United States: Thurston County (WA), Spokane (WA), Albuquerque (NM), Jackson (MS), Winnebago County (IL), Boone County (IL), Ogle County (IL), Lee County (IL), Dekalb County (IL), La Salle County (IL), Putnam County (OH), Van West County (OH), Mercer County (OH), Paulding County (OH), Shelby County (OH), Union County (OH), Morrow County (OH), Richland County (OH), Seneca County (OH), Sandusky County (OH), Ottawa County (OH), Wayne County (OH), Cabton County (OH), Tuscarawas County (OH), Harrisburg (PA), Winston-Salem (NC), Greensboro (NC), Hyde County (NC), Onslow County (NC), New Hanover County (NC), Gulf County (FL), Jackson, Liberty County (FL), Jefferson County (FL), Columbia County (FL), Gilchrist County (FL), Levy County (FL), Citrus County (FL), Lake County (FL), Sumter County (FL), Hernando County (FL), Sarasota County (FL), Osceola County (FL), Indian River County (FL), Okeechobee County (FL), Saint Lucie County (FL), Collier County (FL), Monroe County (FL), Mineola (TX), State of Missouri, State of South Carolina, the Coast of Georgia, and the Coast of Mississippi
Canada: Leduc (BC)
Mexico: Guadalajara, Leon de Los Aldama
Bolivia: La Paz
Brazil: Curitiba, Tocantins, Aracatuba,
Paraguay: Asuncion
Argentina: Rio Cuarto, Santa Rosa,

Europe, Middle East, & Africa:
Ireland: Dublin, Cork
Belgium: entire country
Italy: Amalfi, Como
Spain: Beasain, Costa del Sol
Sweden: Stockholm
Morocco: Casablanca, Agadir, Safi, Larache
Gibralter: entire country
Turkey: Antalya
Saudi Arabia: Mecca
Qatar: Doha
Oman: Masqat, Salalah
Zambia: Lusaka, Livingstone
Mozambique: Beira
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kolwezi
Iran: Shiraz

Asia & Oceania:
Australia: Perth, Sunshine Coast, Thuringowa
China: Bejing, Baoji, Lanzhou
Pakistan: Okara
South Korea: Busan
Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
Timor-Leste: Dili
Fiji: Suva

New 2.5m base imagery for: Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Doha, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

For even more fun exploring the new imagery, here is a KML outlining all the areas receiving new data.

Posted by Roger Lee, GIS Data Engineer

Where in the World is...

It's that time again! We have been hard at work processing imagery for everyone and have just released a major update. There are some interesting places getting updates and we've got a short quiz to push you in the right direction. We will be back with the answers and the complete list of updated areas.

1) This Asian city is at the center of the Hexi Corridor and Marco Polo has spent a year in this ancient city.


2) The nickname "City of Lights" just gives this one away.

3) Tangerines were named for this city, the first one to ship the fruit to Europe.


4) This city has a government building named the "The Custom House".

5) This city is home of the two time winner of the FIBA EuroLeague Women.

6) This northern Canadian city started its first oil boom when it struck oil in 1947.

7) This beautiful rail station is central to this Asian mega-city.


8) A major UN convention was held in this city in 2006.

9) This lake is a few kilometers outside the city created in 1937 to be the headquarters for the western mining group of the High Katanga Mining Association.


Posted by Roger Lee, GIS Data Engineer

Where is the world is... (Answers)

As always, great detective work everyone! In case any left you stumped, here are the answers and our list of updates.



1) I remember back in my school days having learned a poem by a German writer about the disaster of a rail bridge in the 19th century in northwestern Europe that collapsed in a heavy winter storm while a train was crossing it.

Tay rail bridge, Dundee, Scotland



2) A large, mythical lake often shrouded in mist. Legend has it that a sea snake about 60 feet long lives in this lake.

Loch Ness, Drumnadrochit, Scotland



3) This artificial lake in Europe became famous for starring in the opening of a James Bond movie in which a bungee jump was performed.

Lago di Vogorno, Ticino, Switzerland



4) A spaceport in the jungle. Several European space agencies - federal and commercial - conduct rocket launches from here.

Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana



5) A large national park in the continental U.S. that is mainly covered by tempered rain forest and glaciated peaks is now entirely visible at the resolution of at least 1m per pixel.

Olympic National Park, Washington, USA



6) This section of motorway in Europe closes a small gap but runs across a bridge which is currently the tallest in the world with a maximum height of 270 meters.

Viaduc de Millau, Midi-Pyrénées, France



7) This is a very popular tourist location on the pacific side of North America.

Puerta Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico



8) Finally, this last image shows a part of the sculpture park of this European city. The sculptures show human figures.

City of Oslo, Norway



Updated Imagery:  

Americas:

    - USA: Muscatine County (IA), Parts of Champaign County (IL), Parts of Benton County (AR), Parts of Washington County (AR), parts of Washington State, and parts of Michigan

    - Mexico: Puebla, Toluca, Puerto Vallarta

    - Brazil: Porto Alegre

    - French Guiana: Northern Coast

Europe, Middle East, & Africa:

    - Great Britain: Large parts of Scotland and considerable amounts of England

    - France: Departments of Seine-Maritime, Calvados, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines, Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Aube, Yonne, Sarthe, Vosges, Territiore de Belfort, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Charente, Charente-Maritime, Cantal, Aveyron, Aude, Bouches-du-Rhône, Saône-et-Loire, Haute-Savoie, Savoie, Martinique (Caribbean Sea), Mayotte (Indian Sea)

    - Italy: Costa Smeralda (Sardegna), Genova (Liguria), Milano (Lombardia), Lago Maggiore (Piemonte/Lombardia)

    - Spain: Cádiz

    - Switzerland: Engelberg

Asia & Oceania:

    - New Zealand: Palmerston

New 2.5m base imagery for: Southern India and Western Paraguay.

New Terrain for: Contra Costa County, Paris, Copenhagen, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Lisbon, Madrid, Memphis, Mexico City, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Sevilla, St Louis, Tampa, and Toronto

Posted by Bernd Steinert, GIS Specialist, Zurich

Where in the world is...

Hello geo fans, here comes another batch of new imagery for Google Earth and Google Maps. To help you find the locations pictured in this new imagery, I have assembled a small quiz with some famous places that have been updated. Stay tuned for the answers to this quiz to appear in this blog, along with a more complete list of areas with updated imagery.

To make the quiz a bit more challenging this time around, the images are sometimes not oriented northernly.

1) I remember back in my school days having learned a poem by a German writer about the disaster of a rail bridge in the 19th century in northwestern Europe that collapsed in a heavy winter storm while a train was crossing it.


2) A large, mythical lake often shrouded in mist. Legend has it that a sea snake about 60 feet long lives in this lake.

3) This artificial lake in Europe became famous for starring in the opening of a James Bond movie in which a bungee jump was performed.


4) A spaceport in the jungle. Several European space agencies - federal and commercial - conduct rocket launches from here.


5) A large national park in the continental U.S. that is mainly covered by tempered rain forest and glaciated peaks is now entirely visible at the resolution of at least 1m per pixel.

6) This section of motorway in Europe closes a small gap but runs across a bridge which is currently the tallest in the world with a maximum height of 270 meters.

7) This is a very popular tourist location on the pacific side of North America.


8) Finally, this last image shows a part of the sculpture park of this European city. The sculptures show human figures.


Posted by Bernd Steinert, GIS Specialist, Zurich

Where in the world is... (Answers)

So, how did you do? Don't feel bad if you couldn't identify them all, terrain is much harder to identify than imagery. However, I'm very disappointed in you geologists. ;-)

1) The formal dedication of the harbor here took place on April 10th - 44 years ago:

-- Marina del Rey, CA, USA

2) Mountains of money can be made (or lost) at the popular U.S. destination.
-- Las Vegas, NV, USA

3) Wow, the tower here does look a little bit like a fire hose.
-- Telegraph Hill / Coit tower / San Francisco, CA, USA

4) This hilly city known for its beaches, sits on what the Roman's knew as Sinus Cantabrorum:

-- San Sebastian, Spain

5) If you want to get a picture of this city's Golden Triangle, you might want to try Herron Hill:

-- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

6) While this city's downtown doesn't have much in terms of elevation, the nearby Gatineau Hills have some nice hikes.
-- Ottawa, ON, Canada

7) This low lying coastal city accounts for roughly 25% of the country's population. Onnea!
-- Helsinki, Finland

8) At 87m, Mount Victoria isn't much of a mountain, but it does give you nice views of Torpedo Bay:

-- North Shore, New Zealand

9) Looking for a little elevation without leaving the city? Either Bellevue Hill Park or Jackson Hill Park seem like a good choice.
-- Cincinnati, OH, USA

10) The 5km hike to Castell de Sant Miquel from this city will give you stunning views of the country side.
-- Girona, Spain

11) Even with an elevation range of over 1300 ft (~400 m), you'll be hard pressed to find any good hikes here. :-)
-- Lake Superior / Great Lakes


Below is a list of additional areas being update in this data move.
Updated Imagery:

Americas:

- USA: Arizona, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Mobile (AL), Charleston (SC), McAllen (TX), Hannibal (MO), Warren County (IA)
- Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Port Alberni
- Brazil: Sao Paulo, Florianopolis

Europe, Middle East, & Africa:

- France: Bas-Rhin, Indre, Pyrenees-Orientales
- Spain: San Sebastian, much of the Northern Coast
- England: Slough
- Scotland: Shapinsay, Rousay, Stronsay, Turriff, Peterhead, Portpatrick, Wigtown
- Sweden: much of the country
- Switzerland: Geneva, Basle, Lausanne, Lugano, Luzern
- Austria: large chunks of Eastern Austria
- Italy: Bergamo
- Russia: Smolensk, Novgorod
- Albania: Tirana
- Algeria: Tripoli
- Egypt: Aswan
- Sudan: Khartoum

Asia & Oceania:

- China: Changsha
- New Zealand: Auckland, Hamilton, North Shore

New 2.5m base imagery for: Morocco, South Korea

New Terrain for: Azkoita, Girona, Charlotte, Columbus, Oakland, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Santa Monica, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Marina del Rey, North Shore, Helsinki, Ottowa, Prague, San Sebastian, Beasain, Oslo, Great Lakes, Brown Bear Seamount

Posted by Jamie Adams, Geo Data Strategist

Where in the world is ...

Hello Geo-detectives! In the time honored tradition of new imagery posts, we have a quiz for you ... with a twist! Instead of focusing on areas with new imagery, we're looking at areas with ... drum roll please ... new terrain! The 3D functionality of Google Earth is one of its defining features, and with this update it's gotten even better. Let's explore!

1) The formal dedication of the harbor here took place on April 10th - 44 years ago:



2) Mountains of money can be made (or lost) at this popular U.S. destination.

3) Wow, the tower here does look a little bit like a fire hose.

4) This hilly city known for its beaches, sits on what the Roman's knew as Sinus Cantabrorum:



5) If you want to get a picture of this city's Golden Triangle, you might want to try Herron Hill:



6) While this city's downtown doesn't have much in terms of elevation, the nearby Gatineau Hills have some nice hikes.

7) This low lying coastal city accounts for roughly 25% of the country's population. Onnea!

8) At 87m, Mount Victoria isn't much of a mountain, but it does give you nice views of Torpedo Bay:



9) Looking for a little elevation without leaving the city? Either Bellevue Hill Park or Jackson Hill Park seem like a good choice.

10) The 5km hike to Castell de Sant Miquel from this city will give you stunning views of the country side.

And the bonus question:

11) Even with an elevation range of over 1300 ft (~400 m), you'll be hard pressed to find any good hikes here. :-)

Just remember - wear comfortable shoes and brings lots of water. It could be steep!


Posted by Jamie Adams, Geo Data Strategist

Where in the world is... (Answers)

Great work figuring out the answers to the quiz! Here are the answers in case any of the questions stumped you, and below is a more complete listing of areas updated.

1) This busy city is home to the world's largest shopping mall.
- Edmonton, Canada

2) A Viking Runestone was found in this 'Springtime Place' back in 1824.   
- Upernavik, Greenland

3) This 'capital of happiness' was once a colonial capital.
- Salvador, Brazil

4) Parlez vous Francais? If so, you would be at home in this city, which is the second largest French speaking city in the world.
- Montreal, Canada

5) Though not quite complete, we've significantly improved our imagery coverage of this enormous river.   
- Amazon River

6) The gateway to the highlands is now visible.
- Stirling, Scotland

7) Abandoned by settlers in 1541, this city is now the 2nd largest on it's continent.
- Buenos Aires

8) This city was twice the capitol of Persia, and recently hosted the International Physics Olympiad.
- Esfahan, Iran

9) Despite chilly temperatures, this city is sometimes called the Riviera of the North.   
- Malmo, Sweden

10) We've upgraded imagery of pristine mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and plains in this State.
- Alaska

Updated Imagery: 

Americas:

    - USA: South Dakota, Wisconsin, Many Alaskan Parklands,  Fairbanks

    - Canada: Edmonton, Montreal, Antigonish, Faulder, Osoyoos, Apex, Keremeos, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Olalla, Oliver, Princeton, Tulameen, East Gate

    - Colombia: Medellin, Barranquilla, Bello, tulla

    - Nicaragua: Managua

    - Uruguay: Atlantida, Montevideo

    - Guyana: Georgetown

    - Chile: Talca

    - Brazil: Belo Horizonte, Brazilia, Salvador, Goiania, Vila Velha, Betim, Atibaia, Amazon River

    - Peru: Arequipa, Chincha Alta

    - Argentina: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Ipatinga, Palmas

Europe, Middle East, & Africa:

    - France: Pyrenees-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrenees, Rhone-Alpes, Rhone, Jura, Haute-Saone, Haut-Rhin, Indre-et-Loire, Vendee, Ille-et-Vilaine

    - UK: Edinburgh, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Billingham, Sheffield, York, Hull, Sunderland

    - Sweden: Alingsas, Alvsbyn, Arjeplog, Arvidsjaur, Boras, Eskilstuna, Finspang, Fagersta, Boden, Eksjo, Enkoping, Helsingborg, Are, Avesta, Borlange, Hasselholm, Almhult, Arvika, Astorp, Halmastad, Alvesta, Angelholm, Tranas, Uddevalla, Uppsala, Vanersborg, Varberg, Varnamo, Casteras, Vetlanda, Haparanda, Kirstinehamn, Falkenberg, Falun, Gallivare, Gislaved, Hedemora, Hoganas, Jonkoping, Kalix, Karlshamn, Karlskrona, Klippan, Kungalv, Kungsbacka, Ljungby, Lycksele, Malmo, Norrtalje, Sunne, Ostersund, Saffle, Sodertalje, Stenungsund, Strangnas, Stromsund, Arboga, Bollnas, Eslov, Falkoping, Gavle, Hallstahammar, Harnosand, Hudiksvall, Karlstad, Katrineholm, Lidkoping, Lulea, Jokkmokk, Kalmar, Kinna, Kiruna, Koping, Kristianstad, Landskrona, Lund, Motala, Onsala, Oxelosund, Sigtuna, Oskarshamn, Ronneby, Trollhattan, Vadstena, Umea, Vastervik, Vaxjo, Ystad, Visby, Hoegland, Hoernett

    - Greenland: Aappilattoq, Aasiaat, Akunnaaq, Alluitsup, Ammassivik, Arsuk, Atammik, Attu, Eqalugaarsuit, Igaliku, Iginniarfik, Ikamiut, Ikerasaak, Ilimanaq, Illoqqortmiut, Illorsuit, Ilulissat, Innaarsuit, Isotoq, Itterajivit, Kangaamiut, Kangerluk, Kangerlussuaq, Kangersuatiaq, Kapisillit, Kitsissuarsuit, Kullorsuaq, Kulusuk, Kuumiut, Maniitsoq, Naajaat, Nanotralik, Napasoq, Narsaq, Narsarsuaq, Nerlerit Inaat, Niaqornaarsuk, Nuuk, Nuussiaq, Oqaatsut, Paamiut, Qaanaaq, Qaarsut, Qaqortoq, Qasigiannguit, Qassiarsuk, Qassimiut, Qegertarsuaq, Qeqertarsuatsiaat, Saarloq, Saqqaq, Saattut, Sarfannguit, Savissivik, Sermiligaaq, Siorapaluk, Sisimiut, Tasiusaq, Tiniteqilaaq, Tussaaq, Ukkusissat, Upernavik, Uummannaq, Moriusaq, Tasiilaq, Vsskemgf (sorry, that last one was a sneeze).

    - Italy: Terni, Genoa, Naples, Torino, Pisa, Brescia,

    - Switzerland: Nidwalden, Obwalden

    - Greece: Athens, Thessaloniki,

    - Bosnia and Herzegovinia: Sarajevo

    - Croatia: Zagreb

    - Moldova: Chisnau

    - Russia: Samara, Izhevsk, Yaroslavl, Tomsk, Cheboksary, Cherepovets,

    - Iran: Esfahan, Kerman

    - Qatar: Doha

    - Saudi Arabia: Tabuk,

    - Tunisia: Tunis

    - Egypt: Tanta, Damanhur, Banha, Minuf

    - Morocco: Rabat, Oujda, Meknes

    - Senegal: Dakar

    - Somalia: Mogadishu

    - Angola: Lobito, Lubango

    - Ghana: Tamale

    - Mali: Bamako

    - Uganda: Kampala

    - Nigeria: Kaduna, Kano, Wukari

    - Kenya: Ruiru

    - Central African Republic: Bangui

    - Sierra Leone: Freetown

    - Ivory Coast: Abidjan, Korhogo

    - Namibia: Windhoek

    - Madagascar: Tamatave

Asia & Oceania:

      - China: Anshan, Fushun, Benxi, Changzhou, Anqing

     - India: Pune, Pimpri, Jamshedpur, Muzaffarpur, Latur, Sambhal, Amroha, Tenali, Navsari, Bhuj, Bankura, Begusarai, Chas, Buxar, Sujangarh, Dod Ballapur, Madhuban, Valsad, Sirsi, Borsad, Ladnun, Petlad, Kanakapura

     - Pakistan: Peshawar, Jacobabad

     - Bangladesh: Chittagong

     - Kazahkstan: Shymkent

     - Uzbekistan: Namagan, Navoiy

New 2.5m base imagery for: Mexico and Turkey

New Terrain for: Wollongong, Whitsunday Islands, Perth, Hobart, Geelong, Canberra, Cairnes, Adelaide, Honolulu, LA, and Santa Rosa.

Posted by Matt Manolides, Senior GIS Strategist

Where in the world is ...

It's been a while since I wrote an imagery quiz, but I'm happy to have a new one for you today. We've got a lot of new high quality aerial and satellite imagery for you to explore in Google Earth, both in the US and abroad. I don't want to spoil the fun of discovering the updates for yourselves, so here's a list of hints. I'll post an update in a couple days with the answers and a more complete list of updated areas.

1) This busy city is home to the world's largest shopping mall.

2) A Viking Runestone was found in this 'Springtime Place' back in 1824.

3) This 'capitol of happiness' was once a colonial capitol.

4) Parlez vous Francais? If so, you would be at home in this city, which is the second largest French speaking city in the world.

5) Though not quite complete, we've significantly improved our imagery coverage of this enormous river.

6) The gateway to the highlands is now visible.

7) Abandoned by settlers in 1541, this city is now the 2nd largest on it's continent.

8) This city was twice the capitol of Persia, and recently hosted the International Physics Olympiad.

9) Despite chilly temperatures, this city is sometimes called the Riviera of the North.

10) We've upgraded imagery of pristine mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, and plains in this State.

Enjoy the hunt, and stay classy geo fans!  =)

Posted by Matt Manolides, Senior GIS Strategist

Where in the world is...

Greetings, geo fans. Today I'm happy to announce the launch of new imagery for Google Earth. Not wanting to spoil the fun, here are some hints to help you discover where the new imagery coverage is located. Check back tomorrow for the answers and a more complete list of updated areas.

1) Often referred to as The Cape, this land mass is technically an island.

2) The happiest place in Europe has been updated.


3) A major tourist attraction and host of an annual film festival, this city has gotten the star treatment.

4) You can now explore this city in high resolution, though it's not quite what William Gibson envisioned.

5) This tiny city-state is known for it's glitz, glamor, and incredible wealth.


6) You can see this city's expressway renovation project -- which cost close to a billion dollars -- nearly completed.

7) The city of a hundred spires can be viewed with increased clarity.

8) This famous stretch of road was built by returned servicemen as a war memorial.

9) According to several recent surveys, residents in this city experience the world's highest quality of life.

10) Though it's expanded beyond them, this city is famous for its intact renaissance era city walls.

Finally, thanks to our ever-attentive geo community, we were able to correct an anomaly that appeared in our imagery of a golf course in the Netherlands. It turned out to be an image-processing error that happened during our color-correction process, so we've removed it.

Posted by Matt Manolides, GIS Specialist

Where in the world is... (Answers)

Posted by Matt Manolides, GIS Specialist

Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz -- I'm sure you all passed with flying colors.

1) Founded in 1608, this former British possession has a decidedly French flair.
--Quebec

2) Once the seat of great political power, this red fortress is now a major tourist attraction.
--Alhambra, Granada

3) Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city was lost to the world for 1700 years.

--Pompeii

4) Passing by a famous golf course and luxurious mansions, this stretch of road is a tourist attraction in its own right.

--17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach (California)

5) Legend has it that Hercules founded this major European city.
--Barcelona

6) This city within a city plays host to an Opera House, Planetarium, Science Museum, Oceanographic Park, and beautiful gardens.

--City of Arts & Sciences, Valencia (Spain)

7) When we updated imagery of this city, we got complete coverage of another country with it.
--Rome & Vatican City

8) This city hosted General MacArthur's South West Pacific Headquarters during WWII.
--Brisbane

9) Some of my Googler co-workers can enjoy the views from this very tall building.

--Taipei 101, Taipei


The following is a more complete list of the areas we've updated in this data push:

Updated Imagery:
Americas:
- USA: San Diego, San Francisco metro area, Wenatchee (WA), New Mexico.

- Canada: Quebec, New Westminster (BC).

Europe, Middle East & Africa:

- England: Bristol
- Spain: Barcelona, Costa del Sol, Granada, Murcia, Valencia, Cuenca, Toledo, Caceres, Zaragoza.

- Portugal: Braga, new base imagery for entire country

- Italy: Rome, Naples

- Germany: Freidburg, Munich

Asia & Oceania:

- Australia: Brisbane, Great Barrier Reef

- Taiwan: Taipei, Taichung

New 2.5m base imagery for: The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Taiwan, Tasmania, and parts of Mexico, China, and Australia.

Where in the world is...

Posted by Matt Manolides, GIS Specialist

Today I'm happy to announce that we've just finished pushing out an imagery update for all you Google Earth fans out there. As usual, I'll drop a few hints at where these updates might be, and tomorrow I'll post the complete list of updates. 

1) Founded in 1608, this former British possession has a decidedly French flair.

2) Once the seat of great political power, this red fortress is now a major tourist attraction.

3) Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city was lost to the world for 1700 years.

4) Passing by a famous golf course and luxurious mansions, this stretch of road is a tourist attraction in its own right.

5) Legend has it that Hercules founded this major European city.

6) This city within a city plays host to an Opera House, Planetarium, Science Museum, Oceanographic Park, and beautiful gardens.

7) When we updated imagery of this city, we got complete coverage of another country with it.

8) This city hosted General MacArthur's South West Pacific Headquarters during WWII.

9) Some of my Googler co-workers can enjoy the views from this very tall building.