Secret Scotland

If it’s secret, and in Scotland, it should be here.

Russian satellite photo service

Take a closer look at the image below (click on it for a larger version) and you’ll find that what you probably assumed was just another view of a Google map isn’t quite what you might have taken it to be…

russianmapper

A Russian agency has started what appears to be an alternative to Google mapping, and that offered by similar, existing services.

According to the translation we have, it doesn’t use the  same data as Google et al, and at present only Russian space data is being used.

It claims to be “an alternative for Google Earth with more detailed coverage of Russian territory”. Currently, this detailed alternative shows only a few detailed locations, and these can be hard to find by taking random stabs on the map.

This is only an early beta release, so its detail can’t be compared with Google and the other – for example, at the moment it is much less-detailed when you zoom in on Moscow city. But you can try the Russian mapping for yourself now, and maybe bookmark it and watch how it develops.

While you might not be able to read the links, if you use the left hand pane of the system window, clicking on the titles there will expand a growing list of places in a dropdown, and these (at the moment) lead to a number of location with view showing 6 metre and even 1 metre resolution on the ground.

Maybe they’ll talk to some of their older friends, and link their new system up with the data obtained from the days of the Cold War, when the KGB mapped the UK.

February 12, 2009 - Posted by Apollo | Maps | , | 2 Comments

2 Comments »

  1. At least their coverage of the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula isn’t substantially cloud-obscured. Unlike Google’s map. Not that the Machrihanish air strip, slightly to the North, would have anything to do with that. :-)

    For those who might not be too adept at the interwebs, you can use a number of sites to translate foreign language sites into English. For example, look for the Translate a web page link at this Google page. Paste in the URL of interest, select your languages in the pop-up menus just below – and then click the [Translate] button. Of course, this sort of trickery-pokery won’t even attempt to translate text which is part of a graphic on a web page, but you seem to be able to visit a fair bit of this Russian site with it.

    Comment by Gary | February 12, 2009

  2. Hopefully ending the drivel we’ve had to endure over the years from the loonies, the sale of MoD Machrihanish was announced towards the end of 2008, with completion presently envisaged by 2010 – but local concerns over the sale may alter this timetable. The base reverted to the MoD 14 years ago from NATO, in 1995, and has existed on care and maintenance since, all but deserted and derelict, and in use as for Army and cadet training. Real covert stuff!

    Google et al have simply not purchased the higher resolution aerial images available for the southern part of the Cowal peninsula, which can be found online from the commercial company which owns them, and are cloud free.

    Perhaps if enough Scots emailed Google et all and complain, they might dip into their pockets and buy them for us – but it hasn’t helped with the northeast yet, and that’s got REAL cloud cover.

    Thanks for adding the translation tip…

    For those that have a problem with using Google, you can do the same with the Babel Fish at http://uk.babelfish.yahoo.com/

    Comment by Apollo | February 14, 2009


Leave a comment

« Previous | Next »