Google Maps gets enhanced with sharper satellite images

Google is constantly updating its Maps and Earth apps with new features. The Google Earth app is adding a new feature that allows users to explore historical aerial photography of locations dating back up to 80 years. With this tool, viewers may see how landscapes have changed throughout the years.

Using the Google Earth historical imaging tool, users may examine the changes and comprehend "how forests have been affected by human activity and the changing climate." The feature is available in Google Earth on both the web and mobile.

The historical images function allows users to visit major cities such as London, Paris, and Berlin and witness transformations, with some photos dating back as far as the 1930s.

Google is adding Street View to Google Maps in 80 countries, in addition to the new functionality for Google Earth. Some countries, including Bosnia, Namibia, Liechtenstein, and Paraguay, are obtaining Street View for the first time. Furthermore, Street View will expand its coverage in nations such as Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, and Rwanda, among others.

Google also stated that it used a lightweight camera to gather images of difficult-to-access regions. The new design also allows the camera to collect new data, and Street View will be expanded to cover more locations.

Additionally, the Google Earth and Maps apps will improve satellite images across the board. According to the official site, Google's cloud-removal technology will enable users to see a brighter, more vibrant globe starting this week. Google added that:

We've used our Cloud Score+ AI model, trained on millions of images, to recognize and remove things like clouds, cloud shadows, haze and mist. At the same time, this model keeps real-world weather patterns — like ice, snow and mountain shadows — visible on the map. The result is a refreshed global mosaic that gives you a clearer, more accurate look at Earth.

Overall, these new features will allow viewers to see the earth in its historical and present forms in great detail.