List of satellite map images with missing or unclear data
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of satellite map images with missing or unclear data. Some locations on free, publicly viewable satellite map services have such issues due to having been intentionally digitally obscured or blurred for various reasons of this.[1] For example, Westchester County, New York asked Google to blur potential terrorism targets (such as an amusement park, a beach, and parking lots) from its satellite imagery.[2] There are situations where the censorship of certain sites was subsequently removed. For example, when Google Maps and Google Earth were launched, images of the White House and United States Capitol were blurred out; however, these sites are now uncensored.[3]
Countries engaged with Google Maps
During talks with the Indian government, Google issued a statement saying "Google has been talking and will continue to talk to the Indian government about any security concerns it may have regarding Google Earth."[4] Google agreed to blur images on request of the Indian government.[1]
The Australian government has decided that images of sensitive areas are not a risk, due to poor level of detail.[5] It was reported that in the lead-up to the APEC forum in Sydney held in September 2007 certain key locations in images of the city's central business district, where APEC leaders were meeting, might have been intentionally reduced in resolution; however, Google has indicated that the change was unrelated to APEC, while the NSW police said that they knew nothing about the change in Google's images. Images of the prime minister's official residence, The Lodge have not been blurred. However, images of its roof have been and the entrance to The Lodge is blurred in Google Street View.[6]
The government of Malaysia has stated that it will not ask Google to censor sensitive areas because that would identify the locations it deemed to be sensitive.[7]
List
Most military and defense facilities, along with many private homes, appear blurred in mapping services. The vast majority of Antarctica is also in low resolution due to the bright, often featureless, ice and snow making high-resolution imaging both difficult and largely unnecessary. The following is a partial list of notable known map sections that have been blurred or blanked.
Antarctica
| Location | Country or region | Details | Link and coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| â | Antarctica | Several large areas of Antarctica are blurred, including one over 23 km (14 mi) long. Blurring is well past the normal low-resolution for most of the continent.[8] | 70.177653°S 87.824707°E |
Asia
| Location | Country or region | Details | Link and coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat Komando Daerah Militer III Siliwangi | Indonesia | On August 8, 2024, the satellite imagery of Indonesian military installations was censored on Google Maps. They remain visible on Apple Maps and Bing Maps.[9] | 6°54â²33â³S 107°36â²48â³E |
| Direktorat Ajudan Jenderal Angkatan Darat | 6°54â²51â³S 107°37â²10â³E | ||
| Dinas Jasmani Militer Angkatan Darat | 6°53â²40â³S 107°32â²35â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer IV/Diponegoro | 7°05â²09â³S 110°24â²26â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer Jayakarta | 6°15â²09â³S 106°52â²12â³E | ||
| Pusat Zeni Angkatan Darat | 6°12â²31â³S 106°51â²26â³E | ||
| Mabes TNI AD | 6°10â²10â³S 106°49â²44â³E | ||
| Divisi Infanteri 1/Kostrad | 6°25â²54â³S 106°50â²23â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer Iskandar Muda | 5°33â²22â³N 95°19â²14â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer I/Bukit Barisan | 3°35â²36â³N 98°37â²20â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer XII/Tanjungpura | 0°04â²30â³S 109°22â²16â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer II/Sriwijaya | 2°58â²12â³S 104°44â²59â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer XIII/Merdeka | 1°28â²02â³N 124°50â²51â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer XIV/Hasanuddin | 5°08â²35â³S 119°27â²50â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer XVIII/Kasuari | 0°55â²40â³S 134°02â²10â³E | ||
| Yonkav 4/Kijang Sakti | 6°55â²43â³S 107°37â²53â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer XVI/Pattimura | 3°41â²26â³S 128°11â²00â³E | ||
| Komando Daerah Militer V/Brawijaya | 7°17â²57â³S 112°43â²21â³E | ||
| Military installation on Weh Island | Narrow area of military installation covered by clouds in Google Maps. | 5°53â²24â³N 95°13â²41â³E | |
| North Korea[10] | North Korea | Satellite imagery is not censored, but buildings and roads are unlabeled in Google Maps. | 39°32â²47â³N 126°47â²16â³E |
| Israel | Israel | Large parts of the Israel have much lower resolution satellite imagery on Google Maps than other populated areas. This is a result of the KylâBingaman Amendment that was dropped in 2020. Since then Google Maps has updated the Palestinian territories and parts of Israel with higher resolution satellite images.[11] | 32°03â²41â³N 34°46â²13â³E |
Europe
| Location | Country or region | Details | Link and coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mando de Transmisiones del Ejército "Army Command Signals"[12][13] | Spain | Blurred in Apple Maps and Bing Maps. | 40°24â²25â³N 3°47â²16â³W |
| Base Militar Punta Camorro[14] | Spain | Blurred on Apple Maps and Bing Maps. | 36°00â²52â³N 5°35â²05â³W |
| Zaragoza Air Base | Spain | Blurred intentionally on Apple Maps and Bing Maps.[15] | 36°50â²20â³N 2°28â²20â³W |
| Heliport[16] in El Ejido | Spain | Blurred on Apple Maps and Bing Maps. | 36°44â²50â³N 2°43â²07â³W |
| Lisbon prison | Portugal | Blurred on Google Maps. | 38°43â²48â³N 9°09â²30â³W |
| Leiria prison | Portugal | Blurred on Google Maps. | 39°43â²52â³N 8°49â²05â³W |
| Tires Prison | Portugal | Blurred on Google Maps. | 38°43â²31â³N 9°20â²52â³W |
| Lisbon Naval Base | Portugal | Blurred on Google Maps. | 38°40â²07â³N 9°08â²55â³W |
| Montijo Air Base | Portugal | Blurred on Google Maps. | 38°42â²28â³N 9°01â²36â³W |
| Centro De Comunicações De Dados E De Cifra Da Marinha | Portugal | Military facility blurred on Google Maps. | 38°43â²52â³N 9°11â²20â³W |
| Stare Kiejkuty (base) | Poland | Blurred on Google Maps. | 53°38â²06â³N 21°04â²01â³E |
| NATO Communications and Information Agency[10] | Netherlands | Blurred on Apple Maps and Bing Maps. | 52°06â²36â³N 4°19â²36â³E |
| Ministry of Defence headquarters | Netherlands | Headquarters of the Dutch Ministry of Defence. Blurred on Bing Maps. | 52°04â²42â³N 4°19â²00â³E |
| Noordeinde Palace[10] | Netherlands | Palace of the Dutch royal family. Blurred on Bing Maps. | 52°04â²51â³N 4°18â²25â³E |
| Ãlysée Palace[10] | France | Residence of the President of the French Republic. Blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. In Google Maps the surrounding area is also not rendered in 3D like the rest of Paris. | 48°52â²11â³N 2°18â²59â³E |
| Palais de l'Alma | France | A national palace of the French Republic, blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 48°51â²42â³N 2°18â²00â³E |
| Satory | France | Military camp, blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 48°47â²01â³N 2°06â²40â³E |
| Vélizy-Villacoublay Air Base | France | Military air base, blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 48°46â²17â³N 2°12â²30â³E |
| La Santé Prison | France | Prison in Paris, blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 48°50â²02â³N 2°20â²23â³E |
| Phare de Tévennec | France | Lighthouse in Brittany. Not satellite imagery available on Google Maps but visible on Apple Maps and Bing Maps. | 48°04â²17â³N 4°47â²46â³W |
| Brest Arsenal | France | Naval base, blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 48°22â²37â³N 4°30â²15â³W |
| INTERPOL | France | Blurred on Google Maps. | 45°46â²56â³N 4°50â²54â³E |
| Marcoule Nuclear Site | France | Blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 44°08â²36â³N 4°42â²19â³E |
| Tricastin Nuclear Power Plant | France | Blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps and Google Maps. | 44°19â²54â³N 4°43â²27â³E |
| Ramstein Air Base | Germany | Blurred on Apple Maps. | 49°26â²13â³N 7°35â²55â³E |
| Boden | Sweden | Military area around the town of Boden in Sweden. Extensively blurred on Apple Maps. | 65°49â²33â³N 21°41â²19â³E |
| LuleÃ¥/Kallax Airport | Sweden | Airport in LuleÃ¥, also used for military purposes. Blurred on Apple Maps. | 65°32â²44â³N 22°07â²00â³E |
| Thun Army Base | Switzerland | Blurred on Apple Maps. | 46°45â²29â³N 7°36â²33â³E |
North America
| Location | Country or region | Details | Link and coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Rue Emile Sasco | St Pierre and Miquelon | Administrative Court Of Saint-Pierre And Miquelon. Specific building blurred on Apple Maps, Bing Maps, blurred more widely on Google Maps | 46°46â²52â³N 56°10â²17â³W |
Oceania
| Location | Country or region | Details | Link and coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangor | Nauru | Multiple areas have much lower resolution imagery on Google Maps than the rest of the island. | 0°32â²00â³S 166°54â²39â³E |