Google maps from satellite online. Map of Russia

Google Maps is a leader among modern mapping services that provide satellite interactive maps online. At least a leader in the field satellite images and by the number of various additional services and tools (Google Earth, Google Mars, various weather and transport services, one of the most powerful APIs).

In the field of schematic maps, at some point, this leadership “was lost” in favor of Open Street Maps - a unique mapping service in the spirit of Wikipedia, where every volunteer can contribute data to the site.

However, despite this, the popularity of Google Maps remains perhaps one of the highest of all other mapping services. Part of the reason is that Google Maps is where we can find the most detailed satellite photos for the largest regions of any country. Even in Russia such a large and successful company as Yandex cannot surpass the quality and coverage of satellite photographs, at least in its own country.

With Google Maps, anyone can view satellite photos of the Earth for free almost anywhere in the world.

Image quality

Pictures of himself high resolution usually available for the world's largest cities in America, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Asia, Oceania. Currently, high-quality images are available for cities with a population of more than 1 million inhabitants. For less major cities and others settlements Satellite images are only available in limited resolution.

Possibilities

Google Maps or “Google Maps” was a real discovery for Internet users and indeed all PC users, giving an unheard of and previously unseen opportunity to look at their home, their village, cottage, lake or river where they vacationed in the summer - from a satellite. To see it from above, from a perspective from which it would be impossible to see it under any other circumstances. The discovery, the very idea of ​​giving people easy access to satellite photos, fits harmoniously into Google's overall vision of “easily providing everyone with access to any information on the planet.”

Google Maps allows you to see from a satellite simultaneously those things and objects that cannot be observed at the same time when observed from the ground. Satellite maps differ from regular maps in that they simple maps colors and natural forms of natural objects are distorted by editorial processing for further publication. However, satellite photographs preserve all the naturalness of nature and the objects being photographed, natural colors, shapes of lakes, rivers, fields and forests.

Looking at the map, one can only guess what is there: a forest, a field or a swamp, while on satellite photography it is immediately clear: objects, usually round or oval in shape, with a unique swamp color, are swamps. The light green spots or areas in the photograph are fields, and the dark green ones are forests. With enough experience in orientation in Google Maps, you can even distinguish whether it is a coniferous forest or a mixed forest: coniferous has a browner tint. Also on the map you can distinguish specific broken lines piercing the forests and fields of the vast Russian expanses - these are railways. Only by looking from a satellite can one understand that railways have a much greater influence on the natural landscape surrounding them than roads. Also in Google Maps It is possible to overlay maps with the names of regions, roads, settlements on a national scale and the names of streets, house numbers, metro stations on a city scale on a satellite image of an area or city.

Map mode and satellite view mode

In addition to satellite images, it is possible to switch to the “map” mode, in which it is possible to view any territory on the surface of the Earth and study in detail the layout and location of houses of any more or less large city. In the "map" mode it is especially convenient to plan your movements around the city if you have already seen enough satellite views of your city.

The search function by house number will easily point you to the right house giving the opportunity to “look around” the area around this house and how you can drive/approach it. To search for the required object, just type in Russian in the search bar a query like: “City, street, house number” and the site will display to you the location of the object you are looking for using a special marker.

How to use Google Maps

To begin, open some place.

To move around the map, left-click on the map and drag it to in no particular order. To return to the original position, press the center button located between the four direction buttons.

To enlarge the map, click on the button "+" or roll the mouse roller when the cursor is over the map. You can also enlarge the map double click mouse in the location you are interested in.

To switch between satellite, mixed (hybrid) and map views, use the corresponding buttons in the upper right corner of the map: Map / Satellite / Hybrid.

Remember the movie “Men in Black”, where Agent Kay looked through an orbital camera at his beloved watering flowers in the courtyard? The opportunity to see what our Earth looks like from a satellite in real time attracts people from all over the world. Today we will tell you - and show you! - the best fruits modern technologies on Earth observation.

Attention! If you see dark screen, this means that the cameras are in the shadows. Screensaver or gray screen - no signal.

Usually we only get static satellite maps, frozen in time - details are not updated for years, and an eternal summer day reigns outside. Isn't it interesting to see how beautiful the Earth is from a satellite online in winter or at night? In addition, the quality of images of some regions of Russia and the CIS leaves much to be desired. But now all this can be solved in one fell swoop - thanks to , Earth online from a satellite in real time is no longer science fiction. Right on this page you can join thousands of people who are now observing the planet.

At an altitude of 400 kilometers above the planet, where the station is permanently located, NASA installed one developed by private companies. The astronauts themselves or at the commands of the Mission Control Center direct the cameras from which data is transmitted. Thanks to manual control, we can see what the Earth looks like from a satellite online from all sides - its atmosphere, mountains, cities and oceans. And the station’s mobility allows you to view half of it in an hour. globe.

How does the broadcast happen?

Due to the fact that the cameras are located on International station, even minor details are noticeable to us, which are commented on by scientists, astronauts and professional journalists. However, our Earth is visible online from a satellite in real time thanks to the work of a whole complex of people and machines - in addition to the already mentioned astronauts and the Control Center, satellite communication technologies are involved in the process, solar panels power supply and technical specialists involved in data translation and decoding. Accordingly, the broadcast has its own nuances - knowing them will help you see more and better understand what is happening on the screen.

Our observation point, the orbital station, moves at enormous speed - almost 28 thousand kilometers per hour, and circles the Earth in 90-92 minutes. Half of this time, 45 minutes, the station hangs on the night side. And although on approach the solar panels of the cameras can be powered by sunset light, in the depths the electricity disappears - therefore it is not always available from the satellite. At such moments, the broadcast screen turns gray; Just wait a little and you will be watching the sunrise with the astronauts.

In order to find best time for observations, you will need our special map of the Earth from a satellite - it marks not only the time of passage of the space station, but also its exact position. This way you can find out when to see your city from space heights, or find a station in the sky with binoculars or a telescope!

We have already mentioned that astronauts and ground control can change the aiming of cameras - they perform not only an entertaining, but also a scientific function. At such moments, planet Earth is not accessible from a satellite in real time - a black or blue screensaver appears on the screen, or already captured moments are repeated. If there are no interruptions in satellite communications, the station is located on the day side of the planet, and the background suddenly changes, then the cameras are filming areas inaccessible to the public due to international treaties. Secret objects and forbidden territories are closed on static maps, skillfully hidden by photo editors or simply erased. All that remains is to wait for the moment when the situation in the world relaxes, and there will be no secrets from ordinary citizens.

Hidden Features

But don't be upset if the camera isn't working right now! When planet Earth cannot be shown online from satellite, astronauts and NASA find other entertainment for viewers. You will see life inside the International Space Station, astronauts in zero gravity, who talk about their work and what kind of satellite view of the Earth will be shown next. They even allow you to look into the impressively large Mission Control Center. The only negative is that even the speech of Russian cosmonauts is translated into English so that it can be understood by the American employees who manage the Center. It is currently not possible to turn off translation. Also, don’t be surprised by the silence - comments are not always appropriate, and there is no constant sound accompaniment yet.

For those who predict the route of cameras using the capabilities provided by a real-time satellite map of the Earth, we have advice - check the date and time settings on your computer. The server that updates the map uses the given International Station motion formula and the time zone of your IP address to predict the position of the orbital cameras. The online map judges what the Earth looks like from a satellite solely based on the device’s time. If your clock is slow or fast relative to the time zone, the station will move east or west accordingly. The use of proxy servers and anonymizers will also affect the results.

Live broadcast of NASA TV channel

You are a participant in a scientific program

You've probably noticed that the quality of the picture of planet Earth from space and the live satellite broadcast often changes - the image is covered with squares or lags behind the audio track. In most cases, it is enough to check the speed of your Internet connection, disable other videos and programs for downloading files, or click on the HD button in the broadcast window. However, even if there are interruptions, it is worth remembering that the planet can only be seen alive thanks to a large-scale scientific experiment.

Yes, yes - the video on this page is transmitted for a reason. Cameras installed on the International Space Station are part of the program High Definition Earth Viewing (from English: high-resolution view of the Earth from a satellite), which is still being improved and developed. The cameras are installed by astronauts in conditions isolated from cold and dust, but they are exposed to harsh radiation from the outside. Scientists are experimenting with the difficulties of seamless data transmission in space, ensuring that a map of the Earth from a satellite good quality existed not only motionless, but also living, dynamic. The results will help improve existing channels and create new ones - even in Mars orbit in the foreseeable future.

So let's stay in touch - new things appear in the world of space every day!

Many users are interested in online satellite maps, which give them the opportunity to enjoy a bird's-eye view of their favorite places on our planet. There are quite a number of such services on the Internet, but all their diversity should not be misleading - most of these sites use the classic API from Google Maps. However, there are also a number of resources that use their own tools to create high-quality satellite maps. IN this material I will talk about the best high-resolution satellite maps available online in 2017-2018, and also explain how to use them.

When creating satellite maps of the earth's surface, both images from space satellites and photos from special aircraft are usually used, allowing photography to be carried out at a bird's eye view (250-500 meters).

Satellite maps created in this way highest quality resolutions are regularly updated, and usually images from them are no more than 2-3 years old.

Most online services do not have the ability to create their own satellite maps. They usually use maps from other, more powerful services (usually Google Maps). At the same time, at the bottom (or top) of the screen you can find a mention of the copyright of a company for displaying these maps.


Viewing real-time satellite maps is currently not available to the average user, since such tools are used primarily for military purposes. Users have access to maps, photographs for which were taken over the past months (or even years). It is worth understanding that any military objects may be deliberately retouched in order to hide them from interested parties.

Let's move on to a description of the services that allow us to enjoy the capabilities of satellite maps.

Google Maps - view from space in high resolution

Bing Maps – online satellite map service

Among the cartographic online services of decent quality, you cannot ignore the Bing Maps service, which is the brainchild of Microsoft. Like the other resources I have described, this site provides quite high quality photos surfaces created using satellite and aerial photography.


Bing Maps is one of the most popular mapping services in the United States.

The functionality of the service is similar to the analogues already described above:

At the same time, using the search button you can determine the online location of a specific satellite, and by clicking on any satellite on the map you will get brief information about it (country, size, launch date, etc.).


Conclusion

To display high-resolution satellite maps online, you should use one of the network solutions I listed. The Google Maps service is the most popular worldwide, so I recommend using this resource to work with satellite maps online. If you are interested in viewing geolocations on the territory of the Russian Federation, then it is better to use the Yandex.Maps toolkit. The frequency of their updates on our country’s relations exceeds the similar frequency from Google Maps.

Navigation charts may be needed in the most different situations. Either you are lost in the forest, or you are looking for the necessary street in the city. A service that can help you deal with this is Google Maps. It consists of a couple of applications. Namely: from the Google Maps website and Google Transit (routing program). Thanks to the fact that Google transmits data directly from the satellite, using these maps you can find out detailed diagram routes, house numbers, street names, and how you can walk or ride (by car, bus, bicycle) to your destination.
This service is a large reference book covering many areas of life: from traveling to planning a walk or going on vacation.

Appearance

The map can be displayed for users in two versions: Based on the Mercator projection, a map scale was created that is constant: towards the equator from the poles it decreases and vice versa.
A sister project to Google Maps, Google Planet (corresponds to a globe), complements the service of images of the Earth's poles.

Peculiarities

Not all countries disclose information about the location of their facilities. Therefore, places on the map where there are classified areas shaded. These include, for example, The White house, Capitol.

Different areas of land have different resolutions on the map. The lower the population density of an area, the less details are known about it. Some places on the map are hidden under clouds. Although not all objects were taken from the satellite. The images of some of them were obtained thanks to aerial photography from a height of 300 meters or more. In such places, the detail of the terrain reaches high values.

Service interface

Google Maps is very easy to use. This app was made for people and that's how it works. On the left side there is a button for switching the appearance of cards ( topographical or satellite view). And on the right side of the screen the user can find zoom buttons ( increase and decrease).
The system allows its users to enter the address or name of an object and obtain information about its location, address, coordinates, appearance. For some areas, a “what’s there” recognition service is available, and Google Maps will show which object (gas station, museum, store, theater) is located there.

Google online maps javascript service is used very widely. New areas of the map appear on the page as the user moves it around the screen. If the address of a specific object has been entered, the page is reloaded and the location of the desired place is displayed on the map with a dynamic red marker icon.

So that the map can be hosted by owners of other sites, Google has announced a free service: API Maps(Application Programming Interface) in 2005. This map can be added to any area of ​​the site. There are currently more than 350 thousand of them around the world.

About Google Maps

As of 2011, Google announced that it provides its mapping service to more than 150 million customers. This makes the service one of the largest and most ambitious Internet navigation services.
Interactive Google Maps is free service, kindly provided by Google Corporation, which does not contain advertising, but only provides high-quality and verified information about the location and purpose of objects around the world.

All people know about the beauty of planet Earth, but previously only astronauts had a chance to verify this. Now every computer user with Internet access has this opportunity. The satellite view is broadcast in real time on many sites that are easy to find via Google, viewing is absolutely free.

Where to watch the satellite view in real time

For those looking for options on how to view the Earth from a satellite in real time, there are several options. The first of them offers a video broadcast from the ISS (International Space Station), on which one of the teams mounted a camera aimed towards the planet. You won’t be able to see the entire globe from the station online (the image only captures a part), but you are guaranteed fantastic sunsets and sunrises. In the second option, you can study a specific area using images from space in several formats (cartographic, satellite).

Earth from space online in real time

Planet Earth from the satellite is transmitted live with a delay of one or two minutes around the clock. If you don’t see anything when you go to the site, it means the surveillance footage is being taken from the dark side of the planet (where it is currently night). Those looking for a way to watch Earth from a satellite in real time should visit ustream.tv/channel/live-iss-stream. This is an official NASA live stream that can be found on many other sites, but this service is the original source.

There you can also find the station’s flight schedule and find out at what moment it flies over Russia. Sometimes, together with the ISS employees, a program is drawn up, according to which they go on video communication. They communicate, show and tell about interesting facts in space. Satellite Earth in real time and communication with staff occurs online every day.

Real-time satellite maps

A view of the Earth from space does not have to be in video format. Satellites flying in orbit every day are capable of taking a huge number of photos, which are then used to compile maps of the area. The pictures are so detailed that each person can find not only their city, but also their specific home. Several companies collect satellite data about the Earth and then offer their data.

An example is the website meteosputnik.ru. This project uploads photos from low-orbit metrological geostationary stations on the planet to the network. The service accepts images taken in real time. They are posted immediately after the end of data transfer. The site offers two formats of Earth photos for viewing: HRPT and ART. They differ in resolution and range of images received.

Google planet earth online

One of the most popular plugins for viewing images of the Earth is the Google Earth plugin. It is installed on a computer and provides the opportunity to view and even “visit” the most remote corners of the planet. The service offers, if desired, to go on a virtual “flight” around the globe. You can use standard GPS coordinates for moving; in addition to the plugin, images of other planets that were taken at the stations are provided.