Monday, July 9. 2007

Google Earth vs. Pictometry

The Sherrif in Cullman County Alabama got a new toy recently and showed it off at the area July 4th events. It's a surplus Hurricane Katrina trailer now outfitted as a mobile command center. That's not the interesting part, this is:

The unit’s computer system is equipped with Google Earth, which is a broadband 3D application that allows users to view three-dimensional maps by combining satellite imagery with the Google Search engine.

I note this because Pictometry was doing very well settling itself in exactly this space with its oblique imagery solutions. Certainly, the Google Earth client is maturing, as are the datasets, but I suspect the aerial obliques still have an edge (and are provided in many areas on Microsoft's Live Search Maps). Moreover, the idea of depending on broadband in time of emergency sounds dodgy; you'd want that data local, woudn't you? Perhaps data is available in addition to the Google Earth data? I hope so.

- The Cullman Times