Update: Google to Send Planes to Snap Photos of Sydney

Update 1/23/07: Microsoft is in on the fun, too with its own website for Australia Day and a contest involving data captured images.

More than that, it’s a chance to be noticed doing something big – a chance to stand out with your crowd and be photographed by our satellite and high tech planes!

Ok, so it doesn’t have a satellite, but it commissioned one. (“We’ve commissioned a satellite and high tech planes to fly over Australia and take photos of Australia’s most celebrated day of the year. “)

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The Sydney Morning Herald‘s mashup blog reports that Google will be flying above the city on Australia day (Friday) to take high resolution images that may appear on Google Maps/Earth. And, it may not be a “one off.”

And it may not be one-off. According to Rasmussen, if this takes off, they plan to do it again for events like national holidays in other countries. So we’re the guinea pigs.

Recall that Google Maps technology was acquired by Rasmussen’s Australian company. Is Google getting into data acquisition in a new way?