I thought this was BS when I saw the link on reddit, but it’s true. All of the cities in the Eurasian state of Georgia HAVE FALLEN OFF THE MAP? What can this mean or portend? The Satellite pics are still there, but the cities and highways are gone.
Okay, WTF???? Georgia disappears on Google maps?
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Google’s true masters at work.
Okay, Mapmeister starkg, explain yourself!
Sigh. There is always so much I don’t understand on this blog.
Uh, there’s been an ongoing debate in part of the blogosphere that Google, founded in part by a Russian emigré, is actually a shill & info gathering device for Russia. This debate, or I should say contention, is right up there with “We never landed on the Moon”, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a real document outlining the Jews’ plans for world domination”, and “Vaccinations cause autism”. My condolences to anyone reading this blog who holds any of these beliefs.
After all, it’s a lot more convenient to blame vaccinations than acknowledge that the epidemiology points to early exposure to TV as being a more likely causal link. But that would implicate parenting, now, wouldn’t it.
As for Google being pwned by the Russkiy dudes, I think it more likely, given their location, that it’s the American security establishment that’s playing patticake with them. But that’s just me.
Glad you explained it. I thought the problem was probably caused by a hacker as a practical joke. None of the above came to mind AT ALL. I wish I knew the cause of Autism as my 20-year old neice and my brother (indirectly as a caregiver) are living with this disease.
I think that the American govenment does have some say in what Google Maps and Google Earth can and cannot show. The image of the so-called “Area 51” for example has not been updated for sometime.
From today’s New York Times…
Google: We Did Not Erase Maps of Georgia
By MIGUEL HELFT, NEW YORK TIMES
UPDATE 8:05 PM, Google explains why it never had maps of Georgia
My colleague John Markoff wrote earlier today about the barrage of cyber-attacks on Georgia’s technology infrastructure. Others have covered the story as well.
But not all stories appear to be accurate. Several reports suggest that data from Georgia and the neighboring countries of Armenia and Azerbaijan has been stripped from Google Maps. One story says that “the relevant maps went blank as soon as fighting broke out,” according to the Azerbaijan Press Agency.
Google says that’s not so. While its Web maps shows only the outlines of those three countries – without roads or even the capital cities marked – Google says that the lack of information is not new.
“Google has not made any recent change to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Google Maps,” the company said in a statement. “We do not have local data for those countries and that is why local details such as landmarks and cities do not appear.”
Browsing Google Maps, only a few countries appear to lack any data at all. They include small nations like Guyana and Suriname; countries that are largely close to foreigners, such as North Korea; and a few surprising ones, like South Korea and Argentina.
Interestingly, Google Earth, the company 3-D geographic visualization service, identifies many Georgian cities, and it allows users to zoom in to them close enough to see individual buildings. So Google Earth clearly has some “local data” on the countries that are blank on Google Maps.
Microsoft’s rival mapping service, Virtual Earth, pinpoints dozens on cities in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Update: In a blog post late Tuesday, Google said it never filled in the maps of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan because it wasn’t satisfied with the map data available. But after users complained that a little information is better than no information, the company said it is planning to start adding map data to countries that are currently blank.
Thanks, cousin. Conspiracy theorists may now stand down.
And there was much rejuicing.