frontpage - 12:06 pm on Sep 8, 2008 (gmt 0)

Should not be a big surprise that Google is investing more in satellite technology to improve mapping as it's founder is former NSA (No Such Agency) employee.

Now, Google will some day be "Geotracking" you with your unique Google cookie -- enjoy.

GeoEye-1 will orbit 423 miles above Earth, but it will be able to gather imagery with details the size of 41 centimeters... Google, though, is permitted to use data only with a resolution of 50cm because of the terms of GeoEye's license with the U.S. government. Each day, the satellite will be able to gather a high-resolution "pan-sharpened" format surface area equal to that of about New Mexico, the company said. "The GeoEye-1 satellite has the highest ground resolution color imagery available in the commercial marketplace and will produce high-quality imagery with a very accurate geolocation," said Google spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz, adding that most commercial satellite imagery has a resolution of 60cm. "It is our goal to display high-resolution imagery for as much of the world as possible, and GeoEye-1 will help further that goal."

The satellite was actually built for the U.S. National Geospatial Agency and Google only 'buys' images. It is not a Google 'satellite'.