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Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

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Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#31

Post by windthrown »

duxup wrote: post #17
vanusa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bigger question of course is why the "agreement" was made with the Israelis, and not with the Palestinians directly.

As far as Gaza goes, Hamas rules Gaza but they're not the recognized government. I'm not sure who you would ask to make policy in such a situation. Just Hamas because they rule that area by force? That sounds a lot like asking Israel for the same reason. I don't think there's a good/ automatic answer for these situations.

Playing the devil's advocate, if the US is willing to negotiate with both the Taliban and official Afghanistan government directly, why not Hamas and Israel?

(I am not trying to equate these groups; just compare the official vs force relationships)

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#32

Post by _delirium »

zokier wrote: post #4

tldr: Israeli-US agreement limited resolution until July 2020, and Gmaps hasn't gotten around to updating the imagery since.

Perhaps pedantic, but it wasn't an agreement per se, just a regular domestic U.S. law, although Israel did indeed lobby in favor of the law. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyl%E2%80%93Bingaman_Amendment

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#33

Post by JoshTriplett »

deadalus wrote: post #5

Is it possible to have real-time live-feed of the entire planet? If cost isn't an issue, would something like that be possible?

In addition to cost, there are various national laws that restrict satellite imagery with resolution better than various thresholds.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#34

Post by caymanjim »

deadalus wrote: post #5

Is it possible to have real-time live-feed of the entire planet? If cost isn't an issue, would something like that be possible?

The short answer is no. High-resolution imagery comes from low-orbit satellites, which make a complete orbit about every two hours, and image long, narrow strips with each pass, taking days to image the whole planet. There are many of these satellites: commercial, non-military (publicly-accessible) governmental, and governmental (secret), of varying resolutions. These are also supplemented by aerial (plane) imagery.

The net result is that updated-daily imagery exists, but real-time does not. While I'm not privy to the capabilities of the US military, the kind of real-time planet-wide surveillance that movies like Enemy of the State suggest doesn't exist planet-wide.

The highest-resolution images on e.g. Google Maps are from planes, rather than satellites, and aren't imaged anywhere near daily. The only way to have constant, real-time imaging of a fixed location is with a geostationary satellite, which will be so far away (22,000 miles) that the resolution will be low.

Given an unlimited budget, a huge constellation of hundreds or thousands of satellites could come close to real-time planet-wide imaging, but even then, you'd be getting views at different angles as various satellites took images, and you wouldn't ever have a clear directly-overhead view of people walking around.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#35

Post by SilasX »

zokier wrote: post #4

tldr: Israeli-US agreement limited resolution until July 2020, and Gmaps hasn't gotten around to updating the imagery since.

And the US is emperor of pointing satellites at the Middle East? There aren’t other satellites outside US/Israel jurisdiction that can fill it in? Or they’re not allowed to pass it on?

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#36

Post by wahern »

wernercd wrote: post #29
wahern wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The United States helped establish and continues to recognize the Palestinian National Authority, which is the recognized governing body of what ostensibly would become a Palestinian state. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_National_Authority The U.S. also recognizes passports issued by the PNA, though w/ caveats given the lack of nominal statehood.

"what would become" and that changes my statement that Palestine has never existed how?

The point is that the U.S. is fully capable of having a political relationship with entities it doesn't recognize as a sovereign state.

Take Taiwan as another example. Both the context and details are completely different from that of the PNA, but it nonetheless contradicts your premise in the same manner.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#37

Post by elmomle »

betterunix2 wrote: post #21
vanusa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bigger question of course is why the "agreement" was made with the Israelis, and not with the Palestinians directly.

Should they have negotiated with the Palestinian Authority, which only partially controls the West Bank, or with Hamas, which took control of Gaza and proceeded to murder leaders from other Palestinian political parties? It is kind of hard to know who the "official" representatives of the Palestinian people actually are due to the failure to establish a functional Palestinian state or government.

I wish the recent history of Palestine were different too, but it seems unkind to use language that implicitly blames Palestinians as a people--or the factions that now hold power--for these issues. Literally any people on Earth would probably have a similar history, and be in a similar (or worse) place with respect to government, if they faced similar pressures for such an extended period of time.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#38

Post by notJim »

caymanjim wrote: post #34
deadalus wrote: post #5

Is it possible to have real-time live-feed of the entire planet? If cost isn't an issue, would something like that be possible?

The short answer is no. High-resolution imagery comes from low-orbit satellites, which make a complete orbit about every two hours, and image long, narrow strips with each pass, taking days to image the whole planet. There are many of these satellites: commercial, non-military (publicly-accessible) governmental, and governmental (secret), of varying resolutions. These are also supplemented by aerial (plane) imagery.…

Couldn't starlink do something like this theoretically? Seems like it checks several of the boxes.

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#39

Post by Udik »

betterunix2 wrote: post #21
vanusa wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bigger question of course is why the "agreement" was made with the Israelis, and not with the Palestinians directly.

Should they have negotiated with the Palestinian Authority, which only partially controls the West Bank, or with Hamas, which took control of Gaza and proceeded to murder leaders from other Palestinian political parties? It is kind of hard to know who the "official" representatives of the Palestinian people actually are due to the failure to establish a functional Palestinian state or government.

> Hamas, which took control of Gaza and proceeded to murder leaders from other Palestinian political parties

You appear to be misinformed. Hamas won regular elections (considered such by international observers, who also reported obstructions from Israel). Hamas then kept respecting the ongoing ceasefire with Israel and started softening its stance towards it, offering a permanent ceasefire, while on the other side Israel campaigned to put the Gaza strip under the strictest embargo. On June 8th, two days before the end of the ceasefire, Israel killed an Hamas official in an air strike.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Palestinian_legislative...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Gaza_cross-border_raid

Re: Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?

#40

Post by [deleted] »

notJim wrote: post #38
caymanjim wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The short answer is no. High-resolution imagery comes from low-orbit satellites, which make a complete orbit about every two hours, and image long, narrow strips with each pass, taking days to image the whole planet. There are many of these satellites: commercial, non-military (publicly-accessible) governmental, and governmental (secret), of varying resolutions. These are also supplemented by aerial (plane) imagery.…

Couldn't starlink do something like this theoretically? Seems like it checks several of the boxes.

[deleted]
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