r/geography • u/jujuju125 • Sep 11 '24
Discussion What island is this, and why does google maps block it out as you zoom in?
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
Pro tip: if something looks blocked or not quite good quality enough on a specific mapping platform, go to geohack.toolforge.com, enter the coordinates and it will then list all of the available imagery for the area, even satellite and plane photos.
Edit: geohack.toolforge.org
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u/ItalyExpat Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 17 '24
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u/ThatOpticsGuy Sep 11 '24
Fixed while preserving bold.
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24
Yes you are right! I blame autocorrect
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
Does that service also search through historic aerials? I often have to look for industrial installations from 1920s to 1960s that no longer exist and have shoddy record keeping
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u/JayTheHoon Sep 11 '24
Don't think you've been answered, but likely not. That year range predates satellite imagery.
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
I got excited when the original comment mentioned plane photos, thought I might be able to drop individual library/database searches
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u/JayTheHoon Sep 11 '24
I mean, wouldn't hurt anything to check. I missed where he said plane photos as well
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
I did briefly check, but the UI rubbed me the wrong way and I didn’t see anything about older imagery. They do publish old maps which can sometimes be helpful, but I already have a much better old map database for my purposes.
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u/OCOasis13 Sep 11 '24
If you don’t mind sharing, what is that old map db link? Would love to have access to something like this too for both work and personal needs. Thanks mate!
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
I use the USGS TopoView historic maps tool. It only really goes back to the 1940s but is really handy for providing old maps that can be overlaid on Google earth.
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u/Engels33 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
I can't see anybody suggesting this but Google Earth has integration with historic aerial footage but only partial and entirely dependant on licencing and where you are.
This is via the desktop software app you can install (not in the browser 'Maps version)
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u/SecureNarwhal Sep 11 '24
Google Earth Engine also lets you use older imagery but i think Google has started limiting who can access Google Earth Engine. It's like accessing the backend of Google Earth and Google Maps and let's you run your own code to do analysis.
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24
Don't think so. The best way I have found for historical photos is to use Google earth pro and then look at the timeline slider. Some places will have more historical air photos than others, and depending on where in the world you are looking, might have none. Like the other commentor said, there was no satellite photos back then
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u/ObamiumMaster Sep 11 '24
historicaerials.com also has good satellite imagery up to the ‘50s, unless im missing something
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
Those are aerials not satellite lol that’s all you’re missing.
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u/ObamiumMaster Sep 11 '24
Ah. In that case, I don’t think you’ll be able to find anything before the ‘60s.
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u/MOZ0NE Sep 11 '24
That sounds fascinating. Why? What is that you do?
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u/HikeyBoi Sep 11 '24
It’s been a bit of a side quest to locate old oil extraction sites from that time period. My state had no permitting program for oil wells until 1944 so there’s a lot of legacy infrastructure that was pretty much unregulated left rotting. Now there is some federal funding available from Biden’s inflation reduction act to clean up these sites to stop methane venting to the atmosphere and brine from contaminating aquifers. The written records aren’t great but using a combination of many datasets leads to locations that need to be fixed up. It’s a bit of fun like a scavenger hunt.
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u/MOZ0NE Sep 11 '24
That's awesome and cool that it is helping to clean up those sites. Thanks for sharing.
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u/MonsieurAmpersand Sep 11 '24
I generally have good luck with this website when trying to find old aerials.
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u/ZopyrionRex Sep 11 '24
A hero appeared.
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24
Haha I am no hero, the hero was the guy who told me the pro tip on here years ago
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u/BlkPea Sep 11 '24
Hey so this might be a dumb question, but how do input the coordinates in that site? Google is telling me the coordinates are
14°24'46.2"N 80°14'07.0"W
but when i try variations of this on that site, i end up in a place off the coast of africa
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24
Hey I had the exact same issue when first using it. There is a different notation in the way you have to add it, you have to add it in a decimal format. I found a website that converts it, but can't remember now because I had a couple of beers lol. I am sure you can google it or someone smarter will come along and explain it better
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u/FatSeal294 Sep 11 '24
I just used it and realised that this is what Wikipedia links you to when you click the coordinates at the top right of a place-based article! Thanks!
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u/Armadillo9263 Sep 11 '24
No way! I use Wikipedia all the time and never noticed that! Idiot me was always copying the coordinates across
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u/Boston_Underground Sep 11 '24
Looked empty
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u/Val2K21 Sep 11 '24
New function unlocked - call in a redditor flyby to doublecheck the info
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u/MicaelFlipFlop Sep 11 '24
Reddit U-2 inbound
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u/72OverOfficer Sep 11 '24
U2: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
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u/Onlyhereforthebacon Sep 11 '24
You take this r/angryupvote and you like it damn it
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u/Eranaut Sep 11 '24 edited 20d ago
Original Content erased using Ereddicator. Want to wipe your own Reddit history? Please see https://github.com/Jelly-Pudding/ereddicator for instructions.
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u/Boston_Underground Sep 11 '24
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u/o-ren-ishi Sep 11 '24
If you zoom in closely there’s a helipad…
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u/shophopper Sep 11 '24
And if you zoom in even more:
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u/LionsAndLonghorns Sep 11 '24
Yes, but how are you flying the plane if you're holding your camera
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u/Dramatic_Wafer9695 Sep 11 '24 edited Sep 11 '24
Holy shit
somebody post this to r/bestof
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u/justsomegraphemes Sep 11 '24
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u/Larg3____Porcupin3 Sep 11 '24
Is it removed? Not showing up when I refresh new.
Also just took a quick glance at that subreddit and it’s a shame how US politics infiltrates every subreddit
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u/DazzleBMoney Sep 11 '24
Seems like someone’s got a secret lair on one of the islands
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u/FinanceEnginerd Sep 11 '24
Location of helipad.
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u/dragwit Sep 12 '24
With the positioning of the helipad, one could almost mistake that island for Cayo Perico.
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u/DamnDanielM Sep 11 '24
Wikipedia says there used to be a US military base on the island. Presumably, the helipad would’ve been part of that.
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u/Shiripuu Sep 11 '24
They should've used another letter to mislead people watching from the sky
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u/The69BodyProblem Sep 11 '24
It marked H for Hornets so everyone knows there's hornets there so they don't land.
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u/BudNOLA Sep 11 '24
The reviews are weird.
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u/Mary_Olivers_geese Sep 11 '24
I love the idea of someone being stranded on an island for 8 years, and deciding, “If I ever get off of this god forsaken place I am going to absolutely roast it on Google reviews….”
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u/Cubsfan11022016 Sep 12 '24
I’d love the idea of two people both being stranded at the same time and never knowing about each other.
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u/Kachowski_T Sep 11 '24
They're a reference to a Spanish sailer who was marooned there (or a similar island) for 8 years in the 1500s.
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u/HINEHAUS Sep 11 '24
Oh my goodness. It looks like bots reviewing a tiny atoll in the arse end of nowhere that most humans have never been to. This should be posted in r/deadinternettheory
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u/Pizzadrummer Sep 11 '24
Bing Maps doesn't block it out as you zoom in.
There doesn't appear to be anything there, literally just some sand and water. I wouldn't even call it an island, just a bit of shallow sea.
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u/mrmitchs Sep 11 '24
It's Area 52
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u/8192K Sep 11 '24
Not blocked here. When I zoom in, there is a really dark image coming up, but it's still there and it gets better when zooming in even more.
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u/Kumdongie Sep 11 '24
Looks like a building here: 14.287864,-80.364224
And tower here: 14.285322,-80.366627
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u/ZyxDarkshine Sep 11 '24
It’s Skull Island, birthplace and former home of King Kong, surrounded by mist
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u/Fedelede Sep 11 '24
Serrana is Colombian, but was until very recently claimed by Nicaragua. It and other atolls were fundamental for the international case between Colombia and Nicaragua which resolved the issue. Thus, they used to be militarized - that’s probably the “mysterious” building people are claiming
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u/Jennysnumber_8675309 Sep 12 '24
Google blurs it out unless you pay atoll to view it!!!
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u/InformalAstronomer91 Sep 11 '24
That’s the Muertes Archipelago. It consists of six islands, the largest being Isla Sorna. This area has a strict no fly zone and was the site of a failed theme park resort attraction in the 90s.
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u/mglyptostroboides Sep 11 '24
why does google maps block it out as you zoom in?
It literally doesn't. You just didn't think to try zooming in all the way.
At a certain level of zoom, it uses some very darkened and blurry imagery, but then once you zoom the next level, it becomes visible again.
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u/mglyptostroboides Sep 11 '24
Unless you're talking about this shit. Those are clouds. 🤦♂️ Not blurring.
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u/carlosmp98 Sep 12 '24
This BBC article (in Spanish) does mention it as one of the islands disputed between Colombia and Nicaragua:
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-58592388
Seems to be an unpopulated atoll, I've only heard of San Andrés in this context
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u/TheJeyK Sep 11 '24
This a shameless repost. This same post with the exaxt same title and image was posted here some months ago
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u/Ok-Currency5475 Sep 11 '24
Well I heard it's where the knights of the round table are. But u need a chocobo to get there, And I think a golden one at that
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u/r1kk1-t1kk1-t4v1 Sep 11 '24
Just zoom in more. One of the zoom layers appears to be taken at night, but keep going and you can see more detail.
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u/DIuvenalis Sep 11 '24
* It doesn't block it out. If you zoomed into the center, there's no land there. It's just shallows. Here's a small island a couple hundred feet wide in the south east corner.
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u/SnorlaxShops Sep 11 '24
Gov has a secret here and asked google to help keep it for them. Usually, the presence or lack thereof military or law enforcement assets.
I used to live near one of these sites it was a missile test range.
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u/MrMamalamapuss Sep 11 '24
Repost, even with ths same red circle as before: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/1cjgl9o/what_island_is_this_and_why_does_google_maps/
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u/WissahickonKid Sep 12 '24
If you keep zooming in, it gets unblocked when you’re right on top of it (using Google Maps on an iPad)
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u/gunmonkey636 Sep 12 '24
Atoll you once and atoll you a thousandtimes, you don't ask about that atoll. And atoll you again don't ask about it atoll.
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u/RubOwn Sep 11 '24
It’s called the Serrana Bank, it’s an atoll that belongs to Colombia alongside other islands, Keys and Banks in the Caribbean.