THE VIDEO SHELF · 3d mapping imagery
Google Earth’s Incredible 3D Imagery, Explained
A short explainer from Nat and Friends on where Google Earth's 3D imagery comes from, how it is stitched together, and how often it is updated. It describes aircraft carrying camera rigs and photogrammetry that turns the photos into 3D models.
Why HN readers recommended it
People link it as the quick answer to how Google builds 3D maps, and as evidence that planes are still used to capture the imagery.
This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.
Video & recommendation details
- Creator / channel
- Nat and Friends
- Topic
- 3d mapping imagery
- Format
- explainer
- Level
- general
- HN recommenders in dataset
- 2
- HN mentions in dataset
- 3
- Recommendation years in dataset
- 2017–2022
These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.
From the original HN conversations
Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.
They fly their own planes these days. [LINK] Too bad it's a video. Fast forward about 2 minutes. Or: [VIDEO] Fly plane. Zig zag. 5 cameras, then photogrammetry. StreetView, from planes.
angch on Hacker News · 2017-12
In Google Maps' MoatI have been spending some time on the Virtual Reality version of Google Earth, and it is amazing to see the world in 3D from inside. Here there is a video on how Google creates the 3D for Google Earth: [VIDEO] I hope to see …
Hokusai on Hacker News · 2020-08
In AI Creates Detailed 3D Renderings from Thousands of Tourist Photos
Summaries, classifications and recommendation records are from the HackerTube source dataset. Read about this library and its limitations.