The idea behind Google Earth has always been a powerful one: It allows users to explore places that they either can’t or won’t go. But with its vast amount of maps and topographical data, it also is a very powerful tool for combing the Earth — and that can be very useful when you’re searching for something. Which is exactly how it helped a grieving family find a plane that crashed, and took the lives of loved ones, that had been missing for over two years.
Despite countless time spent searching all the areas in Arizona that authorities and the family thought the plane might have gone down, there had been no luck all this time in finding the plane. Then, something rather incredible happened. A person who had also been involved in the attempts to find millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, found a picture of a forest fire that had been taken the same day as the crash and in what was thought to be a similar area. He alerted the family, which had set up a website to aid in the search. Remarkably, they were able to find the exact area in the picture using the different viewing angles and topographical data of Google Earth.
The family and some volunteers then set out to the area they had pinpointed in the program, using its coordinates. Sure enough, they found the wreckage. While it’s not exactly a happy ending for the families of the two people lost in the crash, Marcy Randolph and William Westover, it does provide closure, Randolph’s family says.
And now the family is hoping to help others do similar types of search and rescue using Google Earth. The family has set up a system called MARSI, which stands for Mapped Archive of Rescue & Search Information. On the website they set up for it, they detail exactly how they were able to use Google Earth’s data to find the missing plane. It’s very interesting stuff. And MAST (The Missing Aircraft Search Team), a team which contributed to the Fossett search, apparently wants to use MARSI for future searches, Liz Johannesen, Marcy Randolph’s cousin, tells us.
These types of stories remind us that while projects like Google Earth may not be the most important to a company’s bottom line, they can provide something much more valuable to a lot of people. Last week, we heard about the woman who got her stolen purse back thanks to Google Latitude. And this week we have this much more important story involving Google Earth. It is nice to see that the technology we sometimes take for granted in a quickly evolving space, actually can help people in a meaningful way.
Below, find some images detailing the search area from Google Maps.
This story is very unique and touching wow incredible
Empowering You. Common people are more powerful than state, thanks to technology.
So what’s the next step? Is Technology Giant – Goolge, going to work with FBI and Home-Land Security to find where the criminal activities are going on… and in effect help US law enforcement to catch hold of criminals?
Hope Google engineers – the brains of silicon Valley, save themselves from the criminals then.
It’s wonderful to see how high-end technology made accessible to the masses can be used to help families.
This is a welcome change to using google earth to try and find naked people, area 51, etc.
Or Atlantis.
Surely that atlantis story was true. No?
Incredible!
Another reason why google and its services rock!
What a story!it is anamazing powerful tool.
it’s really nice to hear such nice things happening with technology. it’s not a happy ending but like they said, it’s a closure that they sought….and that’s REALLY important to a family.
thanks for this post
very cool story MG, congrats. Really.
Yes Google Earth is amazing, and it’s even more amazing when you see this powerful 3D application running on the iPhone or the iPod Touch.
What is this complete obsession with this narrow band of web companies and the outlier events that place them in such a positive light, TechCrunch?
These stories are just as rare and infrequent as the Craigslist killer, and they often have absolutely nothing with the company providing the service. No one can say Craig Newmark is responsible for Markoff, like no one can say the employees at Google are responsible for this use of their tech, in good or bad cases (why TC doesn’t publish or scoop out bad uses is beyond me).
Wake up and get real, all Google Earth is at its core pictures of the ground. That’s it. Pictures of the Ground. Yes, the way they slice and dice and allow analysis of those pictures are great and dandy, but come on, don’t tell me it’s some earth shattering technology/invention that we must marvel at.
And what about Google competitors? Could this have been done with any of their Tech?
Any reasonable analysis of Google Earth would find it provides very little social “good” overall, but much social “bad” in the form of wasting time, infringing on physical privacy and giving people a false sense of electronic privacy.
exactly, yahoo maps and live maps could have done the exact same thing
but according to techcrunch its revolutionary because they it has a google logo on it
As one of the people who worked on this search, I can assure you the info available on Live Maps and Yahoo was woefully inadequate. What helped us most was having Google Earth’s (Not Google Maps) 3-D renderings of the topo data to match to the hikers’ photo of the fire. Also, by allowing us to create a custom KMZ file to overlay on the maps, we could methodically rule out areas where hikers and geocachers had mapped their GPS coordinates, where cooperating helicopter searches had occurred, and where Marcy’s own father an uncle had hiked themselves. We could even re-create a fly-though of the plane’s radar track through it’s last known position (LKP) to extrapolate likely scenarios. As it turns out, it was easy to know that fire in the spot they were looking for, because it fit all the criteria they had accumulated over the past 2 years.
Unless you’re in a heavily populated areas, data just doesn’t exist in most places for Yahoo and Live Maps. Had the plane gone down in Manhattan or San Francisco, we’d have beautiful aerial shots and maps on these other two platforms (as well as immediate knowledge of what happened). But for the backcountry in the Red Rock Wilderness of Arizona you’ll just see a mishmash of bad black & white images that are nearly impossible to follow.
You’re completely right. And I don’t think this “technology” could be really “useful” since most of the satellite photos are so old, in some cases dating 5 or more years.
Google Earth, Yahoo Maps and so on, could have a little usefulness when the pictures become up to date in an acceptable way.
A fruitful technology… nice to read.
Impressive!
great to hear this technology is useful
That’s really amazing good news. It proves that Google Earth can be a good tool also for helping hard to find planes… WOW!
this was incredible evil from Google. Somebody should stop them. I think we should put their servers down and send dogs to search for plane.
Its amazing how many Google haters (and Apple too) are in the world. It seems whenever somebody is inovative and manage to hit mainstream people react with their default position: fear. And it takes them years to change that (if ever)
Its time to change our default position in: yes, gimme more!
Definitely a cool story and use of the tool. It’s nice to be able to go anywhere you want in the world and back without leaving home. Google Earth is cool!
Here’s another example of how tech and social networking come to help people and improve their lives.
http://www.nyti...rman&st=cse
can they tracks us?
Considering the age and crappy cloud-covered photography in Google maps, good luck in finding any plane crashes that have happened in the last six years in our area. At least Microsoft’s Live Maps aerial photography is only three years old.
Again, to be clear, Google Earth, not Maps, with a custom KMZ overlay (MARSI) is what was so valuable. Take a look at the bottom photo. See that red plane cutting through the image? That’s a model of the altitude of the missing aircraft in its last known position, as well as all the spots on that mountain where it could have crashed in that scenario. Doubt Live Maps or Yahoo can do that yet.
The relative freshness of the satellite imagery was irrelevant, it was the depth of the topo data, as well as the ability to save previous search data to it that enabled them to pinpoint the fire that was revealed to be the crash site.
“found a picture of a forest fire that had been taken the same day as the crash”
“they were able to find the exact area in the picture using the different viewing angles and topographical data of Google Earth.”
Is the first picture from Google Map?
Can you get a map at the date you want on Google map?
Interesting that we’re surprised to find this technology being put to such good use?
google earth is good. An achievement for mankind.
Google Locator Technology is overwhelming.
FoundLocator.com – here it is
SpamLocator.com – Locate bullshite spammers from Ning.
That’s a very interesting story and a very inspiring technology.
It is a great story.
My understanding is Google Earth is a great UI using the government data collected by using US Tax payers’ money. Let’s give the Tax payer’s some credit too.
Also, if Google is not making money of it, Government may take over the application and offer it as a public service [like weather service]. The same is true for Google health, Google Book. Those are too important to be controlled by a private company, and can cause Google to bleed money.
Thats really remarkable. Google just seems to be everywhere. Can’t believe how powerful a search engine has become.
Now if only they could use this technology to help people avoid the http://www.worstpizza.com worst places!
I’m not interested until Google Earth figures out what happened to Oceanic flight 815.
This is more evidence that Google is perhaps one of the greatest companies in existence. You can not only find the cheapest deals but make money, http://iamned.com/blog/ but the stock market keeps surging. Why do people talk about recession when companies like Google and Apple are immune to it?
Google Earth is really useful Tool. Technology can give more to human but if it used really in good manners.
How cool… I’m launching Google Earth immediately. I need to find the camera I forgot somewhere in Madrid in 2001.
This is great.
Now only if we had similar open applications & data to solve the other problems of life – such as say finding a cure for Cancer.
I’m glad the Government’s fear mongling didn’t get to us so bad that the U.S. would ban Google Earth all together as it can be more of a deterrant than a problem. I’m glad to see positive news like this. Great article!
Definitely a cool story and use of the tool. It’s nice to be able to go anywhere you want in the world and back without leaving home. Google Earth is cool
Google Earth is kewl. I use it my phone as well Nokia N82 which has a built in GPS receiver.
It’s interesting to read the above comments upon a benign google feel good story. Beneath the clapping for the triumph of technology, there is an undercurrent of push back against google. Because they have become the 1000 pound guerrilla of the web? Any company that takes billions from wall street ipso facto becomes first and foremost about making money. It’s the law. Not saying the grumbling is misplaced but the google we see today shouldn’t be unexpected.
I hate to say this, but it is true that the negative comments here are significantly from Google’s competitors. TC belongs to Mike. It’s a blog. It’s not God’s Word (TM) (or maybe it is
, whatever…)
If it were not for Google demonstrating Google-like business models, the web would not have been hat it is today.
And to this day, whether you like it or not, whether you admire Google or burn in jealousy, no one else has made such a powerful search engine. WEb2.0 is plain ZERO without a search engine whose crawlers have such monstrous appetite to crawl the latest and widest range of web content.
Microsoft and Yahoo have thrown people, money, acquisitions and what not at the problem and not yet beat Google to it. They have to have something of quality. They also run their company very differently. I suspect most complainers here are not employees or programmers because there’s hardly a handful of such big corporations that asks employees to spend 20% of their time on something they each like to do and invent. And they make them the king of their product after that. Name, power, challenge, publicity, maintainership, the works. Who does that?
They treat their employees well, they give a lot of things for free, their reach and their quality of service is pretty good. Don’t crib, Chrome and Friefox have brought real fiery competition to the browser market. There are some moves that Google does that you simply cannot call evil by any angle. Ok, they’re lulling you into complacency and then they will strike!! That’s possible, yes.
It’s also possible that they’ll sell your medical data to advertisers, right? It;s also possible that they topple the US govt and put you in concentration camps based on the Google searches that you did in your youth. Soviets and Nazis are back!!
There sure are privacy concerns and Google is not very intent on fixing those on priority. But then if you are so pissed off with Google for violating you privacy mainly by tracking and profiling you, why not show proportional anger at President Bush and the NSA? If you shout at Google you must actually walk into NSA offices and demand explanations.
That people do not do this means that the motivation is not privacy concerns, it is unsporting competition or plain jealousy.
Those who really value privacy and Google’s apparently limitless reach are actually walking into NSA offices – the EFF, ACLU, etc
Why dont you donate to or join those and ask them to ask Google to explain? Well, the EU does ask, and the EFF and ACLU does ask Google what all this about. They are really worried about privacy.
Now maybe you can expect some micr0b0rg to ask the EFF to sue Google on this, but that would be unfair competition. And while everyone else scanned your email for virus checking, Google as the first to tell you that will scan and use the scan data to show relevant and useful ads to you, not banner ads that are about Viagra and cursors and buddy icons.
If you so much hate Google or like Yahoo! Maps or Microsoft Live Maps, please, write up a blog post and describe what is so good about that service, do the hard work and make a cool video and upload it to Microsoft’s video sharing site, whichever that is.
As for the most important message from this story, i think it is that given some time, citizens will be able to show the Govt how things are to be run.
You could also consider accepting payment for such skilled services – everyone cannot fire up a browser and scan the Earth for something at high speed broadband. It is a skill, face it.
What that means is that if people with those skills team up, you can get surveys of various types done pretty much for zero cost and you can publish that work, copyrighted under fair use and sell your research. But for that you need someone who will not talk of suing you for fair use.
Now you have a slight problem – The correlation between those who malign Google and those who enforce copyright dictatorships is high. Hence, Google as a source becomes a legally cheaper alternative.
Why don’t you ask Yahoo! or Microsoft Live Maps to explicitly state that the automated content is CC licensed or is in public domain, (which it should be, being made using taxpayer money) ?
That’s a better use of your time and money than cursing “that wretched company” Google.
Google uses it’s brand and buck to make very interesting companies and products (profitable ones) available to you for free for many uses.
Take that and make money. If you’re good, beat them on technology, rather than cribbing and looking like a fool.
TC is using this as a platform to prod the mainstream media. When that happens, more people come on the web. If you provide a link to your competing service, TC isn’t going to delete your comment, contrarily more people will know about your site. Just put a matter-of-fact comment – “we too do this”. That’s fair. Mudslinging is lowly.
This is real news. what I would love is for commenters to post what other unthought of uses thsi tech can be put to. That could be done on a separate blog post – like Lifehacker does.
I don’t work for Google, or any affiliate, nor have I an Adsense/Adwords account.
I use Gmail and watch Youtube videos and they both rock. They can get hacked/cracked, I know but I don’t own a Limousine. Oh I love wikipedia too!
“Openculture” rocks!
now you can even follow the swine flu pandemic in real time on google maps…
http://maps.goo....488281&z=5
Should there be a class action lawsuit against Google on behalf of American Citizens for invading their privacy?
(AP) A western Pennsylvania couple sued Google Inc., saying pictures of their home that appear on the Web site’s “Street View” feature violated their privacy, devalued their property and caused them mental suffering.
Aaron and Christine Boring bought the home in Franklin Park, a Pittsburgh suburb, in October 2006 for a “considerable sum of money,” according to their 10-page lawsuit filed Wednesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
“A major component of their purchase decision was a desire for privacy,” the lawsuit said.
The suit targets the Mountain View, Calif., company over images on its Web site, which allows users to find street-level photos by clicking on a map. To gather the photos, Google uses vehicles with mounted digital cameras to take pictures up and down the streets of major metropolitan areas.
The Borings say the images of their home on the Google site had to be taken from their long driveway, labeled “Private Road,” and that violated their privacy.
“There’s no merit to this action,” Google spokesman Larry Yu said. “It is unfortunate litigation was chosen to address the concern because we have visible tools, such as a YouTube video, to help people learn about imagery removal and an easy-to-use process to facilitate image removal.”
He said Google has links on the Web site that let property owners request that such images be removed if they cite a good reason and can confirm they own the property depicted.
“We absolutely respect that people may not be comfortable with some of the imagery on the site,” Yu said. “We actually make it pretty easy for people to submit a request to us to remove the imagery.”
Yu also said that if the Borings made such a request to Google, especially arguing that the images show a view from their private driveway, he is confident that the image would be removed.
The couple’s attorney, Dennis Moskal, said that’s not the point. He said the Borings’ privacy was invaded when the Google vehicle allegedly drove onto their property. Removing the image doesn’t undo that damage – nor will it deter the company from doing the same thing in the future, he said.
“Isn’t litigation the only way to change a big business’ conduct with the public?” Moskal said. “What happened to their accountability?”
Google, however, is not the only Web site with a photo of the Borings’ property.
The Allegheny County real estate Web site has a photo, plus a detailed description of the home and the couple’s name. The site contains similar information, including pictures, of nearly every property in the county.
Moskal said the county’s image appeared to be less intrusive than Google’s, but said there’s no way to take a picture of the home from a public street.
Moskal said his clients did not wish to speak to the media. The Associated Press could not find a listed phone number for them.
The Borings paid $163,000 for the property, according to the county Web site. The county describes the home as a single-family, four-room bungalow with a full basement. The one-story frame home was built in 1916 and sits on a property that’s a little less than 2 acres.
The home is 984 square feet with a fireplace and central heat and county assessors graded it as being in “Fair” condition. The county Web site does not mention the property’s two detached garages and swimming pool, which are visible in the Google pictures and are mentioned in the couple’s lawsuit.
Ref: http://www.sear...l-maybe-ant.php
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Should there be a class action lawsuit against Google on behalf of American Citizens for invading their privacy?
—————————————
“(AP) A western Pennsylvania couple sued Google Inc., saying pictures of their home that appear on the Web site’s “Street View” feature violated their privacy, devalued their property and caused them mental suffering.
Aaron and Christine Boring bought the home in Franklin Park, a Pittsburgh suburb, in October 2006 for a “considerable sum of money,” according to their 10-page lawsuit filed Wednesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
“A major component of their purchase decision was a desire for privacy,” the lawsuit said.
The suit targets the Mountain View, Calif., company over images on its Web site, which allows users to find street-level photos by clicking on a map. To gather the photos, Google uses vehicles with mounted digital cameras to take pictures up and down the streets of major metropolitan areas.
The Borings say the images of their home on the Google site had to be taken from their long driveway, labeled “Private Road,” and that violated their privacy.
“There’s no merit to this action,” Google spokesman Larry Yu said. “It is unfortunate litigation was chosen to address the concern because we have visible tools, such as a YouTube video, to help people learn about imagery removal and an easy-to-use process to facilitate image removal.”
He said Google has links on the Web site that let property owners request that such images be removed if they cite a good reason and can confirm they own the property depicted.
“We absolutely respect that people may not be comfortable with some of the imagery on the site,” Yu said. “We actually make it pretty easy for people to submit a request to us to remove the imagery.”
Yu also said that if the Borings made such a request to Google, especially arguing that the images show a view from their private driveway, he is confident that the image would be removed.
The couple’s attorney, Dennis Moskal, said that’s not the point. He said the Borings’ privacy was invaded when the Google vehicle allegedly drove onto their property. Removing the image doesn’t undo that damage – nor will it deter the company from doing the same thing in the future, he said.
“Isn’t litigation the only way to change a big business’ conduct with the public?” Moskal said. “What happened to their accountability?”
Google, however, is not the only Web site with a photo of the Borings’ property.
The Allegheny County real estate Web site has a photo, plus a detailed description of the home and the couple’s name. The site contains similar information, including pictures, of nearly every property in the county.
Moskal said the county’s image appeared to be less intrusive than Google’s, but said there’s no way to take a picture of the home from a public street.
Moskal said his clients did not wish to speak to the media. The Associated Press could not find a listed phone number for them.
The Borings paid $163,000 for the property, according to the county Web site. The county describes the home as a single-family, four-room bungalow with a full basement. The one-story frame home was built in 1916 and sits on a property that’s a little less than 2 acres.
The home is 984 square feet with a fireplace and central heat and county assessors graded it as being in “Fair” condition. The county Web site does not mention the property’s two detached garages and swimming pool, which are visible in the Google pictures and are mentioned in the couple’s lawsuit. ”
Ref: Above mentioned article is directly taken from the following site:
http://www.sear...l-maybe-ant.php
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Legal but unethical behavior can take lives of millions! Is it worth the money earned… under the pretext of growth in technology?
It’s quite obvious that it was Google Earth that was used to plan the TERRORIST ATTACKS.
Read the following article to know more in case readers have not read it already:
by Nicholas Deleon on December 9, 2008
—————————————
” The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have once again put Google Earth in an unfavorable light. The one (“baby-faced”) terrorist that police caught has said that the terrorists used Google Earth the help plan the attacks. (That they also used everyday cellphones, GPS and other technologies appears to be lost on the ban happy Indian officials.) In order to prevent future attacks, so the line of thinking goes, officials there want at the very least to force Google to blur our sensitive sites from the software, if not ban it outright.
Let’s also keep in mind that India plans to launch its own version of Google Earth, so to speak.
While it seems an overreaction to me to want to ban what amounts to an electronic map—are we looking to ban regular, paper maps now?—in no way was I affected by the attacks, at least not directly, so it’s hard for me to qualify India’s reaction. It does seem that attacking (banning) tools instead of the idea and forces behind those tools is folly. ”
—————————————-
Above mentioned article is taken from :
http://www.crun...rorist-attacks/
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In case Google does not understand the consequences, please feel free to click on:
http://images.g...=1&ct=title
————————————–——————-
To the readers:
Ask yourself why is it acceptable if someone else gets hurt, when even a simple thought or fear of such thing happening with yourself is unacceptable. I did not know Google is a ‘good guy’ after being responsible for such a dreadful thing and continuing support it’s products after witnessing the horrible consequences!
Even after becoming no 1 tech company, can Google stop being so greedy?
———————————————————
Yes, it’s quite obvious that it was Google Earth that was used to plan the attack, this one or may be many others.
I agree, it has come to the attention of people that legal but unethical behavior can take lives of millions! Unfortunately we can not do anything about it. The real question is: would the law enforcement officials regard such company responsible for something that is so dreadful? US administration can definitely not change what can or should happen in the territory of some other country like India, nor are they accountable or responsible for the same. But they can definitely step up and remove the very thread that caused it… after-all the headquarters of Google is in US. My point is – Make Google not come up with such products, or rather limit the functionalities of the products so that they can be used the right way and any wrong usage can be avoided. For instance, if you are on maps.google.com, all you need is the road map, and traffic conditions. Satellite image is not all that significant. Similarly, if you are using Google Earth, since too many details are made available to public, it is more likely to be misused. When a product manager of such company writes PRDs – Product Requirement Document, he should check on the features that are really relevant than just to come up with something without even thinking twice about the damaging consequences. Is the fun/entertainment worth millions of lives in any country? If this question does not ring the bells, they should know that they and their families are as vulnerable to such unforeseen problems are the rest of us. Also, I would urge US government to enforce a better set of laws after-all they are the law-makers. Hope new administration helps bring the desired change!
With all due respect to every single good deed that US law-enforcement did for the citizens of this country; don’t you think it is the time for a change… change for good….a better set of laws to enforce?
Mike has to be just gutted that you don’t pay attention to the blog. http://www.tech...-eye-on-google/ For anyone too lazy to read it, the judge told them to get a life and dismissed the suit. Months ago.