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As news spreads of Google's decision to swap current satellite imagery of the New Orleans area with images that were taken before Hurricane Katrina, questions are popping up. The story started popping up last week on blogs and in an article on the Washington Post and has now caught the attention of The House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee on investigations and oversight.
Cain Burdeau of the Washington Post reported last week:
In the images available Thursday, the cranes working to fix the breach of the 17th Street Canal are gone. Blue tarps that covered roofless homes are replaced by shingles. Homes wiped off their foundations are miraculously back in place in the Lower 9th. So, too, is the historic lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain.
But in the Lower 9th Ward, the truth isn't as pretty, 19 months after Katrina.
"Everything is missing. The people are missing. Nobody is there," Henry said.
After Katrina, Google's satellite images were in high demand among exiles and hurricane victims anxious to see whether their homes were damaged.
This week, CNN has coverage of the story and explains that The House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee on investigations and oversight is asking for answers.
The House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee on investigations and oversight on Friday asked Google Inc. Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt to explain why his company is using the outdated imagery.
"Google's use of old imagery appears to be doing the victims of Hurricane Katrina a great injustice by airbrushing history," subcommittee chairman Brad Miller, D-North Carolina, wrote in a letter to Schmidt.
Back in 2005, just after Hurricane Katrina struck, Google announced on their blog that they'd be offering Google Map users the ability to see the "before and after" views of the devastation.
Enter "New Orleans" in the search field at the top of the page, or drag and zoom the map to the area. A red "Katrina" button will appear at the top right of the map, next to the existing map buttons. Older images for the area are still available too - click the "Satellite" button to switch to those.
After awhile, Google removed the red "Katrina" option and began serving up current images of the region. Despite repeated requests from the media, Google has not yet issued a statement explaining why they've reverted to older images on the Google Maps system though they have explained that they offer the "best" images that they can gather at any point in time.
Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.
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