
Google would have to have hired pilots traversing the globe all of the time to keep up with potential changes. Both of these take time and aerial photographs in particular are expensive to acquire. Why Doesn’t Google Earth Update Continuously?Īs we’ve already mentioned, Google Earth uses a combination of satellite images and aerial photographs. A single Google Earth update might contain a handful of cities or states. When Google releases an update, they also release a KLM file that outlines the updated regions in red, thereby letting everyone know what’s been changed and what’s still waiting on a refresher. When we say pieces, we mean small pieces. Google does not update the entire map in each go. If you’re anxiously awaiting an update to your home town, don’t assume it will come around in Google’s next set of changes. What Does Google Earth Update?Īh, there’s the rub. In fact, the average map data is between one and three years old. However, this doesn’t mean that every image is updated once a month – far from it.


If you are looking to find more information about when the image was collected, it is best to contact the original image providers as Google is not able to provide more information about the images aside from what it currently shows.Īccording to the Google Earth blog, Google Earth updates about once a month. Some images show a single acquisition date, while some show a range of dates taken over days or months.
