Google Announces Mapping Expedition

I think this is the first time Google have announced when and where they're going to be taking high-res photos for Google Maps / Earth Imagery. The 'This Australia Day Put Yourself on the Map' page encourages Sydney-siders to come down to Sydney harbour and make yourself seen by the low-flying Google branded plane. The site even lets you click a map of the harbour to see when the plane is expected in each area.

According to this article from the Sydney Morning Herald, a Google plane will be aloft over Sydney on Australia Day (26 January) to take photos at 4 to 5 times the resolution currently available for Australia – which should make it amongst the highest quality footage available on Google Earth.

Perhaps not coincidently, the Australian domain of Google Maps went live this weekend.

The theory is to take photos of cities during periods when they're at their most impressive – hence Australia Day celebrations in Australia. If it turns out well, expect to see more of the same in other international cities.