Google Maps gets high-resolution satellite imagery update - CNET

If you've just tued on satellite imagery for your Google Map or Earth apps and wondering if your eyesight has gotten better, well, the answer is probably no. Google has rolled out an update that upgrades the satellite imagery on both apps with a lot more detail and better colors.

Using the new Landsat 8 satellite launched in 2013, the search giant has been busy building up a new mosaic of the world to replace the images obtained with the previous Landsat 7 satellite.

If you're a numbers person, Google says the mosaic was compiled from "nearly a petabyte of data," mining over 700 trillion individual pixels to find the best cloud free images for use with its satellite imagery. You can check out the upgraded images using either the Maps or Earth apps. Remember to tu on satellite images for Google Maps to view the new images.