What Google Earth Captured Seems Like A Horrible Nightmare. Wait Until You See What They Found
Ever wondered how Google Earth creates its images? It uses a process called texture mapping, pioneered in animation and video game technology, to overlay a flat satellite image over a 3-D terrain map. If you think of how a flat label is wrapped around a soda bottle, you’ve got the right idea.
Most of the time, this works well, but there’s a glitch every now and then. The result is a crazy distortion of the landscape as 2-D and 3-D worlds collide. Brooklyn artist Clement Valla documents these surreal screw-ups on his website. Fortunately, Google Earth corrects them promptly, but these fleeting landscapes sure are fun.
