This Is Scary! Map Features on Google

[esavvymom]

Ok. I was putting in an address in Google Maps. By accident, I moved my mouse wheel so it zoomed in tight. So tight that it pulled up ACTUAL PHOTOS of the houses ont he street! I can toodle down the street and see the homes from the street view...one set showed the garbage cans out for the day.

So I thought- can I see MY house??! Fortunately, no...not yet. But I found my best friends house. I'm looking down her driveway at the front of her house right now on this map program!

This is just scary!

 

[heat123]

You can also look up at Zillo.com shows the same thing.

 

[esavvymom]

I'm not talking just aerial satellite though. I'm talking I'm standing at the end of your driveway. I can see homes that are listed for sale- yeah. you know you are putting your house online, but for maps??

 

[wadesgirl]

It's been available for a while. It is actually some guy driving around in a truck with a camera on top (I've seen some parts of it that they didn't "delete" out). It is sort of nice, I've actually taken a trip to a hosts house that I wasn't for sure where she lived. They do blur out license plate numbers and any people.

 

[janetupnorth]

Yes, that's been around for at least 5 years. They keep some areas more up to date than others...

 

[esavvymom]

I guess it's the Community Watch Block captain/chair person in me saying- "Ok. let's just give the crooks away to case a neighborhood from his couch!".

 

[BettieC]

hehe, I think it's kinda neat

 

[pamperedlinda]

It's been available for a while. It is actually some guy driving around in a truck with a camera on top (I've seen some parts of it that they didn't "delete" out). It is sort of nice, I've actually taken a trip to a hosts house that I wasn't for sure where she lived. They do blur out license plate numbers and any people.

wow - you can see license plates? I haven't seen any that clear! usually I see blurry pictures of houses and property - I've never seen people either. I use google maps all the time - love it!

 

[thecougchef]

its kind of neat / kind of creepy.
i looked up our house & its atleast a year old because the house is in BAAAD shape & since we moved in we have done a ton of work on it.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Yeah, the photo of my house is from when we were builing it - 4 years ago.

 

[esavvymom]

wow - you can see license plates? I haven't seen any that clear! usually I see blurry pictures of houses and property - I've never seen people either. I use google maps all the time - love it!

The one by my friend's does show a couple of kids walking on the street, but he didn't get close enough to make out any features. And license plates- the average person can't look up a license plate. But ANYONE can look up a street address and if its listed- get your name and phone (call and see if you are home). And you can use the internet to look up the property tax/value information and what you paid for the house.

I guess I don't like the idea of making it that much easier the crooks. Maps do the job just fine- you don't need to see a photo of my house. If you can READ, you can find it. Sorry. Call me crazy.

 

[gailz2]

try typing in your phone number into google -- it tells who you are and will give a map right to your front door.

 

[chefann]

I guess it's the Community Watch Block captain/chair person in me saying- "Ok. let's just give the crooks away to case a neighborhood from his couch!".

The photos aren't live. A couple of months ago, the ones of our house were a couple of years old, because the new garage wasn't there.

 

[pampered.chris]

Okay, so I knew about the ability to see the houses, but not about the phone number!! I am not so sure that I am okay with that part. I typed in my number and 2 ads I have on Pennswoods for snow tires and a washer/dryer for sale come up with my phone number and cell number as well as the listing that has my name and address.

The pic of my house, actually shows my address as a block away from my house. And it is an old pic before I lived here.

 

[babywings76]

When I go on to google and type in my phone number, it brings me up. Then it has written underneath my info "request to have your name removed from this list" and it's a link to where you can ask to be deleted from these search engines. So if you don't want to be listed, you can go and do that. My house isn't on any map yet. Last time I did Google earth or whatever and saw maps of my town, it showed my neighborhood still the farm land. Other maps it shows it in the very beginning phase of when the dirt is getting all moved around and graded. Kind of funny to not be on there. But then it's really annoying because no one can find me, even when using GPS.

 

[candiejayne]

This is a great tool for me at work. I love the ability to see so close. I even have software at work with allows me to measure things. I can measure the size of anything including height. We use this for homeowners who refuse us on their property. I work for a property tax assessment office.

As for the property assessments, sales prices, and other information available online, while it might make things more accessible to crooks, its not something that they can not get their hands on. The freedom of information act prevents this information for being hidden. You can not even go into the tax assessor's office and request that, that information be confidential. It's all public knowledge.

 

[wadesgirl]

wow - you can see license plates? I haven't seen any that clear! usually I see blurry pictures of houses and property - I've never seen people either. I use google maps all the time - love it!

Yah we live in a trailer and our "driveway" literally holds just both our cars so we are right along the street. You cannot make out our license plate numbers. I know that the house I grew up in as been updated, they just put in a new road and sidewalks in the last year so I know it's new.

The funny part is you can look up where I work. Right at the intersection it is a bright day but you go either way from the intersection and you can tell they did it while a storm was about on it's way. Then in one shot it takes you to the parking lot of the gas station across the street. You can actually maneuver it around and see the guy that took the images!

 

[Jennie4PC]

I guess I will never have to worry I just googled my address and it took us to K mart. I did try getting it to my house and all I saw was my house at an angle. The pic were taken last winter though cause the house kiddie corner from me was in the process of being built.

 

[candiejayne]

Ours here are updated about every 2 years. Our 9-1-1 system has it done that often. We link to their system at work. They use it for navigating, we use it for assessment purposes. The further from the city you are, the safer you are for not having a good image on there. The larger population bases for us do aerial photography flyovers at a much lower altitude than our more rural areas.

Can I just say that I am a map nerd! I love maps! When we first started using aerial photography at work in conjunctions with out maps, I was in absolute heaven. I can spend hours on there just surfing our township trying to find things. It also saves mileage, which saves on tax dollars. Our area is so large that running to a house 15 miles away will cost approximatly $15 to send someone there in just mileage alone. Of course we like the extra pay for mileage, but it's helps us so that we do not have to make unneccessary trips like that to cost the taxpayers money.