Google has acquired digital mapping company Keyhole for
an undisclosed sum.
Keyhole maintains a multi-terabyte database of digital images of
geographic locations, culled from satellite and aerial
snapshots.
Users can enter an address and pull up an image of the specified
area; they can also create flyover animations of locations such as
venues and neighbourhoods.
Three-year-old Keyhole covers thousands of cities and claims to
be the largest 3D, commercial imagery database available online.
Its images vary in age from two months to three years, and its
image resolution in some areas is a fine as 0.5ft.
Google said it is not ready to discuss how it will integrate
Keyhole's technology with its other services, which include its
flagship search engine.
However, the company immediately slashed the price tag on
Keyhole's consumer-aimed Keyhole 2 LT downloadable software from
$70 (£38) to $30. Keyhole also offers a more expensive Keyhole 2
Pro application, which allows more extensive data manipulation.
Keyhole is the second company Google bought this year, and the
first it acquired since its August IPO (initial public offering).
In July, Google bought digital photo management company Picasa,
also for an undisclosed amount.
Stacy Cowley writes for IDG News Service