The crisp, high-resolution details you see when zooming into cities are usually taken from airplanes. These aircraft fly at lower altitudes with specialized high-resolution cameras.

For privacy reasons, the resolution is generally capped so that individual faces or license plates are not clearly identifiable from the sky.

Google Maps Satellite view has fundamentally changed how we perceive and interact with the physical world. What began as a complex desktop application has evolved into a pocket-sized window that allows anyone to explore the Giza Pyramids, check the roof of a potential new home, or scout hiking trails in the Alps. The Technology Behind the Imagery