Google imagery is usually better quality in more developed areas, so somewhere like Syria would be a good place to use Zoom Earth imagery.įor scenarios where an analyst would need to have a higher degree of detail in a place like this, Zoom Earth can prove useful. However, if we look at Google Earth imagery from before the raid, we can see that the Google Earth photo is of lower quality. The building at the bottom is his house, which was bombed during the 2019 raid, so this photo is old. The image above is of the compound that ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed in, located in northwest Syria. Once you zoom in, you can see that the level of detail is fairly high. The map will have an image from some point in the past which you cannot choose. Once you zoom in, you will not have the option to change the date and see past imagery. This is not very useful for OSINT analysts. Changing the date and time can only show you imagery from that date when zoomed out a lot, like in the photo above. You may notice that there is a date and time dial in the bottom center of the page. When zoomed out, you will see the current cloud formations over a large area as well as night and day lighting. Like Google Earth and Maps, Zoom Earth does not always have the latest imagery (in fact, none of these three almost ever do have the latest imagery), but it makes up for this with the quality of its satellite photos, making it a useful tool for geolocating and other investigations. Generally, the images in Zoom Earth are fairly good quality, meaning that if you were to find an area with low quality satellite imagery on Google Earth or Maps, Zoom Earth may have better quality photos for the same location. Zoom Earth is a mapping service that uses satellite imagery from several different sources to create its maps.