Google buys satellite image firm Keyhole | CNET News.com

Google buys satellite image firm Keyhole | CNET News.com: "Google said Wednesday that it has acquired Keyhole, a company specializing in Internet software that allows people to view satellite images from all around the globe...

Keyhole, founded in 2001, offers software that lets Internet users view geographic images collected from satellites and airplanes. The technology relies on a multi-terabyte database of mapping information.

The software gives users the ability to zoom in from space-level; in some cases it can zoom in to a street-level view...Users can also search for information such as the locations of hotels, parks, ATMs and subways."

WebProWorld: Caris & Co. analyst David Garrity described the Keyhole technology as “much more than just Mapquest on steroids” (personally, I think a Mapquest on steroids would be pretty slick).

MediaDailyNews 10-28-04: "Keyhole is a paid-only service that currently costs consumers $29.95 a year--down from the pre-deal fee of $69.95 a year.

"the photos are more lifelike than drawings of maps, some say the new service goes further than most online mapping in melding physical space with cyberspace--which could be a big boon for advertisers.

'It blurs the line between the virtual world and the real world,' said Joshua Stylman, managing director of the marketing firm Reprise Media. That blurring, he said, creates 'an amazing local search opportunity,' because advertisers might now be able to more viscerally connect with consumers who are conducting searches. For instance, local hotels that advertise on Google might be able to purchase listings that could appear next to Keyhole photos of their streets or neighborhoods. "