By Sea & Sky: Google Floating Data Centers & New “Spy” Satellite

Sep 8, 2008 at 12:44pm ET by Greg Sterling

Google has moved off land, into the sea and the sky (space) to further some of its earthly objectives. On Saturday the GeoEye-1 satellite launched into space. The noteworthy thing about this satellite is that it has the highest resolution of any orbiter taking pictures of Earth.

While Google is the only mapping provider that will benefit from that imagery, it’s not the only one that will collect images from the satellite. The US Department of Defense will reportedly also be using the high resolution imagery for its own purposes.

The resolution of the camera will apparently be able to capture details down to the size of 41 centimeters or 16 inches.

geoeye Image credit: Geoeye Corp.

Separately, Google is also considering developing offshore data barges (“water-based” data centers) that will use the motion of the ocean to create electricity. The published patent application offers the following abstract:

A system includes a floating platform-mounted computer data center comprising a plurality of computing units, a sea-based electrical generator in electrical connection with the plurality of computing units, and one or more sea-water cooling units for providing cooling to the plurality of computing units.

There’s a joke in here somewhere about the GeoEye satellite’s hypothetical re-entry into the atmosphere, in years to come, splashing down and crashing into one of the (future) Google data barges.


Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land, and writes a personal blog Screenwerk, examining the broader world of media and advertising. He also posts at a Local Mobile Search, which is focused on the mobile Internet.

See more articles by Greg Sterling >

Share, Bookmark & Discuss This Article
More:

Keep Updated: News Via Email | News Via RSS Feed | News Via Twitter

See more stories like this in the Members Library! Check out the Features: General, Google: Maps & Local, Google: Partnerships sections of the Members Library where this story is filed. Members also get access to exclusive video content, a members-only weekly & monthly newsletter, plus more. Check out all the benefits!

Comments are closed.

RECENT COMMNENTS

  • Buy Advertising said " I've been experimenting with the merger of advertising and entertainment. I think that it can be bot"
  • nickstamoulis said " Wow, this is very interesting, I was not aware of the the Google Books case at all, I will be sure t"
  • nickstamoulis said " These are all very cool, my personal favorite 4th logo is the Ask.com layout, it is very creative!"

See All »

FREE DAILY SEARCH NEWS RECAP!

Stay on top of all the search news with our daily summary, the SearchCap newsletter. View a sample ›

STAY CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY

RSS Feeds

The Search Engine Land feed keeps you informed as news happens. SEE ALL FEEDS »

Upcoming Search Engine Land Conferences

Advertise With Us »

Search Engine Land produces SMX, the Search Marketing Expo conference series. SMX events deliver the most comprehensive educational and networking experiences - whether you're just starting in search marketing or you're a seasoned expert.


SMX Web Site » | SMX Difference » | SMX News »


Join us at an upcoming SMX event:

Search Marketing Now Learn more about search marketing with our free online webcasts and webinars from our sister site, Search Marketing Now. Upcoming online events include:


See more webcast topics »

TRACK US SOCIALLY
Upcoming Search Engine Land Conferences

Get Your Search Engine Land
Premium Membership!

Become a premium member today and receive:

  • Express commenting privileges & photo.
  • Exclusive videos & newsletters.
  • Discounts to our SMX conferences.
  • Access to "How To" & Other Archives.

Learn More

Upcoming Search Engine Land Conferences
En Espanol|Contact|Members Info|RSS Feeds|Email Subscriptions|Privacy|Advertise
Add to GoogleAdd to My Yahoo!Add to BloglinesAdd to NetvibesAdd to Windows Live