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Veteran Joined: Dec 28, 2004 Posts: 377 Status: Offline

Somebody at Google has discovered OPSEC...try to look at any Dutch bases on Google Earth and they are all pixelated!! Contrast that with Spangdahlem, where you can count the cars in the parking lot and see what is on the ramp at TA.

Interesting!!

Leeuwarden N 53.228611 E 5.760556

Volkel N 51.656389 E 5.708611

Woensdrecht N 51.449092 E4.342031

Spangdahlem N 49.972667 E 6.692500

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Elite Joined: May 14, 2004 Posts: 2945 Location: Utah

Bout time...huh - Thanks Joe, now if only the US efforts received the same close look and pixelated, I'd be happier Smile

Newbie Joined: Nov 02, 2005 Posts: 5 Status: Offline

A little background....

http://www.ogleearth.com/2006/04/some_dutch_site.html

http://www.ogleearth.com/2006/04/dutch_censorshi.html

Cheers

Elite Joined: Jan 14, 2004 Posts: 2454 Status: Offline

The really scary one was when I was able to find a certain base in Nevada on Google Earth. Surprised the AF hasn't put the brakes on that yet. Granted, I had to put my geography and naviagtional skills to work, in order to find it, but still, one would think the gov't would smarten up and figure out that there is no other reason that people would want to type in "Rachel, NV". Rolling Eyes

To Err is Human. To Forgive is NOT ACC Policy.

Veteran Joined: Jul 21, 2005 Posts: 471 Status: Offline

All you have to do for that one is type Area 51 into the search bar and you get everything you need from Google Earth. They don't have a damn thing outside except a passenger plane though...

LordOfBunnies wrote:

All you have to do for that one is type Area 51 into the search bar and you get everything you need from Google Earth. They don't have a damn thing outside except a passenger plane though...

Are you sure? There are two f-16s to the west of hanger six.

NW of "the box" is TTR, I don't think anything goes on here during the day

Anything that the gov. doesn't want on GE they just tell Google, and it pixelates. I mean, what would you expect from the makers of a search engine that censors material for a commie government.

F-16.net Editor Joined: Aug 23, 2003 Posts: 1678

The Telegraph wrote:

US bans military sites on Google maps
By Sophie Borland
Last Updated: 9:05am GMT 07/03/2008

The US defence department has banned Google from taking pictures of its military sites because it says it is a "potential threat" to security.

It follows the discovery of detailed of images of the Fort Sam Houston army base in Texas, on the Google Maps web service which clearly showed the location of barriers, headquarters and control points.

The search engine, which provides street maps, satellite pictures and three-dimensional of hundreds of countries around the world, has agreed to remove the offending photographs.

The particular complaint came from images on Street View, a Google service only available in the US which allows web users to "drive" along virtual US landscapes and see ground-level views of parts of the country.

Google have admitted that their decision to enter the Texas base and undertake a detailed survey, had been "a mistake" and that such a study of sensitive sites was not a normal policy.

The search engine has now been barred from filming and conducting detailed mapping of all US military bases and n particular showing views of Fort Sam Houston.

Officials are carrying out an enquiry as to what other imagery is available on Street View and Google Earth, which offers in-depth satellite and 3D images of locations around the world.

Google Earth has already prompted complaints both from individuals depicted in the images and from governments concerned that satellite images could compromise security Gary Ross, a spokesman for the US Northern Command, said that although such services could be useful, "there has to be a balance".

Larry Yu, spokesman for Google said the company would listen to concerns about privacy and security.

"We try to have a compliant image removal policy - not only relative to the military but to consumers also," said Mr Yu. "If people have concerns, they should contact us."

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... gle107.xml

Elite Joined: Jul 11, 2007 Posts: 666 Status: Offline

Now if they could only find Osama bin Laden for us.

Elite Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1093

So how did a van with a giant camera pack on its roof get INTO the base in the first place?! They're not exactly subtle: http://weblogfor.us/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/tn_google_van.jpg

"What's your business on base?"

"Oh, just carrying out a detailed photographic survey that we will then put up on the Internet."

"Alrighty then, carry on."

For finding your way around a city you don't know, the Street View is awesome. I was out in San Diego a few months ago, I was able to "drive" the routes I was going to before I left, it was like I'd already been there once.

JoeSambor wrote:

Somebody at Google has discovered OPSEC...try to look at any Dutch bases on Google Earth and they are all pixelated!! Contrast that with Spangdahlem, where you can count the cars in the parking lot and see what is on the ramp at TA.

Interesting!!

Leeuwarden N 53.228611 E 5.760556

Volkel N 51.656389 E 5.708611

Woensdrecht N 51.449092 E4.342031

Spangdahlem N 49.972667 E 6.692500

Look i'm Dutch, and maybe those bases are pixelated, but you can get pretty close to the base. A friend of mine, who is an airplane nut like me Wink

. Shoots video's of the planes arriving and departing and such, and he's practically on the runway. I don't know how it is in the States, but in Holland you can get pretty close to the base.

Here's a Video if anyone wants to see how close:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tIH2fmW ... re=related

Regards,
Tim

Many Army posts (at least pre-9/11) don't have posted security. I drove onto and spend a couple hours tooling around Ft. Sam Houston around '01, and didn't see a single MP the whole time.

Elite Joined: Jul 30, 2005 Posts: 739 Status: Offline

I remember driving onto the post in southern GA on accident about 8 years ago. Didn't realize I was on a base until I had to stop for a formation of soldiers.

Elite Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1093

I guess in my mind I was picturing an AF base, with guard shacks, gates and pop-up "truck stoppers". I don't think I've ever been on an Army base.

edit: 1000 posts! Laughing

I have a question about google earth. I am not to fimiliar with it only having used it once. The first thing I did was locate Hill AFB on the map and I could see the 388th parking ramp's with the jets sitting on them. My question is how often are these images updated? is it every few hours? I can't believe that this was, at anypoint, allowed to happen. I wouldnt be concerned too much about the road layouts because you can probably get a map of the base anywhere. But a map of the base combined with images of building that are on those roads can be dangerous in the wrong hands

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OPSEC and Google Earth