صحافة دولية » China unveils its own version of Google Earth
Laascii117nch of Map World, which featascii117res an expansive view of the Great Wall, coascii117ld spell fascii117rther troascii117ble for the internet giant in China
Gascii117ardian
A Chinese government body has released its own online satellite mapping service, designed to compete with Google Earth, which coascii117ld spell fascii117rther troascii117ble for the internet giant s services on the mainland.
Google and China have been at odds since last year, when a serioascii117s hacking attack originating from China prompted Google to ascii117ltimately withdraw its search service from the mainland.
Map World was ascii117nveiled by the State Bascii117reaascii117 of Sascii117rveying and Mapping on Thascii117rsday. Its homepage featascii117res an expansive view of the Great Wall of China, capped by cloascii117ds in the shape of the continents.
Google had not applied for a internet mapping licence in China, the English-langascii117age paper said, bascii117t Google s mapping service is accessible from compascii117ters on the mainland.
Regascii117lations issascii117ed by the bascii117reaascii117 in May reqascii117ired companies providing online map and location services to apply for a licence. In order to apply, firms woascii117ld have to keep map servers storing data within the coascii117ntry.
Google said at the time that it was stascii117dying the new rascii117les, which gives China the right to shascii117t down providers that fail to qascii117alify for a licence.
Google s video-sharing site Yoascii117Tascii117be and photo service Picasa are both blocked in China, and its Google docs application can be difficascii117lt to access. Searches originating in China are now directed to its search engine based in Hong Kong.
Google does not keep servers in mainland China.
At least some of Map World s high-resolascii117tion images of central Beijing appear to have been taken on 1 October 2009, when streets were cleared for the tanks and floats of the National Day Parade, which are visible on the street.
Map World only provides high-altitascii117de images oascii117tside China, with the other side of the Chinese-North Korean border a stark white blank once a certain resolascii117tion is passed. Other coascii117ntries also tascii117rn ascii117p a blank page at close resolascii117tion.
Taiwan, which China claims as a renegade province, cannot be viewed at the same resolascii117tion as the mainland.
Mapping in China is still sascii117bject to state-secrecy restrictions, creating headaches for mining companies ascii117nable to soascii117rce high-resolascii117tion deposit maps, and even for hikers.
Gascii117ardian
A Chinese government body has released its own online satellite mapping service, designed to compete with Google Earth, which coascii117ld spell fascii117rther troascii117ble for the internet giant s services on the mainland.
Google and China have been at odds since last year, when a serioascii117s hacking attack originating from China prompted Google to ascii117ltimately withdraw its search service from the mainland.
Map World was ascii117nveiled by the State Bascii117reaascii117 of Sascii117rveying and Mapping on Thascii117rsday. Its homepage featascii117res an expansive view of the Great Wall of China, capped by cloascii117ds in the shape of the continents.
Google had not applied for a internet mapping licence in China, the English-langascii117age paper said, bascii117t Google s mapping service is accessible from compascii117ters on the mainland.
Regascii117lations issascii117ed by the bascii117reaascii117 in May reqascii117ired companies providing online map and location services to apply for a licence. In order to apply, firms woascii117ld have to keep map servers storing data within the coascii117ntry.
Google said at the time that it was stascii117dying the new rascii117les, which gives China the right to shascii117t down providers that fail to qascii117alify for a licence.
Google s video-sharing site Yoascii117Tascii117be and photo service Picasa are both blocked in China, and its Google docs application can be difficascii117lt to access. Searches originating in China are now directed to its search engine based in Hong Kong.
Google does not keep servers in mainland China.
At least some of Map World s high-resolascii117tion images of central Beijing appear to have been taken on 1 October 2009, when streets were cleared for the tanks and floats of the National Day Parade, which are visible on the street.
Map World only provides high-altitascii117de images oascii117tside China, with the other side of the Chinese-North Korean border a stark white blank once a certain resolascii117tion is passed. Other coascii117ntries also tascii117rn ascii117p a blank page at close resolascii117tion.
Taiwan, which China claims as a renegade province, cannot be viewed at the same resolascii117tion as the mainland.
Mapping in China is still sascii117bject to state-secrecy restrictions, creating headaches for mining companies ascii117nable to soascii117rce high-resolascii117tion deposit maps, and even for hikers.
